Registration Window Closing for Two Lake Erie Walleye Derbies

This week marks the final days for anglers to register for two popular walleye fishing tournaments on Lake Erie. 

The Fall Brawl and Walleye Slam, separate big fish derbies based in northern Ohio, both get under way on Saturday, Oct. 18 and run until Saturday. Nov. 30. The goal? See who can catch the biggest walleye in the U.S. waters of Lake Erie. 

These events have attracted thousands of anglers from across the country over the years and help showcase Lake Erie’s world-class walleye fishery. 

Last year, a 12.3-pound walleye caught by Edward L. Hatten Jr., of Hastings, N.Y., won both the Brawl and the Slam. The fish earned Hatten Jr. more than $300,000 in cash and prizes, including two fully-rigged fishing boats. 

As of this writing, more than 5,100 entrants are signed up for this year’s Slam and more than 5,800 are signed up for the Brawl. The registration window for both events closes at 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, Oct. 17. 

For both derbies, entrants can weigh in as many fish as they want, but they will only be credited for the heaviest one.

The Fall Brawl has eight sanctioned weigh-in stations between Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania. The Walleye Slam’s official weigh-in station is Erie Outfitters in Sheffield Lake, Ohio. Both events allow anglers to enter fish caught in U.S. waters of Lake Erie (Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York). 

For more information on the Fall Brawl, click here. 

For more information on the Walleye Slam, click here.

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