Great Photos From The Year’s First Wyoming Walleye Stampede

For anglers fishing in the first Wyoming Walleye Stampede fishing tournament of 2024, the spring Wyoming weather was a factor in catching fish. The teams that could show up during the week before the tournament to pre-fish dealt with some wild stuff. Wind, rain, snow, ice, cold, and warm were all present at different points of the week, making it challenging.

The Wyoming Walleye Stampede just began its 16th year and has four events planned, with the first just wrapping up. The remaining three are the Governor's Cup on June 1 & 2 at Glendo Reservoir, week three is at Boysen Reservoir on June 29 & 30, and the fourth week is the Championship that will be at Pathfinder Reservoir on August 10 & 11.

Chatting with anglers from the 144 teams present during the first two-day event, May 11 & 12, I heard how tough the bite was from some, and others made it seem a little easier by catching some monster walleye. The minimum length the anglers were allowed to keep was 16 inches. For the third year, I got to help and be an official weigh-boat weight recorder. During the two days, we saw fish ranging from 16 inches to the weekend's largest, measuring 29 3/4".

A team is allowed to catch & hold fish in their possession at once. Since the tournament is a 'catch and release' tournament, after a fish is caught, it's held in the angler's live well, measured by an official weigh boat, and then released. The anglers can measure up to 12 fish in one day. A length-to-weight conversion chart adds up the teams' total weight for the tournament. The anglers with the highest weight for both days will take home $10,000. It's not a bad payday for doing something you'll do for free any time you can.

With the first event over, the Wyoming Walleye Stampede Facebook page shows how tough the weekend was for some of the anglers. Two teams weren't able to weigh in any fish, but the winning team, Curtis McCormick and Mark Schoning, bagged 53.94 pounds.

Considering all of the working parts of the Wyoming Walleye Stampede and the time, work, and dedication that is put into it, it's no wonder it's one of the most impressive walleye tournament series in the country.