Rules & Regulations February 3rd & 4th, 2024 Meeteetse Ice Fishing Derby 

To be eligible for prizes, contestants must hold a current Wyoming Fishing License, must be registered, and have paid an entry fee to the Meeteetse Visitor Center. Any unregistered fishermen will be disqualified. Any fishing before 8:00 am will be an automatic disqualification. Any fishing after 2:00 pm each day will result in automatic disqualification. Judging will be from 1:00pm until 3:00 pm on both days at the Reservoir where fishing is taking place. Fishing must be on the Upper Sunshine Reservoir on Saturday and the Lower Sunshine Reservoir on Sunday. 

Online registration is now available. Contestants must electronically sign the waiver, complete the registration form, and pay the entry fee. You should receive a confirmation email once registration is complete. You may also visit the Meeteetse Visitor Center and complete online registration with assistance from the Discover Meeteetse staff.

Registration marker cannot be transferred, and MUST BE always VISIBLE on the Derby participants. 

Wyoming Game & Fish regulations apply to all registrants. Wyoming Game & Fish personnel will be present at the Fishing Derby. All contestants must follow all fishing license requirements and AIS Regulations. Any Game & Fish violation will result in automatic disqualification of the entire team. To qualify for prizes, there is a maximum of two (2) rods per person. Only 3 fish will be judged from each team, each day. Fishing holes can be no larger than ten inches (10”) in diameter. Remember that the daily possession limit on the Sunshine Reservoirs is six (6) trout per angler. 

The Meeteetse Ice Fishing Derby is a HARVEST CONTEST. No culling will be allowed and would result in immediate disqualification. Any fish that is not to be counted in the creel limit shall be immediately released to the water with as little injury to the fish as possible.  Any fish placed on stringer, in a container, in a live well, or not released immediately to the water, shall be considered to be reduced to possession of the angler and shall be killed prior to being transported from the water of origin. -Wyoming Fishing Regulations 2018, pg. 4. 

Gutting or any other alteration of the fish will result in disqualification. NO FROZEN FISH WILL BE ACCEPTED. Fish with white eyes or other signs of being frozen or other signs of being frozen may be sliced open by Tournament director to check for internal signs of freezing. Information on the number of fish caught and kept or caught and released will be recorded so all participants must check in at the end of each day. 

To determine winners, fish will be measured by LENGTH ONLY, using a Wyoming Game & Fish measuring board, for a grand total measurement on each day of fishing. Both days catch will be added together for a Derby total for each team. All decisions by the Tournament Director are final. Please keep the area clean. Garbage cans will be provided. Do not dump trash through your ice holes. Pack out your trash. Any trash or litter determined to be left by your group WILL BE reported to local authorities and WILL result in your entire group being banned from the event. Please respect our Wyoming spaces. 

The Meeteetse Visitor Center, its Board of Directors, employees, and members claim no responsibility for the condition of any roads used to access the Ice Fishing Derby on Upper Sunshine Reservoir, and Lower Sunshine Reservoir, Meeteetse, Wyoming. Further, the above claim no responsibility for accidents or injuries on either thin ice areas, the Reservoirs, or the surrounding area as a whole. You are on the premises at your own risk. Please limit traffic on the ice to ATVs or snowmobiles only and limit to a minimum. No road vehicles are allowed on the ice. 

All registered fishermen must sign an affidavit of Derby rules and compliance. Ice cleats are highly recommended due to lack of snow cover on the ice. 

All entries are non-refundable unless Derby officials cancel the event for any reason. IF the event is cancelled, all entries will be refunded after a 15% handling charge is deducted. If you have received your Derby marker, no further check-in is required. No late registrations will be allowed. You must have completed your registration and received an official marker to have your fish judged.