Organizers are expecting more than 100 teams will take to the lakes around Rhinelander in this year during the Rhinelander Toyota Hodag Musky Challenge slated for Sept. 20 and 21.

Those dates are a little different than in the past as the tournament was moved back a couple of weeks due to a scheduling conflict.

“We decided to move the tournament back a couple of weeks this year,” tournament organizer Lara Reed said. “That date we traditionally used conflicted with another tournament so we are hoping with this later date we will get a few more teams.”

Reed said registration has been good and that teams can register as late as Friday night to enter the tournament but stressed to ensure a choice of fishing area, register early.

“Teams are limited to a lake grouping,” Reed said. “Each grouping is different in terms of the number of boats we can have out there. This year, we have seen the Oneida Lake/Lake Hancock group close which is something that has not happened before. That tells me that the fishing must have been pretty good on those lakes this summer.”

The competition will take place in five groups including, Boom Lake/Wisconsin River, Crescent Lake/Lake Julia, the Moen Chain, Oneida Lake/Lake Hancock and Lake George/Lake Thompson.

Teams compete in pairs and the tournament features a catch and release format and will begin Saturday at 7 a.m. with fishing until 5 p.m. The tournament will start up again Sunday at 7 a.m. and go until noon. Awards will be presented Saturday.

“We give out prizes to the top 10 spots,” Reed said. “The amount depends on how many registrants we get.”

First place will pay out 40 percent of the pool, while 10th place gets two percent, but Reed said anyone in the top 10 is guaranteed to get at least their $250 team fee back.

“We also draw an 11th place winner from everyone who caught a musky that weekend and they win $250,” Reed said. “So everyone that catches a fish has a chance to get their entry fee back.”

But the prizes don’t end there. The team that catches the largest musky on the weekend will be award $250 as will the team that catches the largest northern. The fisherman that reels in the largest tiger musky will receive a rod and reel combo from Rollie & Hellen’s Musky Shop.

But the prize that everyone will have their eye on is the Ranger boat, motor and trailer donated by Schoeder’s RV & Marine for the first musky caught that is 50 inches or longer.

“We have not given out that prize yet,” Reed said. “It would be awesome to give that out this year.”

For more information on the tournament or to download a registration form, visit www.explorerhinelander.com/featured-events.