Can you catch a crappie worth 10 grand? Absolutely, if you’re fishing in the Weiss Lake Crappie Rodeo in northeastern Alabama. There’s big money to be won in the months-long event, put on by the Weiss Lake Improvement Association.
The annual rodeo began on Feb. 1, and more than a half-dozen have already been caught, according to weisradio.com, but there’s still plenty left, including one extremely valuable fish, until the rodeo ends on April 30.
Until then, anglers will vie to catch a total of 1,001 tagged crappies that have been released in all areas of Weiss Lake that are worth a combined $134,000! Here’s how the tag values are distributed:
- 473 fish are worth $50 each
- 474 fish are worth $100 each
- 53 fish are worth $1,000 each
- Finally, there’s one tagged crappie in the lake that is worth a cool $10,000
Anyone who wants to participate in the rodeo has to purchase a badge for $15 from participating merchants near the lake. The fish were caught during a tournament held by the association specifically to tag fish in the lake for the rodeo; the prize money is being put up by local sponsors and the association.
The Weiss Lake Improvement Association works to improve the fishery, the water quality in the lake, and promotes safe boating. Proceeds from the rodeo are put back into the lake “for today’s anglers and lake users and for future generations of anglers and boaters.”
If you pick up a badge, know that you must check in tagged crappie alive with the tag in place for the catch to be valid, and you have to have a badge at the time of the catch.
All fish must be caught with a rod and reel or with a pole, while anglers obey all state fish and game laws. Anglers must also be willing to submit to a polygraph test if one is requested by the tournament director.
