SALMON-A-RAMA Rules

2025 SALMON-A-RAMA General Rules

1. ELIGIBILITY, AND REQUIREMENTS

a. SALMON-A-RAMA consists of four divisions:

• Boat

• Shore

• Kayak

• Youth Divisions/Youth Shore

b. There are additional contests beyond the four divisions run by and held

within SALMON-A-RAMA. Please see the rules for those events for specifics

not covered by the general rules.

c. All participants must possess a valid SALMON-A-RAMA ticket for the division

to be entered.

d. All participants must be at least 6 years of age by 12:01AM CST, July 12th,

2025, and must possess a SALMON-A-RAMA ticket.

e. All fish entered must be caught in the waters of Lake Michigan or its

tributaries up to the first bridge crossing the tributary. There are no city or

state boundaries.

f. Contestants must comply with State, Federal, Local, and other pertinent

fishing and boating laws and regulations. 

g. All fish entered must be caught on hook and line in accordance with the DNR

regulations of the state which has jurisdiction over the waters being fished.

h. Any contestant issued a citation for violation of any fishing or boating laws

during the tournament will have their violation reviewed by the tournament

committee and based on their decision could be disqualified. No refunds will

be made.

i. All fish will be checked for foreign objects. Any attempt to alter a fish’s weight

will be reported the proper authorities. Participant will be disqualified with

the possibility of a lifelong ban.

j. All winners with a value of $2,500.00 or more in total winnings must sign an affidavit and provide a completed W-9 within 15 days of the completion of the tournament. Those not complying within 15 days could be subject to forfeiture of all winnings.  

k. All winners are subject to a polygraph test at the discretion of tournament

officials.

2. DATES AND HOURS

a. The 2025 SALMON-A-RAMA begins at 12:01AM CST on July12th and ends at

11:00 AM CST July 20th. All fish must be caught within this period. See weigh

in section for additional details.

b. All SALMON-A-RAMA tickets purchased after 12:00 AM on Saturday, July 12th,

2025, must be purchased at an official SALMON-A-RAMA weigh-in location or

online and shall include a $5.00 late fee. In addition, such tickets will be

stamped with the time and date of purchase. No fish will be eligible for

registration on the ticket within 24 hours of the time indicated on the ticket.

c. The hours of tournament headquarters and all designated remote weigh-in

sites will be posted on the SALMON-A-RAMA calendar on the official website.

3. WEIGH IN

a. All fish must be registered at a designated SALMON-A-RAMA weigh-in station

Refer to SALMON-A-RAMA website for up-to-date locations and weigh-in

times.

b. All fish will be weighed on certified scales by tournament officials or by

tournament authorized personnel.

c. All Chinook, Coho, Brown trout, Lake trout and Rainbow Trout (Steelhead)

must be over 16” (sixteen inches) to be eligible for weigh in. 

     • Super Sweepstakes and Two-In-A-Boat are exempt from this rule.

     • The youth division will be exempt from this rule

d. Pink and Atlantic salmon will be weighed and categorized as Chinook salmon.

e. All eligible fish must be kept fresh (never frozen) and weighed in within 24

hours.

f. All fish must be weighed or in line to be weighed at an official SAR weigh-in site by

11am central standard time  by 11:00 AM CST, July 20th, 2025.

     -Timestamps viewed Online are not official weigh-in times.

g. Each angler can register up to 5 salmon or trout (2 lake trout) per day

regardless of the state(s) they are fishing in. 

h. Each angler can register up to five perch per day regardless of the state they

are fishing in. 

i. If a person possesses both a Shore and a Boat ticket and catches fish in

accordance with the rules of the Shore division, that fish may be entered in

either the Shore or the Boat Division, but not both. The participant must

declare which division the fish is being entered in at the time the fish is

registered and prior to it being weighed. The declaration cannot be changed

once the fish is weighed in.

j. At the discretion of the tournament officials, the three largest fish in each

division and category may be displayed during the week of the contest and

must be available for this purpose. Division leading fish outside the Racine

area will be kept by the official weigh-in site where the fish was registered. 

k. The overall Grand Prize fish must be saved at the respective weigh-in station

and brought to Tournament Headquarters for display at the SALMON-A-

RAMA award ceremony. This is at the discretion of the committee. 

4. PROTESTS

a. Any person wishing to protest any fish or angler registered in any division for

a violation of any contest rule or unsportsmanlike conduct, must submit the

protest in writing plus a $250 cash protest fee to a Tournament Official in

person at an official weigh-in station. 

b. The protest must state the rule violated and facts known to the protester. 

c. All protests must be submitted either within 24 hours of the time the

protested fish was registered or by 10:30 AM CST on the last day, whichever

is earlier. 

d. Tournament Officials will review all protests. If the protest is found valid, the

fee will be returned. If a protest is denied, the $250 protest fee will be

forfeited.

5. RULE CHANGES

a. The Tournament Committee may change or modify any of these rules, as

necessary and at their discretion. 

b. Any changes will be communicated on this the official SALMON-A-RAMA

website and/ or social media.

6. PARTICIPANT AGREEMENT AND LIABILITY EXCLUSION

a. The contestant, upon purchasing a SALMON-A-RAMA ticket, agrees to 

abide by all rules established by the SALMON-A-RAMA committee.

b. Each contestant shall accept responsibility to protect persons and property

from injury or damage during the contest, and Salmon Unlimited of

Wisconsin shall not be responsible for the safety of persons or property of

participants, regardless of cause.

c. All participants further agree to hold Salmon Unlimited of Wisconsin, its

officers, tournament committee, sponsors, and volunteers harmless from

any liability for damage incurred as result of participation in the Tournament

in whatever form or manner said liabilities or damages might be incurred.

7. STANDINGS, PRIZES AND AWARD SCHEDULE

a. The official daily standings will be determined at the end of each day and

posted on the SALMON-A-RAMA website which can be found at www.salmon

a-rama.com. 

b. A fish of the day prize will be awarded for the largest fish registered for the

target species for each day of the tournament. The fish of the day target

species will be drawn after 10:01pm on the day before. The target species

will be posted on SALMON-A-RAMA website and SALMON-A-RAMA Facebook

page.  

c. In case of a tie by weight, the first fish registered will be awarded the prize.

d. Prize list will be available on the SALMON-A-RAMA website and is subject to

revision as late prizes may be contributed and slotted according to policy as

set by the prize committee.

e. Prize list will be posted 2 days prior to end of tournament.

f. Prize ceremonies will be held on Sunday July 20th, 2025, starting at

approximately 1 PM CST.

g. All prize money will be mailed to each winner within 60 business days of the

end of tournament provided all federal, state, and local paperwork has been

submitted to the SALMON-A-RAMA committee. 

h. All IRS W-9 paperwork must be completed within 15 days of

completion of tournament or be subject to forfeiture. 

i. All prizes must be claimed within 60 days of the end of the contest, or the

prize will be forfeited. 

j. No checks will be issued for payments over $599 without a completed W-9

submitted to Salmon Unlimited Wisconsin treasurer within 15 days of the completion of the tournament.

k. No split payments will be allowed. Prizes, both cash and non

monetary will be issued to the name of the person on the tickets that is

receiving the award.