Arnolds Park, IA (KICD)– The first of ten tagged fish from the 2023 edition of Walleye Weekend in the Iowa Great Lakes Area has been caught, just hours after the annual tournament ended.

Each year ten Walleye are tagged and released into the water with a grand prize offered if any are caught during the weekend and other prizes available for those registering for the Extended Contest.

Overall, Walleye Weekend is being considered a success again this year from approximately two thousand anglers joining in the fun for the 41st annual season opener.

Roughly 100 people took part in the Biggest Walleye Contest where Karten Elsen of Milford earned 435 dollars for catching a fish measuring 27.75 inches long. Other categories over the weekend had John Reising of South Sioux City catching the largest Northern Pike weighing 9.57 pounds and measuring 35 inches long along with Kelly Cook of Spencer bringing in the heaviest stringer of Walleye. Brad Cabrera of Barnum had the heaviest stringer of panfish and Chris Daisy of Estherville turning in the heaviest stringer of bullhead.

The Okoboji Chamber of Commerce says entrants in this year’s Walleye Weekend came from 16 different states.