Playing “Tag” Here Can Be Rewarding for Anglers in Chetek’s Fish-o-Rama

The Chetek Resort Owners’ Association invites you to come to Chetek – “City of Lakes” – and take part in their 35th annual Fish-O-Rama, which gets underway Saturday, May 1, and goes until Friday, Oct. 1. Those entered in the season-long contest are looking for a tagged fish at the end of their lines.

More than 400 tagged crappies and bluegills are swimming in the famed Chetek Chain of Lakes: Pokegama, Chetek, Ojaski, Prairie, Moose Ear, and Ten Mile lakes. Each lake has tagged fish.

The legendary Fish-O-Rama dispenses anywhere from $25 to $1,000 for each tagged panfish – in total, $50,000 in cash has been tagged. (Previous years’ tags are worth $5.)

You must purchase a 2021 Fish-O-Rama button and register prior to catching and collecting on a tagged fish. Buttons are available from most Chetek area resorts and businesses at $3 each, $5 for couples, or $6 for a family button, which includes parents and children through 17 years.

If you catch a fish with a cylindrical tag near the dorsal fin, take it to the Rod & Gun Sport Shop on Second Street in downtown Chetek, where a list of all tags and sponsors is kept.

Need lodging? The Chetek Resort Owners’ Association comprises 35 resorts, motels, and campgrounds that focus on promoting tourism in the Chetek Lakes area. The Information Center near Hwy. 53 provides visitors with current travel information from the Chetek area and surrounding communities.