27th Annual Platte Area Chamber Walleye Fishing Tournament

The 27th Annual Platte Area Chamber of Commerce Walleye Fishing

Tournament will be held May 5th - May 6th, 2023

The event will start off with the Rules Meeting and Calcutta on Friday, May 5th, at the Platte Community Building. Doors will open for social hour and registration at 5:00 pm. The meal will be served from 6-7 pm, followed by the rules meeting and Calcutta. All participants are required to attend the rules meeting.

Fishing will take place Sat., May 6th from 6:45 am - 3:15 pm. Weigh-in will be located at the Platte Creek Store All teams must be at the weigh-in by 4:00 pm. Winners will be announced with checks and awards given away that day.

Flights are determined in order of registrations and the Calcutta blocks will be randomized.

Over $15,000 in Payouts!
We payout the top 10 teams.
1st - $8000
2nd - $3800
3rd - $2100
4th - $1300
5th - $800
6th - $700
7th - $600
8th - $500
9th - $400
10th - $300

Rules and Regulations:

All rules have “loopholes.” In the spirit of good sportsmanship, entrants are reminded that the
“SPIRIT OF THE RULE” will prevail in all judgments.

ELIGIBILITY: A complete and signed entry form and paid entry fee for each team must be received prior to the Rules Meeting and Calcutta on Friday evening.

PRE-TOURNEY PRACTICE: Any time prior to the Rules Meeting and Calcutta.

SAFETY: All contestants must observe US Coast Guard regulations. No shotgun starts. “No Wake” zones must be observed.

SPORTSMANSHIP: Contestants are expected to be courteous, safety conscious, and practice fundamental sporting principles.

TACKLE & EQUIPMENT: Artificial or live bait may be used; each contestant may use two (2) fishing rods. Three person teams may only have four active fishing rods at any given time. You may carry spare rods in your boat. No live well allowed, you must have fish on ice.

BOATS & MOTORS: Must meet US Coast Guard regulations for occupancy by two (2) or three (3) persons. Must follow all South Dakota State Laws. Motor size depends upon the size of the boat.

HEADQUARTERS: Platte Creek Recreation Area will serve as the launching and loading headquarters. The headquarters for the weigh-in will be in the parking lot of the Platte Creek Store.

FISHING AREA: Lake Francis Case. North boundary is Elm Creek, and the South boundary is Wheeler.

FISHING HOURS: There will be four (4) flights.
Flight 1 (Teams 1-25) 6:45 AM – check in by 2:30 PM
Flight 2 (Teams 26-50) 7:00 AM – check in by 2:45 PM
Flight 3 (Teams 51-75) 7:15 AM – check in by 3:00 PM
Flight 4 (Teams 76-100) 7:30 AM – check in by 3:15 PM

LATE: Contestants who return later than their scheduled times will be disqualified.

INSPECTIONS: Boats will be inspected before and during the tournament. Decal numbers MUST be on your boat motor. NO EXCEPTIONS!

LICENSES: A South Dakota fishing license is required by all team members.

GENERAL: All rulings by the tournament officials are final. The tournament committee reserves the right to refuse any entry. The tournament committee reserves the right to render all decisions final.

BOAT LICENSE: Must be current at tournament time.

SCORING: Prizes will be based upon total weight. Each team will be permitted to catch (8) eight and weigh five (5) fish. Walleye or sauger will be weighed only if they measure 15 inches long or over. Fish measuring less than 15 inches will result in a disqualification for all fish for that team. Each boat may only have two (2) walleye/sauger 20 inches or longer. Any fish mangled, mashed, or mauled will be disqualified. Sauger will count as walleye for all tournament prizes. It is your responsibility to have an individual fish weighed if you feel it may qualify for the “largest walleye” prize. High grading of fish is prohibited. All fish must be tagged.

TIES: Ties for prize money will be resolved by combining the place winnings for the tied positions and splitting the winnings between the teams that are tied. (Example: 3 teams tie for 8^th place. Prize money for 8^th, 9^th, and 10^th place would be combined and split evenly between the 3 teams.) Ties for the largest walleye and the Calcutta will also be split.

PRIZES: If you are present at the weigh in checks will be given after all fish are weighed in and winners announced. If not present, prize money and Calcutta money will be sent via US Mail the week following the tournament.

CONTESTANT NOTES: It is illegal for two or more boats to pull up to each other during tournament hours. Coming ashore will not be allowed except in emergencies. Decals must be visible on all boat motors.

NOTE: The Platte Area Chamber of Commerce Walleye Fishing Tournament Committee nor any other tournament sponsor will be liable for any accidents, loss or damage of property, or personal or bodily injury in conjunction with this tournament.

LEAVING: All boats must pass between the south shore and the southern-most “No Wake” buoy.

RETURNING: All boats must pass between the south shore and the southern-most “No Wake” buoy.

The tournament committee reserves the right to make changes should circumstances dictate that become necessary.

TAGGING OF FISH: All fish must be tagged immediately if that particular individual fish is going to be added to the daily limit. Immediately upon leaving the water, ALL tagged fish will be secured by a zip strip provided by a tournament official at the docks. Unused tags will also be collected at that time.

LIVE WELLS: The use of live wells with water for the purpose of saving fish is prohibited. All harvested/tagged fish will be kept on ice.

WEIGH-IN: The weigh-in location will be the parking lot of Platte Creek Store. Weigh-in procedures will be conducted by Platte Area Chamber of Commerce. All fish must be weighed in by 3:30 PM.

DECAL NUMBERS: Decal numbers must be visible on your boat motor. NO EXCEPTIONS!

PROTESTS: Any contestant has the right to protest another team or contestant. The protest must be filed in writing with the tournament director in person no later than 1/2 hour after close of that fishing day. A $300 protest fee must accompany any protest. A three (3) person protest committee will convene to hear both sides of the issue. Their decision shall be final in all cases. Tournament officials reserve the right to utilize polygraph examinations in determining if prizes will be awarded. The fee will be returned if the protest is found valid. If found invalid the fee will not be returned. Anyone found cheating will be immediately disqualified and the reason for disqualification announced at the weigh-in.

Entry Fee:

The entry fee is $260 per 2-Person Team or $310 per 3-Person Team.

The fee increases to $310 per 2-Person Team or $360 per 3-Person Team after April 27th

Each team is included in the Big Fish Contest which is included in the entry fee.

The meal on Friday night is also included in the entry fee.

Register Now!

Pre-Orders Only

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