About this tournament

Held every Father’s Day weekend, the Lions Club Father’s Day Derby at Newlan Creek Reservoir is a small-town Montana classic. The event has been running for more than 30 years and centers on the simple pleasure of taking dad fishing on a high prairie reservoir tucked into the foothills of the Castle and Little Belt Mountains.

Entry is just $10, and cash prizes are paid out for the three largest trout or salmon brought to the scale: $500 for first, $300 for second, and $200 for third. The day also features a long list of door prizes (past years have included a helicopter ride) and a volunteer fire department pancake breakfast served from 7 a.m. to noon.

Newlan Creek Reservoir is a Montana FWP fishing access with a campground, boat ramp, and a healthy mix of rainbow trout, brook trout, Yellowstone cutthroat, and kokanee. A Montana fishing license is required to participate.

Schedule

• Saturday 7:00am–12:00pm — Volunteer fire department pancake breakfast
• Saturday all-day — derby fishing hours at Newlan Creek Reservoir
• Saturday afternoon — weigh-in, prize drawings, awards

Entry & Prizes

Entry: $10 per angler entry. Free pancake breakfast 7am–noon courtesy of the White Sulphur Springs Volunteer Fire Department.

Prizes: Cash prizes for the three largest trout/salmon: $500 (1st), $300 (2nd), $200 (3rd). Plus extensive door prizes throughout the day.

What to expect

Newlan Creek Reservoir is small enough to fish well from shore or float tube. Rainbows hit Power Bait, worms under a bobber, and small spinners in the morning and evening. Trolling cowbells with a worm trailer covers water for the bigger holdovers. Brook trout and the occasional cutthroat round out the catch. Bring sun protection and a wind layer — the reservoir sits on an exposed shoulder above White Sulphur and afternoon thunderstorms are common in June.

History

The Lions Club Father’s Day Derby has been a fixture of the White Sulphur Springs community for over three decades, with the 2024 event marking the 32nd annual running. Proceeds support Lions Club service projects in Meagher County.