It's the Bluewater Anglers' premiere fundraising event of the year.
The 49th annual Salmon Derby got underway at 12:01 a.m. Friday morning.
Hundreds of anglers will fish by boat and on the shoreline up until May 11.
You can cast a line in the St. Clair River south to the south end of Fawn Island, and in Lake Huron from the water treatment plant at Grand Bend west to north of Lexington, Michigan.
Salmon Derby Committee Co-Chair Darryl DeKeyser said categories include heaviest salmon, trout and walleye.
"In pre-fishing, there haven't been a lot of reports of king salmon being caught just yet," said DeKeyser. "That leaves hope there are some big ones out there for us. There's been a lot of coho and trout being reported and some walleye. We've been seeing a lot of brown trout this year. It's nice to see the results from the work we've been doing."
DeKeyser said money raised from the derby goes toward covering the annual hatchery operating expenses.
"The derby is the main fundraiser for the Bluewater Anglers throughout the year," he said. "The main mission for the anglers is keeping the stock of the fish in the lake. Over 50 per cent of our operational budget is raised through the derby every year. That also goes towards events like kids' training day, the family fishing derby, the ice derby and the walleye derby. So, it all goes back into the community."
The 5,000-square-foot facility, located in Point Edward, has the capacity to raise over 150,000 different types of fish including rainbow trout and chinook salmon.
Fish raised in the hatchery are later released into area waterways.
In 2024, 1,565 fish were entered into the derby, at Sarnia Bay, Port Franks, and Port Huron.
Mark Valiquette of Petrolia reeled in the heaviest salmon, weighing in at 18.42 pounds.
Derby tickets must be purchased at least one day before participating in the event.
For more information, or to buy a ticket, visit the Bluewater Anglers' website.