Calling all fly and spin anglers! Get ready to join us for the inaugural Iowa Driftless Classic (IDC), our state’s premier trout fishing tournament where you can win prizes while raising money and awareness for conservation. The event has been set for September 14, 2024, and will begin at the Chuck Gipp Decorah Fish Hatchery, located along Trout Run in the Driftless, and minutes from many of the best coldwater trout streams in Northeast Iowa. The entry fee is $200 per team ($100 per person). An entry fee includes an angler’s tournament registration, dinner, drink tickets and more. For the Classic, two-person team tournaments will participate in a semi-virtual competition described as “Catch, Picture, Release,” and will use the online platform Fish Donkey App.

A shotgun start will kick off the tournament and give anglers eight hours (8 a.m.- 4 p.m.) to strategically explore any of Northeast Iowa’s publicly-accessible fishable streams and rivers. This format will provide anglers with the flexibility to fish from a variety of PUBLICALLY-ACCESSIBLE waterways, or catch all of their trout from a single body of water. County trout fishing guides with detailed stream maps and descriptions are available upon request. The target fish for this event will be rainbow, brown and brook trout.

This tournament rewards winnings in the form of gifts. The winnings will be distributed after the event during the awards ceremony portion of dinner, which will begin at 5:30 p.m. Rewards include over $3,500 worth of non-cash prizes. Event coordination provided by Northeast Iowa Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) with proceeds going to the Iowa Driftless Chapter of Trout Unlimited where they will use funds raised for in-stream habitat improvements, outreach and education events, as well as expanding public fishing access on trout streams throughout northeast Iowa.