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Trout Fishing Tournament

Two people catch a trout in a boat during the tournament.

Cast your line and reel in the big one at the Bear Creek Lake Park trout fishing tournament! This two-person team tournament that will take place on Bear Creek Reservoir. Both shore and watercraft will have separate winners. The target fish for this event will be rainbow or brown trout, and the winner will be determined by weight. Check-in begins at 6:15 a.m.

There is a 15-team maximum per section for this event. Fishing licenses are required. All boats undergo a mandatory boat inspection. Boats must arrive with a valid green seal the day of the tournament.

This event is held annually in April. Please see registration link for details as the event nears.

Tournament Info and Rules

This a team event. $60 per team (includes park entrance fee). It is the responsibility of the participants to organize their team of two.
Registration is limited to 60 participants or 30 teams. There will be 15 spaces for boats and 15 spaces for shore teams. Hand launch boats are encouraged due a limited parking area.
All participants 16 and older must have a valid Colorado State Fishing License.
Each team must have one licensed fisherman at least 16 years or older.
All team members will be required to sign or have a parent sign a City of Lakewood waiver of liability.
All entry fees are final, no refunds will be given. The tournament will go on regardless of the weather.
Check in for the tournament will be at 6:15 a.m. The tournament will begin at 7 a.m. and will be signaled with a siren. Boats will be allowed to launch prior to tournament start, however contestants caught fishing before the start time will be disqualified.
Only rainbow or brown trout caught from Bear Creek Reservoir on the day of the tournament may be entered to win.
Winning fish will be determined by weight and will be weighed by a certified scale. Participants are allowed two entries per team. Once both fish have been weighed, and therefore entered, into the contest any subsequent fish will not be allowed by that team.
There will be a separate purse for shore teams and boat teams. We will award 1^st and 2^nd place for each shore and boat teams. If there are less than five boat teams there will only be a 1st place for this category.
Teams must check in to be weighed by 1:30 p.m. on the day of the tournament; however fish can be entered and weighed at any point between 7:00 am and 1:30 pm. We encourage bringing in your fish live to be weighed then released but not mandatory.
Any fish not weighed by 1:30 p.m. sharp will be disqualified. We will accept fish if you are in line to be weighed by 1:30 p.m.
All contestants are subject to a mandatory cooler/bag/boat inspection before and during the tournament.
Contestants caught cheating will immediately be disqualified and banned from future events.
Bear Creek Lake Park employees are ineligible.
Fishing line needs to be properly disposed of in one of the fishing line recycling bins around the parking areas near the reservoir.
Names and photos of the winners may be used by the City of Lakewood or the sponsors without further compensation.
Any live bait aside from worms must be inspected before the start of the tournament. A valid receipt from a certified bait shop will have to be shown and purchased within 7 days of the tournament.
Any tied entries will be broken by length of fish.
Bear Creek Lake Park, Colorado State Fishing, Colorado boating rules and regulations apply. Any participant failing to comply with those rules, or rules of the tournament, will result in immediate disqualification. Disputes or interpretation of rules and regulations will be left to tournament officials to resolve.