A Casper Team Won Big In The Wyoming Walleye Stampede

The Wyoming Walleye Stampede is ready for its final round and championship for the 2024 season after wrapping up round three at Boysen Reservoir.

The late June temperatures and the sunny skies made parts of the weekend brutal for everyone involved in the tournament, but in the end, it turned out to be a great weekend.

The Stampede is a catch-and-release tournament with a low mortality rate over the two-day event. Multiple weigh boats, two anchored at specific locations on the water and two roaming, ensure that a fish doesn't stay in a boat's livewell very long before being released.

The anglers who enter put a lot of time and effort into their fishing craft and take great pride in caring for Wyoming's incredible fisheries. Many of the anglers have fished in most tournaments over the last 15 years, and when they all show up together, it resembles a family reunion more than a hardcore fishing competition.

Brian Woodward and Mitch Bauers have dedicated much time and energy to honing the tournament's details and specifics to make it one of the country's most respected and well-run tournaments. They've done an incredible job, and it runs like a fine-oiled machine.

The first two tournaments for 2024 were held at Glendo, one of which was the inaugural Governors Cup. The championship will be held at Pathfinder in mid-August. The third week of the series was at Boysen.

During the two-day stop at Boysen Reservoir, the top 20 teams received a total payout of $35,450. The first-place team received a $10,000 check, the second-place team received $4,000, and the rest of the top 20 teams received the least amount back for their tournament entry fee.

The first-place team of Casper's Rick Walter and Bruce Brugger from Bar Nunn finished the tournament with 36.62 pounds, including the tournament's big fish, which measured around 30 inches.

Kelsey Cowger