For a person that loves to fish, a day on the lake with a cold beverage, a little sunshine, and some fish biting is usually good enough. This summer though, a good day on the lake could quickly turn into a great day on the lake. Catching a tagged fish could land one lucky angler up to $2 million in Colorado.

To promote the upcoming fishing season, Colorado Parks and Wildlife has teamed up with Cabela’s for this year’s “Wanna Go Fishing for Millions?” event.

The contest actually takes place across 19 different states with fish randomly tagged in different lakes throughout each state.

Along with encouraging anglers to get out on local water and help families spend more time together with the chance to win cash prizes, the contest also helps to boost the economy. Hunting and fishing generate an estimated $1.8 billion for Colorado’s economy every year and also supports approximately 21,000 jobs statewide.

Colorado residents can purchase a fishing license for $26. Children under 15 can fish without a license.

In 2011, anglers across the nation caught a total of 143 winning fish. Species that will be tagged for this year’s contest include:

  • Largemouth bass
  • Smallmouth bass
  • Spotted bass
  • White bass
  • Striped bass
  • Perch
  • Cutthroat trout
  • Rainbow trout
  • Brown trout
  • Lake trout
  • Walleye
  • Crappie
  • Wiper
  • Bluegill
  • Channel catfish

The contest runs from May 5 to July 8. All participants must pre-register before fishing.

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