2022 Flaming Gorge Fish Derby

Trophy Lake Trout Category

1. Getting Started

1. The Flaming Gorge Fish Derby - Trophy Lake Trout portion of the event is an online tournament run through Angler’s Atlas website and their mobile app MyCatch.

2. Anyone can participate in the Flaming Gorge Fish Derby - Trophy Lake Trout and it is for all ages. Registration is currently only able to support individual registration. For those participants entering fish in the Trophy Lake Trout category and sharing a mobile device, they must login to their own account to submit their catches under the “manage accounts” feature.

3. There is a registration fee to enter the tournament and you must sign up here: http://www.flaminggorgefishderby.com/ There is no extra fee for the Trophy Lake Trout category.

4. Catches for Trophy Lake Trout must be submitted through the MyCatch app for approval.

5. In order for catches to be sent properly, you must use the same login email and password for both the Angler’s Atlas website and the MyCatch app.

6. All participants must first sign up for an Anglers Atlas account via our website: https://www.anglersatlas.com/

7. All contestants entering the Trophy Lake Trout portion must then register for the tournament via this URL (also visible on the website under Tournaments - Active Tournaments):

https://www.anglersatlas.com/tournament/555/2022-flaming-gorge-fish-derby-2022

8. You will receive an automatic email confirming that you have entered the tournament 

9. Once accepted into the tournament, download the free MyCatch mobile app which is available for both iOS (Apple App Store) and Android (Google Play Store) and login to activate the tournament on the app using the same login email and password that you used to register in the tournament.

10. By participating in this event your name may be publicly visible.

11. Protecting anglers’ privacy is a priority, and any location data collected during the tournament will not be released to the public. Our promise to anglers is “Secret Fishing Spots Stay Secret”. See below for further details.

12. A great resource is the MyCatch video that shows how to register for a tournament and can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o3PzcIoGo4&t=8s

2. Catch Reporting Rules

1. This event is for Trophy Lake Trout only and the minimum size to enter is 40 inches.

2. In order for each catch to qualify, a photograph of the fish on a measuring device must be taken using the MyCatch app (ie. photos cannot be uploaded from a photo gallery or other source). 

3. All contestants must have GPS/location services enabled on your cell phone for their catches to qualify. Your location data will be protected. For more information, see details below.

4. This portion of the event is a total length measurement for Trophy Lake Trout - NOT fork length. See pic for reference. The total length of a fish is measured from the tip of the nose or jaw to the tip of the tail with the tail pinched.

5. The nose of the fish must be at the start or zero mark on all measuring devices and the total length is taken where the longest length of the tail crosses the measurements on the measuring device.

6. The photo must be taken from a birds-eye view looking down on the fish. 

7. During the online registration you will be required to declare if your team will be targeting trophy Lake Trout. Lucerne Valley Marina will provide you with the measuring stick and token based on your online registration. Anglers will measure fish in their boat with the provided catch & release ruler and token and submit their entry via the MyCatch app. 

8. Tournament organizers reserve the right to adjust entries.

9. A photo that does not clearly show the overall length of the fish, including head and tail, and token on the ruler WILL NOT BE SCORED. More than one attempt to get a valid scoring photo is allowed. The app will prompt you to either accept the photo or retake a photo.

10. The mouth is allowed to be open, closed, or anywhere in between, so long as the fish meets the other above requirements

11. A second photo, often called the Hero Shot, is to be used as a hero shot and is optional for this event. 

12. A third option is a live video release of the fish and is also optional for this event. 

13. The app works out of cell range, and catches will synchronize with the server once the user opens the app when back in cell range, or via a wifi signal. Photos are date, time, and location stamped to the moment that they are taken. If the catches are not synced by the prizing deadline, they will not qualify for prizes.

14. Catches that are submitted will be reviewed for approval frequently. Our Catch Approval Team made up of trained biology students will be reviewing and approving all fish. Once the submissions are reviewed and approved, they appear immediately on the appropriate leaderboard(s). DO NOT EXPECT to see entries show up immediately after you log them.

15. IMPORTANT: Arguing against or trying to attribute reason as to why any of the above rules could not be followed will have ZERO bearing on the ruling of a rejected fish. “It was cold/windy” or “My buddy can verify...” will not be considered, and NO exceptions will be made. It is on the angler to review their photo thoroughly and submit an acceptable photo based on the above rules.

16. A great resource is the MyCatch video that shows how to log a tournament catch and can be viewed here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqwbAFFQE-w

3. Tournament Location and Times

1. Tournament boundaries are within the limits of the water body of Flaming Gorge Reservoir. 

2. The tournament runs from:

Saturday, May 14 2022 from 5:30 am – 6 pm and 

Sunday, May 15 2022 from 5:30 am – 1 pm

3. All catches made within the start and end times must be synchronized with the Angler’s Atlas server within the event times to qualify.

4. Other Rules

1. By registering and participating in the tournament, all participants agree to abide by the rules and regulations they have received as set out in the Flaming Gorge Fish Derby - Trophy Lake Trout event rules.

2. All of the event rules are posted here: http://www.flaminggorgefishderby.com/

3. The Trophy Lake Trout portion of the event is to be entered on behalf of a team. Anglers decide which member of their team will complete the entries on their behalf. Only one team member should enter all Trophy Lake Trout for the team.

4. All fish entered for this event must be caught via angling i.e. using hook, line, rod and reel. At no time will fish caught by non-angling methods (i.e. use of traps, trap nets or cages) be allowed to be entered. Artificial lures and flies only, no bait may be used. Usage of a landing net to land a hooked fish is allowed.

5. Any ties will be resolved by which fish is caught first.

6. Each contestant must have in their possession a valid fishing license for their respective jurisdiction.

7. Each contestant must conform to the fishing rules and regulations that are in place for the jurisdiction in which they are fishing.

8. Promoters and organizers assisting in the tournament operation are not responsible for death, injury, damage, liability, theft, fire or any loss to any contestants.

9. Any angler found to be cheating will be disqualified from the tournament. Angler’s Atlas also reserves the right to ban anglers from competing in future events.

10. In the event of disqualification, any paid entry fees will be forfeited and not refunded.

11. All rules have loopholes. It is our intention to provide an honest sportsmanlike tournament. In the interest of good sportsmanship, contestants are reminded the spirit of the rule will prevail in all judgments.

12. All questions or concerns relating to the rules of this tournament are to be referred to the Organizer. Their decision will be final in all cases. No other person can be considered a spokesperson for the rules during the tournament. The contact person for this event is Jessica Williams and can be reached by email at [email protected] 

13. All participants must follow boating safety regulations in your jurisdiction.

14. All photo and video submissions may be used by MyCatch by Angler's Atlas for future use.

5. Data Privacy and Fisheries Research

“Secret Fishing Spots Stay Secret” — This is our primary commitment to anglers who report their catches through MyCatch. So what does this mean in practice?

1. Angler’s Atlas does not release MyCatch GPS data to the public. It is treated as confidential and is provided to fisheries researchers under strict conditions.

2. Every research team we work with must sign a data sharing agreement that sets the terms of use for the data.

3. Data is anonymized before it is provided to the researcher.

4. Researchers agree not to share the data with anyone else.

5. Researchers cannot use the data for any purpose other than the research specified in the agreement. 

6. Exact location data cannot be published as part of the scientific research. Instead, it has to be generalized to a larger region so the location cannot be reverse engineered. 

7. Angler’s Atlas may release data to a law enforcement agency if compelled to do so under court order.

These data privacy rules are designed to protect our angler’s private data, to conserve the fisheries, and to make sure we maintain a trusting relationship with our anglers into the future. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to reach out to Angler’s Atlas President directly by email ([email protected]).