About this tournament

The Governor’s Cup is the marquee walleye tournament in Montana and one of the biggest two-person walleye events in the Northern Rockies. Anglers from across Montana, the Dakotas, and Wyoming converge on Fort Peck Lake for three days of competition out of the Hell Creek and Rock Creek areas, with the heaviest weights typically built on big mid-summer walleye holding on deeper structure and points along the main lake.

The 2026 edition introduces two major changes. First, the tournament switches to a photo catch-and-release format administered through the E Tournament Fishing App — fish are measured on a bump board, photographed, and released, with length converted to weight via a standardized chart. Second, new random daily weight payouts give average anglers a real shot at winning cash: each day four random total weights are drawn, and teams that happen to weigh those totals (outside the top 10%) win an even split of the random-weight pot.

A full Friday calcutta, daily big-fish pots for walleye and bass, and a Glasgow community fish fry round out the long weekend. With a $300 base entry, $20,000 guaranteed first prize, and multiple optional side pots, the Gov Cup offers some of the best value-per-dollar of any walleye tournament in the region.

Schedule

• Friday Jul 10 — Day 1 competition on Fort Peck Lake
• Saturday Jul 11 — Day 2 competition on Fort Peck Lake
• Sunday Jul 12 — Optional wind/weather make-up day; awards

Entry & Prizes

Entry: $300 per 2-person team base entry. Optional add-ons: $100 day money, $80 big-fish pots (walleye and bass), and a new $200 random weight side pot.

Prizes: Guaranteed $20,000 first place (based on minimum field of 175 teams). 100% payback to top 10% of field. Daily random-weight drawings pay roughly $5,000 per draw per day to four randomly selected teams at full field. Separate big-fish pots for walleye and bass.

What to expect

Mid-July walleye on Fort Peck typically move deeper as surface temps climb. Successful Gov Cup teams target main-lake points, humps, and breaklines in 20–40 feet with bottom bouncers and spinners, slow-death rigs, or trolling crankbaits. With the new photo catch-and-release format, dialing in a fast, clean measurement and release routine is just as important as the bite — practice the app workflow before tournament morning.

History

First held in the late 1980s, the Governor’s Cup has grown into Montana’s signature walleye event. The 39th annual running in 2026 marks the tournament’s biggest format change in its history with the shift to photo catch-and-release.

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