Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) is running a tournament at Blue Mesa Reservoir—the state’s largest—to remove as many lake trout as possible. From now through April 30, anglers can compete for the chance to win their share of $10,000 in prize money.
CPW wants lake trout removed from Blue Mesa because the fish are highly predatory, especially on younger kokanee salmon. Kokanee are a freshwater sockeye, and incredibly popular sportfish across the Mountain West. They make excellent table food, and are a fun fight on trolling gear. Since kokanee are pelagic (open-water) fish, though, they run into similar habitat occupied by lake trout.
With a booming lake trout population, that means more and more small kokanee are being consumed by these fish, leaving fewer for anglers to catch. This same problem is happening at other kokanee fisheries throughout the region, including Flaming Gorge Reservoir on the Utah – Wyoming border.
The tournament at Blue Mesa will get more anglers out there catching lake trout, and according to a CPW news release, it will help “aquatic biologists maintain adequate kokanee salmon fry survival by limiting predation from lake trout. Maintaining abundant kokanee supports quality-fishing opportunities for kokanee and provides a source of kokanee eggs for restocking needs at up to 29 waters in Colorado. Abundant kokanee are also essential for maintaining continued growth and condition of trophy Lake Trout at Blue Mesa Reservoir.”
This isn’t the first iteration of this tournament, either. This is the fourth year in a row CPW has sanctioned it, and 2025’s edition of the fishing challenge yielded 2,770 fish caught, by far the most since 2020.
“Ongoing harvest of small lake trout continues to be needed to maintain kokanee numbers at appropriate levels while also benefitting trophy lake trout production,” said CPW aquatic biologist Giulio Del Piccolo. “Lake trout are prolific, and our research has proven that smaller lake trout 24 inches and smaller consume the most kokanee. That’s why we target those fish in the tournament.”
You can learn more about getting in on this tournament, and how to claim prizes, here.