Last month, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced Michigan’s participation in the Midwest Walleye Challenge — a partnership between the DNR and MyCatch by Angler’s Atlas that invited residents to fish inland waters not just for the fun of it, but also to net some prizes and help the DNR collect valuable data about walleye populations.

This year’s challenge is part of a larger fisheries research project funded by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

Michigan anglers compete only against Michigan anglers for prizes, while all catches from across the Midwest qualify for the grand prize drawings at the end of the event.

There’s still time to register for the challenge, which closes Sunday. You can choose the free entry option to qualify for non-cash prizes or pay a $25 fee to qualify for all prizes, including cash payouts.

Full details about prizes and qualifications are available on the prizes tab of the main event webpage, anglersatlas.com/event/776/2024-michigan-midwest-walleye-challenge-2024.

Nervous about giving up your secret fishing spot? Don’t worry; the MyCatch mobile app maintains anonymous location data, so DNR fisheries biologists are able to get valuable information — generalized lake and river catch data entered via the app — while no detailed catch locations are shared.

Questions? For all technical/operational information about the challenge, email Angler’s Atlas at events@anglersatlas.com. For more on Michigan’s walleye fishery and statewide management, contact Seth Herbst at HerbstS1@Michigan.gov.