Third annual Tag Masters Fish Lottery returns to southeast

The Tag Masters Fish Lottery is back for a third fishing season.

Troy Kincaid with the Weyburn Wildlife Federation said tickets are $20 and the fish are all catch-and-release as the Sask Sport Fish research team does studies based on the tagged fish through the years.

"If you catch a tagged fish in Rafferty and send in your information and your pictures and stuff, we will do a draw at the end of the season," he explained. 

The prize for first place is $1,500. For second place it's $750 and third place is $250.

"So a decent amount of money there that can be won for a $20 entry fee and then it just makes it fun going out fishing."

He said last year there were 12 tagged fish caught in all, but there are around 650 fish tagged so far.

"Then there are also two tournaments again this year and they'll be tagging at those tournaments. So roughly probably 150 fish through those two tournaments, if not more. That just adds to the to the chances of getting the tagged fish," Kincaid added.

One of those upcoming tournaments is the Walleye Classic in June. Read more HERE.

He shared what to do if you catch a tagged fish and you've got your Tag Masters lottery ticket.

"If you catch one, you take a picture of it, with the tag and just kind of with the background so we kind of can tell it's Mainprize and Rafferty, just by the shoreline and then send it in. There's a QR code on the back of your ticket," he said. "If you catch one and you don't have a ticket, you won't be able to enter that fish just with old pictures and we should be able to tell by time stamp on the photo." 

"This is our third year doing it and it's been a success every year, so it goes right from May 5th till March 31st, the last day of ice fishing season. So you have the entire year to catch a fish."

The lottery will be drawn after the ice season ends.