Courtesy photo In 2022, first and third place during the first pre-fishing day of the Manistique Trout and Salmon Derby went to Brian and Marcie Klaven of Escanaba. 2025 is the 40th year of the derby, which will take place July 21 to 27.

MANISTIQUE –A popular and high-paying fishing derby in Manistique will put anglers’ skill and luck to the test for the 40th year come July.

The Manistique Trout and Salmon Derby consists of a main tournament the weekend of July 26 and 27, a women’s tournament on Friday the 25th, and “pre-fishing” contests Monday through Thursday.

The competition has been organized by the Manistique Area Sport Fishing Club, a 501(c)(4), for 11 years now, said President Brett Tallman. The club took over the event that first began in 1985 from forerunner Schoolcraft County Sportfishing Association.

With a landmark year upon the derby, the club wanted to do something special, so some prizes have been added, thanks to the support of area businesses.

Each day of pre-fishing awards a total of $1,750: the top three largest fish — usually salmon — earn their captors $1,000; $300 and $200. New this year, the angler with the heaviest trout each day also takes home $250.

“It usually works where (the top three) are always salmon — they’re just bigger,” said Tallman. “So that’s why we threw in the heaviest trout category this year; people were bummed out when they got a big trout and didn’t get no money.”

The $40 registration fee for the main weekend tournament also grants entry to the four days of pre-fishing (July 21 to 24).

On Friday, the women’s tourney has a $100 per boat entry fee. Prizes are issued to the three boats with the highest combined weight of their top three heaviest fish — $1,000 for first; $750 for second; and $500 for third. $250 prizes are also given for the single heaviest salmon and single heaviest trout.

The weekend main tournament draws a lot of attention — in past years, Tallman said, between 300 and 500 participants has been common. In 2025, though, a potential draw for more anglers may be the fact that the prize money has almost doubled: the former $5,000 award for the first place salmon has been upped to $10,000, and the first place trout will win $5,000 as opposed to the $3,000 prize of last year.

“We wanted to do something special for the 40th annual,” said Tallman. “We may go back down to our old payouts next year.”

Boats also have the option of entering for the chance to win the 3-3-3 side pot at the cost of $100 per boat; the winner is the boat with the highest cumulative weight of its three biggest fish.

Second through eighth place pay out as well, with amounts based on how many people enter.

80% of registration fees go back to participants as winnings. The other 20% helps the Manistique Area Sport Fishing Club continue to administer events. The trout and salmon derby is one of the club’s two annual events; they also operate an ice fishing derby on Indian Lake at the end of January.

While some prize money comes from entrants, much is made possible by generosity of community donations. Sponsors of the Manistique Trout and Salmon Derby include the Manistique Tourism Council, Fox Marquette, Nicolet National Bank, Mr. Chrome Lures, State Savings Bank, Nord Trucking, Paul’s Plumbing and Appliance, and B&N Concrete.

Raffles and other drawings are also organized around the derby.

Tournament tickets may be purchased from Linda’s Bread Box, Top O’Lake Sport Shop, Wheaty’s Pub and Roy’s Place.

All competitions of the July derby begin and end at the Manistique City boat launch.