Sucker Slam

A Fly Fishing Tournament to celebrate Native White & Longnose Suckers on the Denver South Platte

Registration: 1/15/25 – 3/20/25
Cost $50 for team of Two Anglers

SIGN UP HERE (LINK COMING SOON)

Day of (3/22/25) Schedule

  • 8am, rules meeting / control item & measuring device distribution @ location TBD on or along the Denver South Platte
  • 9am Fishing begins
  • 4pm Fishing ends
  • 4.30pm cutoff for photo submissions on Instagram
  • 6pm After Party and Awards @ Location TBD

TOURNAMENT RULES

  • Limited to the Denver South Platte from the Chatfield Dam to 164th (Veterans Park), and up to 1 mile from the confluence with South Platte of the following inflow and outflow tributaries; Bear Creek, Cherry Creek, Clear Creek, Burlington Ditch.
  • All fish must be caught on Public Water (no trespassing!).
  • All fish must be caught fair (inside the lips or mouth) Foul Hooked fish do not count!
  • The Sucker Slam is a fly fishing only tournament.
  • A single leader may be used of any length, taper and construction.
  • Artificial Flies only.
  • Each fly must be dressed on a single hook
  • No restriction on fly size, weight or buoyancy.
  • Anglers may use a maximum of three flies at one time.
  • No scent or bait may be applied to flies.
  • The material of the landing net must be non-abrasive material and preferably of knotless construction.
  • The team member responsible for hooking the fish must land it.  The other team member may assist the angler by netting the fish.

SCORING FISH

  • All catches will be submitted through Instagram. You must be following @denvertroutunlimited, and your posts must be visible to @denvertroutunlimited.
  • The team must record the accurate measurement, and record the following details of each eligible fish via clear photo or video with control item clearly visible;
  1. The species.
  2. The length to the nearest ¼ inch. (must be measured with DTU provided measuring device)
  3. Angler Name & time of capture.
  • The photo must then be posted as an Instagram Story with all above details stated clearly in audio or in added text. 
  • !IMPORTANT! @denvertroutunlimited must be mentioned, and the hashtag #suckerslam24 must be used for the submission to qualify.
  • No submissions will be counted after 4.30pm on the day of the tournament.
  • Any missing details, illegible or inaudible details, not clearly visible measurement, or evidence of prohibited behavior will disqualify submission.
  • DTU scorekeeper will “like” the post to confirm submission of a valid fish
  • Any questions or clarifications will be sent via Instagram DM and must be responded to by 4.30pm submission cutoff
  • Specific location must be disclosed to DTU scorekeeper if asked. 

FISH 

ELIGIBLE FISH

  • Suckers that are at least 10 inches in length qualify for the SUCKER COMPETITION.
  • All other fish species qualify for the LARGEST OTHER COMPETITION with NO minimum length requirement.
  • Only fish hooked in the lips or inside the mouth are eligible. Intentional snagging of fish is prohibited.
  • Any fish reported to have been caught while breaking a rule will be declared ineligible and removed from the scorecard.

FISH MEASUREMENTS

  • Fish length will be measured from the tip of the nose to tip of the tail in ¼ inch increments.

SCORING

SUCKER COMPETITION SCORING:

  • Largest Total length of a single, valid Sucker caught by each team. (Biggest Sucker)
  • Most (total number of valid fish caught) Suckers caught by each team. (Most Suckers)
  • Ugliest Sucker Caught – To be judged by DTU scorekeeper.

LARGEST OTHER SPECIES COMPETITION SCORING:

  • Largest exotic species landed and measured nose to tip of tail to nearest ¼ inch.
  • Exotic species include all non-Sucker fish species.
  • Tiebreakers:
  1. Most inches of non-sucker species combined.
  2. Number of different exotic species caught.
  3. Coin toss (very unlikely).

PROHIBITED BEHAVIOR

  • Boats, Float Tubes, Paddle Boards, or any other watercraft are prohibited from use by competitors.
  • Any use of Drones or real-time aerial photography during competition is prohibited by both tournament rules and Local and State Laws.
  • Any action producing fraudulent or biased results.
  • Poor sportsmanship towards other competitors or competition officials.

PENALTIES FOR INFRACTIONS OF THE RULES

Repeat infractions of any rule will result in disqualification

DTU scorekeeper or board member  will provide one warning for any infraction.

Any fish caught while breaking a rule will not be scored.

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