LETTER FROM THE KIWANIS PRESIDENT
Welcome Anglers!
On behalf of the Trenton Kiwanis Club, I extend a warm welcome to all fishing enthusiasts joining us for the much-anticipated 2025 Kiwanis Walleye World. This annual event is a cherished tradition, bringing together friends, families, and fishing aficionados to celebrate the great outdoors and the thrill of the catch on the beautiful Bay of Quinte.
As you cast your lines and enjoy the beauty of the Bay of Quinte, we hope you create lasting memories and enjoy the camaraderie that makes this event so special. The Trenton Kiwanis Club is proud to support our community, and we’re grateful for your participation in making this day a success.
Best of luck on the water—may your nets be full and your stories even bigger!
Lisa Kuypers Schroedter President Kiwanis Club of Trenton
2025 CALENDAR
KIWANIS CLUB OF TRENTON WALLEYE WORLD FISHING DERBY Q&A
What is Area #20?
Area 20 runs south of Highway 2. This area includes Brighton, Trenton, Belleville, Prince Edward County, Napanee, Amherst Island and Ernestown and most of Lake Ontario.
Note: Ineligible areas: North of No. 1 dam, Trenton. North of CPR bridge, Belleville. Can I fish without a license?
No - Ontario Residents between ages 18 and 65 are required to have a fishing license. Do I need a ticket to participate in the event?
Yes - Each contestant will be required to provide proof of entry at weigh in.
Are prizes donated to the Derby?
No, Kiwanis pays for prizes. Many are donated or discounted.
Fish cannot be transported across land. Is this a new rule?
This has been the law for several years. For more information, visit www.mnr.gov.on.ca I ordered my ticket online and have not received a ticket in the mail. How do I get my ticket?
All of the tickets ordered online will be sent to the email you provided during registration. It will come to you in a PDF attachment. This is an auto generated message and often ends up in the junk folder. They are always sent minutes after you complete registration. You will need to open the PDF attachment and print the ticket(s).
LIVE RELEASE... TRY IT... IT’LL GROW ON YOU!
HOW TO RELEASE A FISH (According to Ontario Sport Fishing Regulations)
If you catch a fish that you must or wish to release for any reason, follow these rules to help protect the fish:
• Time is essential. Do not play a fish too long if you plan to release it. It will be too exhausted to recover.
• In deep water, bring fish up slowly to prevent stress from changes in temperature and pressure.
• Keep the fish in the water as much as possible. Don’t let it flop on the sand or rocks. Even a few centimeters of water under a thrashing fish protects it.
• Handle fish gently. Keep your hands wet. Don’t put your fingers in the gills or eye sockets. Don’t squeeze small fish; lift them by the lower lip. A net
can be helpful; be sure to keep it in the water if possible.
• Remove hooks quickly with longnosed pliers. Never tear out hooks. If a hook is deeply caught in the fish, cut the line and leave the hook in. It will do less harm to the fish.
• If a fish is unconscious, revive it by holding it upright in the water, facing it upstream. Move the fish forward so that water runs through the gills (this is a kind of “artificial respiration” for fish!). It may take a few minutes. When the fish begins to struggle, release it.
• Never put a fish that you plan to release on a stringer. Use a live well or release as noted above.
BE PREPARED!
It’s a beautiful day; the sun is shining and you’ve just launched your boat for the start of another season on the water. And the thoughts of that tough winter just past are quickly forgotten. Everyone’s on board, excited about the day ahead, so off you go. The day unfolds as you had hoped it would. Until a problem leaves you dead in the water. It could be that you’ve run out of gas or you’ve had a mechanical breakdown of some kind. What to do? Likely what you did not do is check your boat thoroughly before heading out. And unfortunately, you are not alone.
Scott Miller, a Maritime Search and Rescue Coordinator with the Canadian Coast Guard says: “75 to 80% of calls for help to the Coast Guard are non-distress calls; the most common ones deal with boats that have broken down, run aground or have just run out of gas which is far and away the most common call to the Coast Guard.”
Mechanical failures can strike any boater,
any time. That’s just part of boating. And it’s not necessarily an indication that the boater has simply failed to properly look after the boat. Stuff happens !
But many calls for help are predictable and preventable. Have a proper check list for your boat and follow it before you head out, each and every time. Make sure that your boat is mechanically sound and that you have enough gas for your intended voyage with some in reserve. And file a sail plan or itinerary to help Search and Rescue find you in the event of a real emergency. A few simple steps will save you the embarrassment of making an unnecessary call for help and diverting search and rescue resources from areas where they might be needed more.
Review your check list BEFORE your leave –Be Prepared
For a sample Pre-Departure Checklist, visit www.csbc.ca
- Canadian Safe Boating Council
Your Safety is in Your Hands
This boating season, remember the five things that could save your life:
1. Don’t drink and boat.
2. Get boating education.
3. Be prepared: make sure both you and your vessel are ready.
4. Cold water can kill. Be aware of cold water immersion risks.
5. Wear a lifejacket!
2025 RULES AND REGULATIONS
1. The event will begin May 3rd at 12:01 a.m. and end May 4th at 12:00 p.m.
2. All fish must be legally hooked on legal tackle. Any evidence of net, gaff or snag marks will immediately disqualify that fish from competition.
3. All boat occupants must be registered entrants.
4. All fish entered, must have been hooked and played to landing by the angler entering such fish. Any attempt to falsify entries will result in disqualification and prizes forfeited.
5. Fish that have been transported across land in a vehicle will not qualify.
6. Each contestant will be required to provide proof of entry at weigh in.
7. Prize winning entries will require a completed affidavit.
8. All prize winning fish must be confirmed as a “live release” by officials.
9. This organization and/or its sponsors will not be liable for injury to any person, contestant or spectator and will not be responsible for any loss of property. Contestants compete in this event at their own risk.
10. All decisions by the Judges will be final.
11. In the event of a tie weight, the first fish weighed in will take priority position in all prize categories. Each fish may win only one prize.
12. Juniors, age 12 and under as of May 3rd, 2025 will be eligible for the Junior prizes, Hidden Weight and Tagged Fish categories.
13. The areas north of No. 1 dam in Trenton and north of CPR bridge in Belleville are ineligible.
14. MNR Rules and Regulations must be followed.
15. Competitors will be eligible for 1 (one) prize per category (Walleye, Pike, Sr., Jr., Hourly). Should another winning entry be submitted for consideration at any weigh station, by the same ticket holder, the largest of the prize-qualifying fish will be left on the leader board for prize claim, any remaining
MAY 3 & 4, 2025
TRENTON
ADULT TICKETS: $40 UNTIL APRIL 15 TH $50 STARTING APRIL 16 TH (INCLUDES 1 JR TICKET)
TICKETS (12 & UNDER) : FREE (WITH ADULT TICKET) $15 (WITHOUT ADULT TICKET)
1. DERBY HEADQUARTERS 8 COUCH CRESCENT, TRENTON
2. GEORGE STREET DOCKS
SOUTH GEORGE STREET, BELLEVILLE 3. PICTON MARINA 1 HEAD STREET, PICTON 4. HARBOURVIEW MARINA 5 BAY STREET, BRIGHTON
LEGEND
WEIGH STATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE OPEN BY 8PM ON FRIDAY THE 2 ND TO BE AVAILABLE FOR HAT PICKUP AND REGISTRATION BUT ARE NOT OBLIGATED.
3
TAGGED FISH INFORMATION
A long tradition, and one that generates excitement, are the Tagged Fish we release every year for the Kiwanis Walleye Derby. In the month of April we tag and release 150 walleye and pike in the Bay of Quinte. Each tag is numbered and each number corresponds to a cash prize ranging from $1,000 to $20,000!
Tagged Fish must be brought into a weigh
station following the same rules as any other fish that is to be weighed - it must be alive and in good condition. The tag will be removed by weigh station attendees and Derby HQ will be contacted for verify the tag and the prize amount.
If you catch a tagged fish - don’t wait to bring it in and claim your prize!
HIDDEN WEIGHT INFORMATION
The Hidden Weight is another tradition we carry forward every year and all it takes to qualify is to bring a fish between 4 and 6 pounds into any weigh station. When it is brought in according to Derby rules - it must be alive and in good condition - it will be weighed and you will fill out a Hidden Weight ticket. This ticket will be kept by the weigh station and the Hidden Weight winner will be announced within a few days after the Derby once all tickets have been accounted for. The actual Hidden Weight is
selected and declared several days before the Derby each year and kept aside.
The winner of the Hidden Weigh prize is determined by closest weight to the Hidden Weight and time of weigh-in. If two fish, for example, are both exactly the same weight and both qualify then the first of the two fish weighed will be declared the winner.
The winner will be contacted by phone to collect their prize.
SUPPORTING YOUTH SINCE 1980
The Kiwanis Walleye World Fishing Derby has certainly changed since its inception 39 years ago but one thing has not: supporting local youth and our community.
The Walleye World is a major fundraiser for the Trenton Kiwanis club and has expanded to include the Belleville Kiwanis Club, the Picton Kiwanis Club, the Brighton Rotary club, and the Napanee Rod and Gun Club. These partner clubs receive a portion of the funds raised this weekend for their local projects.
100% of all profits from this derby for the Trenton Kiwanis club go to support youth and community activities in Quinte West. No funds are retained for operational expenses of our club and all proceeds are funneled directly back into these programs within the next year after the close of the derby.
Some of the projects that funds from the Kiwanis Walleye World have gone to help with include:
• Trenton High Trackquest,
• Quinte West Minor Hockey,
• Quinte West Minor Soccer,
• High School Bursaries,
• Santa Claus Parade,
• Camp Trillium,
• Hospice Quinte,
• RCAF Memorial Museum,
• Trenton Rowing and Paddling Club,
• Belleville Minor Football League,
• Pregnancy & Family Care of Quinte West,
• Catherine’s Kitchen, and the list goes on and on.
Community service is the focus of Kiwanis, and with the funds raised by our Walleye World Derby and your active participation in this event we’ve made huge differences in the lives of local youth and been able to make a lasting tribute to our fallen soldiers with the Afghanistan Repatriation Memorial (erected in 2013).
The aspiration of the Trenton Kiwanis club is to help engage youth (and the community) in positive and productive contributions towards making our home a safe, wonderful, and proud community to raise a family in.
We thank you for participating in our Derby and helping us to raise funds to help support these programs and activities.
Walleye World Ticket Locations
Location
*Canadian Tire
Address
Bell Boulevard
*Canadian Tire 1125 Elgin Street West
*Canadian Tire 285 Dundas Street East
*Canadian Tire Princess 2560 Princess Street
*Canadian Tire Division 1040 Division Street
*Canadian Tire / Gas Bar Highway 401 & 41 Napanee
*Canadian Tire Corp.
Cheshers Outdoor Store
Cheshers Outdoor Store
Chris's Live Bait
Digital Underground
Fishing World
Front Street Variety
Gagnon Sports
High Falls Outfitters
JB's Fishing Depot
Lucky
Madoc
Main
Merland
Oasis
Peter's Tackle & Live Bait
Quinte West Chamber
Bloor Street West
Highway 62 North
Ronson Drive Unit 6
City
Pontoon Boat Models
Boat Models
