2024 Deschutes River Hatchery Steelhead ECREEL

August 15 - October 15, 2024

Official Rules

Background: What is an ECREEL event? 
An ECREEL event is a new way to help collect data on Steelhead populations by applying a mark-recapture method, which builds off the work of Riggers and Jones (2022). It is coupled with an ongoing Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife creel survey, and by combining both methods, we want to determine if we can reasonably estimate the total catch of Steelhead on the Deschutes River while this event is running. For more information please contact the organizer, Sean Simmons, by email ([email protected]) 

1. General Information

1. This is a MyCatch mobile app event held on Deschutes River from August 15 to October 15, 2024. Please refer to the official map boundaries shown on the official event page https://www.anglersatlas.com/event/816/2024-deschutes-river-hatchery-steelhead-ecreel.

2. Anyone can participate in the 2024 Deschutes River Hatchery Steelhead ECREEL and it is for all ages.

3. This event is free to enter. 

4. Each contestant must have a valid Oregon fishing license with all applicable endorsements and supplemental tags issued by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

2.Getting Started

1. This event only supports individual registrations, not teams. 

2. Participants must use their own account when submitting their catches.

3. The app supports multiple accounts on the same device so a single phone can be used for multiple participants. 

4. Participants must use the same account login email and password when registering for an event and when submitting catches. 

5. All catches must be submitted through the MyCatch app to qualify for this event, which is freely available on Google Play Store and Apple App store.

6. First time users must set up an Angler’s Atlas account before entering an event, either through the app or on AnglersAtlas.com/sign-up. Here is a helpful video.

7. To participate in the 2024 Deschutes River Hatchery Steelhead ECREEL, you can register for the event online at https://www.anglersatlas.com/event/816/2024-deschutes-river-hatchery-steelhead-ECREEL. 

Or directly through the app. Here is a quick YouTube video for more information). Once entered, you will receive an automatic email confirming that you have entered the event. 

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

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

3. Catch Reporting Rules

1. This event is for hatchery Steelhead only. No other species, nor wild Steelhead will be permitted.

2. Hatchery Steelhead can by identified by the absence of the adipose fin which is located between the dorsal fin and tail. Wild Steelhead will have the adipose fin intact. Refer to the image below for an example of this:

3. 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). Each photo is tagged with a unique QR code for backup purposes. 

4. 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 section 8 below for details. 

5. Each fish must be entered only once.

6. Fish should be entered at the fishing site, and as soon as possible after catching them.

7. All fish must be measured with the right side down.

8. This is a total length measurement event, measured from the tip of the nose or jaw to the tip of the tail. The tail may be pinched to the width of the board or left unpinched. 

9. All catches will be measured to the last physical line on the measuring device that the tail touches or crosses. If a fish is longer than the angler's bump board or tape measure, the longest measurement on the board or tape measure will be counted.

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

11. Anglers can only submit catches that they have caught themselves. Under no circumstances can you share fish with any other angler.

12. Event organizers reserve the right to adjust entries. They also have the right to ask for a picture sent to them of your measuring device.

13. Fish only appear on leaderboards after they have been reviewed and approved by the organizer. To see if your fish was recorded successfully, check the Log View of your app (2nd icon from the left at the bottom). Here is YouTube link showing how to submit a catch on the app.

14. Anglers can only submit catches that they have caught themselves. This is an individual tournament, so you cannot enter as a partnership or team, and under no circumstances can you share fish with any other angler. Anglers are free to fish alone or with other tournament or non-tournament anglers, but each registered angler may only enter their own fish on their own app.

15. If you measure your fish entry on a commercially produced bumpboard, the measurement rules are as follows. The nose of the fish must be visibly touching the bump end of the board, the fish must be placed on top of the board and the entire fish showing the head and tail must be visible in the measurement photo. We must also see past the head and tail in the photo - do not cut off the head in the photo. Expandable (sliding) bump boards will not be permitted.

16. If you measure your fish entry on a homemade bumpboard, the measurement rules are the same as above BUT you must provide a photo to the organizer of the empty board to verify proof of measurement accuracy. This photo must be sent to [email protected] and include the entire board beside a measuring tape for verification. Homemade bumpboards must have a solid edge or "bump" for the fish to be set against and it must line up with the 0 mark on the tape. Unverified boards will NOT be accepted

17. If you measure your fish using a tape measure, the measurement rules are as follows. The fish nose and the start of the tape must be aligned by placing both against a solid edge. The fish's nose must be aligned with the zero mark on the tape, the fish cannot be on top of the tape measure or cover it in any way, and the entire fish showing the head and tail and past the tail must be visible in the measurement photo. Do not use fabric or flexible measuring tapes. *Rapala roll out tapes will be treated as a tape measure*

18. Soft/Flexible measuring tapes and Sliding Expandable Bump boards are not allowed for this event. Catches may be rejected or penalized.

19. If an entry submission comes in where a measuring rule is not followed, such as the nose is not touching the bump or at the zero mark, the fish may still be approved but a length penalty will be applied. The penalty will apply to the observable length of the fish at the discretion of the Organizer. The set penalty amount will be 1 inch. The entry may also be rejected. 

20. A photo that does not clearly show the overall length of the fish, including head and tail, on the measuring device 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. 

21. During the entry process, a second photo; often called the Hero Shot consisting of the angler holding the fish, will be prompted in the entry procedure and is optional but encouraged for this event. 

22. You will also be prompted with a third option which is a video of the release of your fish and this is also optional for this event.

23.  During the event, the app will work without WiFi or any or strong cell service. If you submit a fish without any or strong enough service, the app will tell you that the fish has been recorded, and that it will sync up to the server once you return to service. Every fish you log (whether in good service or not) will appear in your app’s Log View (2nd icon from the left at the bottom). If you have fish “awaiting sync,” it will indicate this here. The submissions will eventually come through on their own once you return to service, but you can help speed up the process by “manually syncing” those pending logs (see how here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU-AwLc8OLY) once you’re in service. The logs are time/date/location stamped to the moment that they were taken, so even if the submission is delayed, the time on that submission will still be accurate.

24.  Fish DO NOT show up on any of the leaderboards until they have been approved by the Organizer’s Team, so don’t expect to see them reflected on the leaderboard immediately.  If you want to ensure that your fish was recorded successfully, check the Log View of your app (2nd icon from the left at the bottom). If your fish is there, it logged successfully.

25.  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. 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.

26.  A great resource is the MyCatch video that shows how to complete an entry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fS65wMakQHA

4. Event Location and Times

1. Event boundaries are from the I-84 Bridge upstream to Sherars Falls on the Deschutes River, Oregon. See the map attached to this event on the app or the official web page https://www.anglersatlas.com/event/816/2024-deschutes-river-hatchery-ssteelhead-ecreel.

2. The event runs from Thursday, August 15, 2024 at 5:00:00 am to Tuesday, October 15, 2024 at 9:00:00 pm (Pacific Daylight Time)

3. To qualify, all catches made must be synchronized with the Angler’s Atlas server within the event times.

4. Once the event concludes, a full review process of the catches will be managed by the organizer. Results will be announced no later than October 31, 2024 and will be final.

5. At the discretion of the organizer, the duration may be shortened, postponed or canceled due to unsafe weather or water conditions.

5. Research Rewards

1. Research Rewards - Rewards for this event will be distributed in accordance with the prizing categories below.

Week # 1 - Longest Hatchery Steelhead-  $100 Gift Certificate

Week # 2 - Longest Hatchery Steelhead - $100 Gift Certificate

Week # 3 - Longest Hatchery Steelhead - $100 Gift Certificate

Week # 4 - Longest Hatchery Steelhead - $100 Gift Certificate

Week # 5 - Longest Hatchery Steelhead - $100 Gift Certificate

Week # 6 - Longest Hatchery Steelhead - $100 Gift Certificate

Week # 7 - Longest Hatchery Steelhead - $100 Gift Certificate

Week # 8 - Longest Hatchery Steelhead - $100 Gift Certificate

Week # 9 - Longest Hatchery Steelhead - $100 Gift Certificate

Week # 1 - Random Draw (All entries) - $100 Gift Certificate

Week # 2 - Random Draw (All entries) - $100 Gift Certificate

Week # 3 - Random Draw (All entries) - $100 Gift Certificate

Week # 4 - Random Draw (All entries) - $100 Gift Certificate

Week # 5 - Random Draw (All entries) - $100 Gift Certificate

Week # 6 - Random Draw (All entries) - $100 Gift Certificate

Week # 7 - Random Draw (All entries) - $100 Gift Certificate

Week # 8 - Random Draw (All entries) - $100 Gift Certificate

Week # 9 - Random Draw (All entries) - $100 Gift Certificate

Week #1 - Most Hatchery Steelhead Caught - $100 Gift Certificate

Week #2 - Most Hatchery Steelhead Caught - $100 Gift Certificate

Week #3 - Most Hatchery Steelhead Caught - $100 Gift Certificate

Week #4 - Most Hatchery Steelhead Caught - $100 Gift Certificate

Week #5 - Most Hatchery Steelhead Caught - $100 Gift Certificate

Week #6 - Most Hatchery Steelhead Caught - $100 Gift Certificate

Week #7 - Most Hatchery Steelhead Caught - $100 Gift Certificate

Week #8 - Most Hatchery Steelhead Caught - $100 Gift Certificate

Week #9 - Most Hatchery Steelhead Caught - $100 Gift Certificate

Week #1 - Hidden Length - $100 Gift Certificate

Week #2 - Hidden Length - $100 Gift Certificate

Week #3 - Hidden Length - $100 Gift Certificate

Week #4 - Hidden Length - $100 Gift Certificate

Week #5 - Hidden Length - $100 Gift Certificate

Week #6 - Hidden Length - $100 Gift Certificate

Week #7 - Hidden Length - $100 Gift Certificate

Week #8 - Hidden Length - $100 Gift Certificate

Week #9 - Hidden Length - $100 Gift Certificate

Week #1 - Skunked Prize - $100 Gift Certificate

Week #2 - Skunked Prize - $100 Gift Certificate

Week #3 - Skunked Prize - $100 Gift Certificate

Week #4 - Skunked Prize - $100 Gift Certificate

Week #5 - Skunked Prize - $100 Gift Certificate

Week #6 - Skunked Prize - $100 Gift Certificate

Week #7 - Skunked Prize - $100 Gift Certificate

Week #8 - Skunked Prize - $100 Gift Certificate

Week #9 - Skunked Prize - $100 Gift Certificate

Overall Longest Hatchery Steelhead 1st Place - $250 Cash

Overall Longest Hatchery Steelhead 2nd Place - $150 Cash

Overall Longest Hatchery Steelhead 3rd Place - $100 Cash

2. A participant can only win one prize placing per weekly category. Full payout of Grand Prizes require a minimum of 100 participating anglers. If fewer than 100 anglers submit catches for prizing, the Grand Prize value will be scaled according to the number of participating anglers.

3. Awards will be announced on or by October 31, 2024 and anglers will be contacted directly using the contact information provided in the tournament registration process.

4. In the case of a tie, the tie break will go to the person who entered the tied fish first. If a tie still exists, the tie break will go to the person with the highest number of fish reported.

6. General Rules

1. By registering and participating in the 2024 Deschutes River Hatchery Steelhead ECREEL, all participants agree to abide by the rules and regulations they have received as set out in these event event rules.

2. You must follow all Oregon regulations pertaining to possession and bag limits.

3. 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 (i.e. use of traps, trap nets or cages) be allowed to be entered. Fish cannot be snagged, netted, speared etc. Usage of a landing net to land a hooked fish is allowed. 

4. Each contestant must conform to the general sport fishing rules and regulations including temporary rules and restrictions, and zone regulations for the Central Zone.

5. All federal, state and local laws must be abided by. 

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

7. All questions or concerns relating to the rules of this event are to be referred to the organizer or designated representative. The organizer for this event is MyCatch and can be reached by email at [email protected] (please include the name of the event in your email). Their decision will be final in all cases. 

8. The interpretation and enforcement of the rules is at the sole discretion of the organizer. The organizer may change rules or impose sanctions as they deem appropriate, including but not limited to disqualifications, forfeiture of prizes, and prohibition from competing in future tournaments.  All decisions made by the organizer are final. 

9. Abuse of event officials and volunteers will not be tolerated.

10. Failure to comply with any event rules subjects participants to possible disqualification from the event.

11. Any angler found to be cheating or breaking the law will be disqualified from the event, and may result in future bans for any MyCatch events.

12. Any protest against another participant not complying with the rules must be brought to the organizer’s attention before the end of the tournament, and a $100.00 dollar protest fee may need to accompany the protest. The fee will be returned if the protest is found to be valid.

13. It is our intention to provide an honest sportsmanlike tournament, and contestants are reminded the spirit of the rule will factor into judgments by the organizer.

14. Participants are responsible for their own safety, actions, and property at all times.

15. All photo and video submissions may be used by MyCatch and Angler's Atlas in the future.

7. 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 only provided to fisheries researchers under strict conditions.

2. Every research team we work with who receives location data must sign a data sharing agreement that sets the terms of use for the data consistent with 7A.

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]).