We're very excited to announce the 2026 Ditch Pickle Classic "Catch-Photo-Release" Fly Fishing Tournament on Lake Champlain!
The 2026 DPC based out of Swanton, Vermont will be held on June 27-28 on beautiful Lake Champlain. The DPC is open to anglers of all ages and skill levels.
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| Max Hogg - 36.5" Northern Pike |
You don't need a big fancy bass boat to fish the DPC either! Kayaks, canoes and motor boats are all permitted. The DPC is a team event and we make every effort to pair people up with team mates and fill empty seats in boats.
Each team will have 1-3 anglers and, if you want to be a 1-man team, you will be responsible for the team entry fee of $100. If you are your own 1-man team, you must still have a co-rider to assist with photographic documentation of your catch! We're allowing more than 1 team to fish from a boat as long as it's within reason.
Spectators may ride along or pilot a boat for a team.
Don't be scared off if you don't have a boat! If you have a strong desire to fish in the DPC but have any apprehension what-so-ever, please send us an email to DitchPickleClassic@gmail.com and we'll do whatever we can to make it happen for you! The sooner we hear from you, the sooner we can get you set up!
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| Ben Wilcox - 2024 1st Place (Independant Division) |
2026 Prize Categories...
- 1st Place Team-
- 2nd Place Team-
- 3rd Place Team-
- 1st Place Individual-
- 2nd Place Individual-
- 3rd Place Individual-
- 1st Place Paddler-
- 2nd Place Paddler-
- 3rd Place Paddler-
- 1st Place Junior Angler (under 18)-
- Jr. Rock Bass Award-
- Largest Northern Pike-
- Best Exotic Fish (Bowfin, Gar, Carp)-
- Dink Award (Smallest Bass)-
- Breakdown Award (it happens every year!)-
*Big Pickle (Largest Bass / Largemouth or Smallmouth)
* Seperate $ Pool
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Tournament Weekend...
Check in...
Check in...
On Saturday the 27th, we will have our check-in at the Headquarters for the Missisquoi Wildlife Refuge on Tabor Road. Click HERE for directions and info about the site.
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| Checking in at the refuge headquarters (2015) |
We will be open for check-in as of 8:30am on the 27th.
Check-in hours = 8:30 - 10am
Lines in @ 10am!!
We encourage all competitors to arrive early for check-in!
Lines in @ 10am!!
We encourage all competitors to arrive early for check-in!
The headquarters has plenty of parking for boats/trailers, and it is very close to our designated launch at the Larry Greene Access.
The Larry Greene Access is located on Rte. 78 and directions can be found HERE.
Every angler must check-in and sign a waiver prior to launching!
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| Awards Venue on Lakewood Road |
Awards Ceremony / Taco Party...
We will hold the post-tournament party/awards ceremony on Sunday 6/28 at 12:00 pm at the Lakewood Farm on Lakewood Road. There will be tacos and more provided by Caja Madera.
Lakewood Rd. is directly across the street from the Larry Greene Access (see the map below.)
The official tournament "Weigh-in/Awards Ceremony" will take place during the party, so all entrants and spectators are strongly encouraged to attend regardless of how you did in the tournament! There is no charge to attend and we'll do our best to make sure you don't leave hungry! BYOB!
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The Goods...
This year the DPC is excited to once again team up with Predator Fly Gear to supply our custom 2026 DPC shirts to our competitors!
https://predatorflygear.com
PFG is a Vermont based company featuring the amazing artwork of Nick Mayer on Slick looking high performance fishing shirts.
https://predatorflygear.com
PFG is a Vermont based company featuring the amazing artwork of Nick Mayer on Slick looking high performance fishing shirts.
We're also supplying each team with a captain's bag, filled with an assortment of products from the many other generous sponsors of the Ditch Pickle Classic!
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The DPC Experience...
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Here's a list of folks that are down for the 2026 DPC experience...
#1. "Sip & Strip"
CV Howe
Seth Talmon
#2. "Texas Rangers"
Mawell Duquette
Steve Hilfiker
#3."Pickle Pullers"
Jay Modry
Fox Modry
#4."False Casting Couch"
Shawn Ricker
Zachary Dexter
#5. "Code Brown"
Matt Dickstein
Paul Guidetti
#6. "Lucky Bassturds"
Shreve Soule
Brian Lang
#7. "Gyros & Perogies"
Mike Kontos
Calvin Kontos
Jeff Dybinski
#8. "Stoned Flies"
Madeline Mezitt
William Stapleton
#9. "Pickle Strippers"
Will Deming
Mike Sachs
#10. "Whip Stick Mafia"
Ryan Fitzgerald
Tom Weir
#11. "Bass King & the Travisty"
Kyle Travis
Stefan King
#12. "It's a Big Dill"
Tom Anger
Troy Anger
#13. "80 Grit Thumb"
Brendan Barden
Finn Barden
#14. "Suck My Wake"
Tim Birmingham
Scott Edwards
#15. "Njordr"
Steve Dave
Ben Mass
#16. "Pickle Popper, MD-Viasece"
Brandon Weaver
Wlanor Weaver
John Bond
#17. "You're Killing Me Smallies'
Dan Russell
Dillon Brooker
#18. "The Big Lebasski"
Chris Lynch
Noah Lynch
Quinn Lynch
#19. "Bleached Bass-Holes"
Paul MacPherson
Jack Filion
#20. "Big Chungus & Horatio Holmes"
Kyle Forest
Bennett Chadbourne
#21. "Jumpin' Crack Bass"
Chandler Gazzo
Joe Palka
Garrett Malone
#22. "Bash Badge Plus"
Ben Wilcox
Mike Woulf
#23. "Clouser Crusaders"
Walker Italia
Callum Bronson
#24. "Thistle Do"
Evan Potter
Sean Sorrell
#25. "Shaw's Law"
Jared Shaw
Tim Shaw
#26. "Fly's on Parade"
Mathew Rogerson
Nathan Scott
#27. "The Crawfathers"
Adam Lloyd
Nate Singleton
Casey Scolaro
#28. "BASST BUDZ"
John Abair
Kevin Ramirez
#29. "Smashing Pumpkinseeds"
Jake Borgeson
Iris Borgeson
#30. "Fishizzle"
Kyle Matzke
Jeremy Restucci
#31. "Go Bass or Go Home"
Steve Stanley
Jon Debono
#32. "Bassburgh International"
Reed Atkinson
Patrick Sharrow
#33. "The Wind Knots"
Keith Bennett
Izaac Peterson
#34. "Basscar"
Brendan Hare
Dana Evans
#35. "Mountain High Fly"
CJ Freeman
Devon Gulick
#36. "Broke Knee Bassin"
Max Hogg
Leo Nerbak
#37. "All Gas No Indicator"
Mike Fernandez
Joe Fernandez
#38. "My Thumb, Your Bass?"
Chris Wiley
Nick Arnold
#39. "Frog Water Warriors"
Gunnar Bischoff
JD Sharp
Christian Dominguez
#40. "Casting Covey's"
Marc Covey
Caleb Covey
#41. "We're Bass Guys"
Matthew Scott
Nicholas Chiarelli
#42. "We're Bass Guys"
Sean Cook
Dominic Scaglione
#43. "Cals Pals"
Tom Carton
Jeff Heney
