Ice Fishing Derby Rules

1. All participants MUST SIGN UP at Soldotna Trustworthy Hardware & Fishing BEFORE going fishing. Sign-up online until January 31st or sign-up in store at the front counter!
2. All fish must be caught by rod and reel, tip-up, or hand line.
3. All fish entered must be caught from a Kenai Peninsula FROZEN, FRESHWATER LAKE.
4. All fish entered must be caught through a drilled or chopped hole in solid ice.  No OPEN WATER fish will be accepted.
5. Due to variable and lacking ice conditions this year SKILAK LAKE, KENAI LAKE, & TUSTUMENA LAKE are excluded from the derby at this time. Hidden Lake and Engineer Lake are now open to the derby, as ice conditions allow. Please do your own ice research before heading out, and check out the refuge’s post from 2/14/25 for current ice and road conditions.  This will be a week-by-week basis, and unless otherwise stated, the status of the previous week will remain. This will be updated on our website and Facebook, as well as in store. This is to a) prioritize peoples safety on the ice this season and b) keep open water fish from being entered.
6. All fishermen must follow all current Fish & Game regulations, and make sure you have a signed 2025 Fishing License that you can purchase in store, online, or on the ADF&G mobile app.
7. Once fish are caught, they must be brought into Soldotna Trustworthy to be weighed within ONE (1) day. Reminder that we are closed Super Bowl Sunday, February 9th, and all fish caught can be entered on Monday, February 10th.
8. All fish will be weighed on a scale provided by Soldotna Trustworthy Hardware & Fishing.  The same scale will be used on all fish to insure a set standard.
9. No fish shall be altered in any way to attempt to increase its weight.
10. Soldotna Trustworthy will make any and all decisions concerning eligibility of any fish entries.
11. Any fish that is a potential winner or has a question on eligibility can be HELD by Soldotna Trustworthy until it can be verified by Soldotna Trustworthy; or, if needed, by ADF&G genetic testing to determine rule violations or watershed origination.

This is the sixth year of our Catch & Release derby.

This derby IS separate from our original derby. All fish eligibility will be determined by ethical release, picture, and length as a tie-breaker. Check out the regulations on the Catch & Release  page.

ANY VIOLATIONS OF THESE RULES WILL RESULT IN PERMANENT DISQUALIFICATION.

***HAVE FUN , BE SAFE, & GET OUT FISHING***