How to Run a Fishing Tournament Event in Colorado

Running a fishing tournament event in Colorado? Here's how to plan it, pick a format and run it on Colorado Under Par, start to finish.

What it looks like

Colorado fishing tournaments run on reservoirs, lakes and rivers from spring through fall, plus ice fishing derbies in winter, drawing families, kids and serious anglers.

Formats

Bass Tournament (Team / Boat)

Two-person boat teams fish a set window and bring a limited number of live fish to the weigh-in.

Big Bass (Heaviest Fish)

Every angler competes to land the single heaviest fish during the event.

Catch, Photo & Release

Anglers measure each fish on an official board, photograph it and release it right away.

Fly Fishing

Anglers fish assigned river or lake beats with fly gear, usually catch and release.

Ice Fishing Derby

Anglers drill through the ice and fish during set hours.

Kids / Youth Derby

Kids fish a stocked pond or shoreline in age groups, often with loaner gear and volunteer help.

Species-Specific

Only one target species counts, such as trout, walleye or pike.

Biggest Fish Weigh In

A central weigh station crowns the heaviest catch with a live leaderboard. Spectators gather as each fish hits the scale.

Mystery Weight Pot

Anglers buy in to guess a secret target weight, and the closest catch wins the pot. A Colorado raffle license may be needed.

Lucky Lure Trophy

The champion team takes home a giant painted lure trophy passed down year to year. Add their names to it for a lasting tradition.

Build it

In the Organizer Dashboard, click Create event and pick fishing tournament and your format. Every tab, word and Start here guide then follows your sport.

Registration

Choose your team size and divisions, like adult, youth and team / Boat. In Registration, ask what you need from each entrant, like boat partner name and boat, if you bring one.

Results

Open Scores and results to enter each score, and totals rank automatically by division. Tick Post results so everyone can see the standings on the event page.

Event day

Anglers check in and get rules and boundaries, launch or head out at the start signal, fish until lines-up time, then come in for weigh-in and awards.

Fun ideas

Make it memorable. Three ideas people love. Biggest Fish Weigh In. A central weigh station crowns the heaviest catch with a live leaderboard. Spectators gather as each fish hits the scale. Mystery Weight Pot. Anglers buy in to guess a secret target weight, and the closest catch wins the pot. A Colorado raffle license may be needed. Lucky Lure Trophy. The champion team takes home a giant painted lure trophy passed down year to year. Add their names to it for a lasting tradition.

Tip

One tip for first-timers: check state fishing rules and get any needed permits from the lake or park well ahead, and remind entrants they need valid licenses. Building is free, then 1% per paid order plus card processing, paid to your own Stripe account. Stuck? Ask Caddie or search Need help in your dashboard. Start at coloradounderpar.com/sell-tickets.