Michigan anglers could get thousands of dollars fishing in the Saginaw Bay as part of the state Natural Resources Department's annual drive.
The Saginaw News reports that the department recently tagged and released 3,000 walleye in the bay's tributary rivers to incentivize anglers to help monitor the species' movements, survival and harvest rates.
About 20 percent of the tags contain a $100 reward when reported.
Dave Fielder is a fisheries research biologist for the department. Fielder says now is a good time to catch the walleye along smaller tributary rivers before the species returns to the bay in a couple weeks.
He says the department pays out between $3,000 and $5,000 on the tagging operation each year.
The reward began several years ago but the department has tagged more than 100,000 walleye since 1981.
