DENVER (KDVR) — It's nearly time for the Ridgway Reservoir Smallmouth Bass Classic, and this year's tournament comes with a big reward.

From July 5 at 7 a.m. through 6 p.m. on Aug. 10, fishing enthusiasts will be given a chance to take home $10,000, with no bag or possession limits on smallmouth bass and no daily time restrictions on angling.

“This is a great opportunity for anglers to not only win cash prizes for smallmouth bass fishing, but it allows them to play an integral role in helping us achieve management goals and suppress the population of these invasive fish,” said Colorado Parks and Wildlife aquatic biologist Eric Gardunio in the announcement of the tournament. “We are hopeful that the larger prize purse will increase participation to help us with those goals.”

The collected fish must be turned into the "Fish Drop Box" next to the fish cleaning station at the Ridgway Reservoir boat ramp. The drop box will be open from noon on July 5 through 6 p.m. on Aug. 10, and further instructions regarding fish registration cards and instructions on how to package the fish will be at the drop box.

In 2024, CPW moved the tournament to an every-other-year format from being annual, allowing additional prize money to be raised. This year, the total purse will be $20,000. The angler who brings in the most smallmouth bass will take home $10,000, while second place will receive $5,000 and third place will take home $1,000.

Three tagged smallmouth bass will also be in the reservoir, worth $1,000 for any angler who turns those fish in to CPW. Additionally, every smallmouth bass turned in during the event will count as an entry into a raffle.

The raffle will be held at the end of the tournament with a grand prize of $500 and five additional raffle prizes of $100 each. Any angler who earns one of the main awards for the number of fish caught will be exempt from the raffle.

“This allows any angler who turns even one fish in during the tournament window to be eligible for a cash prize,” Gardunio said in CPW's release.

Illegally introduced fish threaten Colorado species

Smallmouth bass were introduced illegally to Ridgway Reservoir. CPW said the fish are predatory and there's a risk they could escape from the reservoir into the river, where they could reproduce and consume native fish species found nowhere else in the world. The fish species has already escaped impoundments in western Colorado, where they are affecting the populations of native fish in several rivers, according to CPW.

The tournament is held to help CPW reduce smallmouth bass populations in the reservoir, protecting native fish populations and water users downstream.

Only smallmouth bass will be counted in the competition. Anglers can possess other species as allowed under Colorado's fishing regulations, but they are not allowed to be entered into the tournament.

Additionally, anglers can turn in either the bass heads or the entire carcass. Carcasses turned in during the tournament will be considered a donation to CPW and then used for research. Participants over 16 years old will need a valid Colorado fishing license and valid state parks pass.