Salina's Lakewood among the fishing derby locations
PRATT – The 2021 Great Kansas Fishing Derby, going on now, started May 1 with more than 500 fish tagged and scattered in 35 lakes throughout the state.
Several different species were tagged, including black bass, crappie, bluegill, redear sunfish, drum, carp, walleye, and catfish.
Halfway through the Derby, 80 tagged fish have been caught statewide. But, thanks to additional sponsors, more tags have been added to select locations, resulting in more than 450 tags yet to be redeemed. So far, winners have received gift cards, paddle sport rentals, fireworks, and gear for camping, cooking, and fishing. All prizes have a minimum value of $20, with some as high as $100 until now, that is.
The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) has announced that one tagged fish was added to each participating lake, excluding KDOT West, worth a $250 KDWPT gift card! The gift card can be used towards licenses and permits, camping fees at Kansas state parks, boat registrations, or magazine subscriptions.
Anglers just need a fishing license, unless exempt, to participate. When a tagged fish is caught, anglers will need to remove the tag and visit ksfishderby.com to enter the code. Prizes will be mailed, and certificates will be emailed to winners, which can then be taken to a local sponsor in exchange for a prize. Anglers and non-anglers can also enter a raffle drawing for a chance to win a weekly prize.
If that’s not enough motivation to participate, how about a chance to win a lifetime hunting and fishing license? All anglers who catch and redeem a Great Kansas Fishing Derby tag will be entered into additional prize drawings, with one lucky winner receiving a lifetime license. Drawings will also be held for everyone who registers online at ksfishderby.com, so even if you didn’t catch a tagged fish, you can win one of several high-value prizes. Drawings will take place during KDWPT’s Nov. 18 commission meeting.
All tags must be redeemed by midnight on July 31, so head out to catch a tagged fish while you can. And when you do, share a photo using the tag redeem form at ksfishderby.com and tag your catch on social media with #ksfishderby!
Great Kansas Fishing Derby locations for 2021 include the following.
Salina - Lakewood Lake
Scott State Fishing Lake
Cedar Bluff Reservoir
Meade State Fishing Lake
Barber State Fishing Lake
Horsethief Reservoir
Great Bend Vet’s Park
Jewell State Fishing Lake
Sebelius Reservoir – Norton
Geary State Fishing Lake
Shawnee State Fishing Lake
Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake No. 2
Banner Creek – Holton KS
Herington Reservoir – Herington
Leavenworth State Fishing Lake
Lake Lenexa
Lake Olathe
Douglas State Fishing Lake
Osage State Fishing Lake
Critzer Reservoir- Linn County
Topeka - Lake Shawnee
Crawford State Fishing Lake
Montgomery State Fishing Lake
Yates Center Reservoir Chanute - Santa Fe Lake
Lyon State Fishing Lake
Chase State Fishing Lake
Garnett – North Lake
Gridley - Gridley City Lake
Butler State Fishing Lake
Wichita KDOT E
Wichita KDOT W
Sedgwick County - Lake Afton
Harvey County East Lake
Harvey County West Lake
For more information about the Derby, visit ksfishderby.com.
For information on fishing in Kansas, visit ksoutdoors.com/Fishing.