GENERAL:

Q: Where and when is the Summer 2023 Walled Lake Bass Fishing Derby?

A: The derby is scheduled for Sunday 6/11/2023 7AM to 1PM on Walled Lake. The event is hosted at The Beach: Tiki Bar & Grille located at 142 E. Walled Lake Drive, Walled Lake MI 48390 248-669-3322

Q: How, where, when can I register for the WLBFD?

A: We have TWO registration options:

(1) Online registration at www.mifishingderbys.com

(2) Onsite registration at The Beach: Tiki Bar & Grille Friday 6/9 5PM to 9PM, Saturday 5PM to 8PM and Sunday 6/11 the day of the event 6am to 10am. Located at142 E. Walled Lake Drive, Walled Lake MI 48390 248-669-3322

Q: Can I bring a boat to Walled Lake to fish the derby on June 11th?  Where do I launch? Where do I park once I drop my boat in the lake?

A: A boat launch will be provided for ONLY the day of the event June 11th, 2023, launching in to Walled Lake from 5AM to 10AM and is located on the West Side of Eddie's Walled Lake Barrels Of Wine Liquor Store located at 136 East Lake Drive, Walled Lake MI 48390. ​  ​**VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE IF YOU ARE BRINGING A BOAT TO THE EVENT​**   If you are planning to bring a boat and launch it for the 6/11 Derby you are required to have your boat and trailer washed, at no charge to you, at our onsite MSU Mobile Boat Washing Station on Friday 6/9 between 1PM to 5PM.  The law requires any boat coming from another lake must be properly washed before doing so to prevent the possibility of invasive weeds being transported from another lake.  Again, there is NO charge for the boat washing, all you must do is show up and our team will properly wash your boat and trailer.  The Mobile Wash Site will be located at the Greenhouse's parking lot located at 118 West Walled Lake Drive, Walled Lake MI 48390 on Friday June 9th 1PM to 5PM.

Parking for Vehicle and boat trailer is located at Riley Park, 239 Common St. Walled Lake, MI 48390 and at The Greenhouse West Parking Lot at 118 West Walled Lake Drive, Walled Lake, MI 48390.  There will be WLBFD staff onsite to assist anglers with proper parking areas.  This parking has been reserved for June 11th 2023 the day of the event only, no overnight parking is allowed.

FISHING

Q: What time does the event start / end?

A: The start time is 7AM Sunday 6/11 on Walled Lake.  All derby entry fish must be weighed in by 1PM EST. Final weigh location is on the North side of the lake, at the hosting restaurant The Beach: Tiki Bar & Grille’s docks located on the Walled Lake directly in front of the restaurant.  The WLBFD will have a Large Pontoon Barge set up for measuring and recording fish.  Anglers who want to get a fish measured will pull into an available boat slip and bring their fish to the barge, once measure they can head back out fishing but must leave the slip area for the next angler who has fish to measure.

Q: Does the fish have to be alive when brought in for measuring?

A: Yes, we recommend all anglers have a cooler filled with lake water and preferably an aerator or a live well on your boat to keep fish alive that you would like to enter into the contest.

Q: Do I have to keep fish that I enter in to the derby for consideration?

A: No, once a fish has been officially recorded and photographed by a WLIBD official at the official weigh in station the Angler can either throw the fish back in the water or keep it. Anglers have the option to bring their fish up to the weigh in station upon catching the fish or at the end of the derby no later than 1PM to be measured for winning consideration.

Q: Is fishing “Other Lakes” permitted?

A: No, we have discontinued having a “Other Lakes” fishing category. All fish must be caught on Walled Lake.

Q: When can or should I set up my gear for the derby?

A: Anglers who plan on bringing a boat to launch can be at the launch site as early as 5AM. WLIBD is not responsible for any damaged or stolen gear that is used for the event or during the event.

Q: Can I fish off the shore?

A: There are docks at the Tiki Bar and anglers can fish from them however there is usually a lot of traffic in and out of the boat slips from Anglers pulling in to get their fish measured.  Registered anglers are not allowed to fish off of private residential shorelines unless they have written permission from the landowner.

Q:  Can I drop in a Kayak or Canoe?

A: Yes, assuming you do not have a trailer you can dump the canoe or kayak off at the Walled Lake beach next door to the restaurant and launch the water from there.  We have quite a few folks who do this for our tournament.

Q: Where to park if I don’t have a vehicle and trailer?

A: Parking is a first come first serve. Primarily located at the North end of the lake by the restaurant and the surrounding side roads. You can park in the restaurant parking lot. Avoid parking that blocks driveways or street traffic, vehicles will be towed if that occurs. We will post a parking map soon.

Q: Where are popular spots to fish on Walled Lake?

A: The million-dollar question! Winning fish are caught just about everywhere, and anglers tend to fish shallow and deep sides of the weed beds.

Q: Will bait be available onshore at the derby?

A: Yes, Eddies Party Store next to the restaurant will have nightcrawlers and wax worms available for sale.

Q: Do I need a fishing license to fish the derby?

A: No, the WLIFD falls on the “Michigan Free Fishing Weekend” which is June 10th and June 11th anglers are NOT required by law to have a valid MI fishing license that day. If the derby planned date of June 11th gets moved from that weekend to a non-free fishing weekend, then yes, a valid fishing license would be required.

Q: What are legal size and daily possession limits for fishing in Michigan?

A: Per the MI DNR 2023 Rules and Regulations here are the size requirements and possession limits for each species that will be considered a prize category in the.  WLBFD cannot measure, keep, our consider any fish under the below legal minimum length defined below.  If it under the required length, throw it back in the water.

Largemouth Bass / Smallmouth Bass Minimum 14” Daily limit of 5

Northern Pike Minimum 24” with a daily limit of 2

Perch/Panfish/Crappie No length requirements but daily limit is 25 

Q: What methods of fishing can be used during the Derby and is live bait allowed?

A: All legal means of fishing is permitted per the 2023 MI DNR rules and regulations.  Artificial AND Live Bait are allowed at the derby.  As a reminder, all Michigan DNR rules & regulations must be followed at all times.

CATEGORY WINNERS / RAFFLES / DOOR PRIZES / 50/50

Q: When and where is the award ceremony?

A: The award ceremony will be held inside of The Beach: Tiki Bar & Grille starting around 2pm to 2:30pm.  The Tiki Bar’s capacity is of over 600 people, folks typically grab lunch right after the 1pm Derby stop time and wrap up just in time for the awards, winnings, raffles all start taking place.

Q: Do I have to be present to win Fish Category Prizes? Raffle Prizes? Door Prizes? 50/50 winnings?

A: Registered derby winners who have weighed in prior to 1PM for the fish categories do NOT have to be present to win. Raffle prize winners do NOT have to be present to win either. We will call out on the restaurants PA system, if the winner is not present, we will post the winners on our Facebook page letting them know if they won or not, we will also contact them shortly after the event to make arrangements for them to pick up their winnings. We will take a picture of the winner and their prize earnings and post it on Facebook for recognition. Make sure all registration forms and raffle tickets are filled out with a legible full name and phone number.

50/50 requires you MUST be present to win. If not present when numbers are called, another number will be drawn roughly 2 minutes later until we have a present winner.

Q: Where can I buy Raffle tickets, 50/50, Derby Summer Performance Shirts?

A: Raffle tickets, 50/50, Derby Summer Performance Shirts can be purchased onsite at The Beach Tiki Bar and Grille 6/9 Friday and 6/10 Saturday from 5PM to 9PM and 6/11 Sunday from 6AM to 3PM. You can also purchase Derby Summer Performance Shirts and raffles tickets at our online registration store www.mifishingderbys.com 50/50 raffle will only be sold at the event at the above hours, they will not be available at the online registration.

Q: Who do I contact with any questions?

A: Please call Tony Hopeck, Tournament Director at 248-949-0221 or email ahopeck@hotmail.com with any questions. You can also message us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/walledlakefishingderby