CAWG Striped Bass Derby Frequently Asked Questions

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  Download the app fishdonkey.com/app

1. Tap FISH IN A TOURNAMENT
2. 🔎 CAWG Striped Bass Derby 2026
3. Tap JOIN NOW

Practice using the app ahead of time to ensure smooth sailing during the derby!

1. Download/Open the app
2. Join “Practice Entering a Fish”

• Camera - check ‘All Photos’.  FishDonkey pushes a copy of each photo to your camera.
• Location - to determine if an angler is in bounds (no GPS coordinates are revealed).
• Notifications - learn when a new angler has topped the leaderboard, receive messages from the tournament director.

The total cost to enter the derby is:

$15 for adults ($10 registration fee + $5 FishDonkey fee) 

$10 for teens ($5 registration fee + $5 FishDonkey fee)

How to Enter a Fish  1 minute video tutorial

Once you have joined the tournament named "CAWG Striped Bass Derby 2026,"

1. Tap ENTER A FISH
2. Use the in-app camera that comes up on your screen. Take a photo of yourself with the fish, and another of your fish on your measuring board or tape. Tap the yellow camera button to take your photos. When measuring, make sure that the mouth of your fish is closed, the tail is pinched, and the measurement is clearly visible in your photo.
3. Tap the green checkmark button.
4. Under "Species," select "Striped Bass"
5. Under "Size/Unit(s)", enter the total length of your fish in cm. Don't forget the decimal!
6. Tap SUBMIT

Unfortunately that entry cannot be recorded or uploaded into the event. Every effort is made to prevent this from happening by offering short training videos and the option to practice ahead of time in the Overview and Rules sections. Taking the pics through the app ensures the date and time stamp, which prevents multiple forms of cheating.

When you submit an entry, your submission goes to the tournament director (CAWG) for verification. The CAWG coordinator will check that your entry includes the required photos, the measurement is visible in the photo, and all info has been entered correctly. Please be patient! Sometimes it takes a few minutes for the photos to come through. Once the CAWG coordinator has verified your entry you will see it change to "verified" on the leaderboard. The timestamp on your entry will be for the time you recorded the catch, so if you caught and recorded a fish right before the tournament closing time it will still be valid.

The app will work without the internet or cell reception if you take one minute to prepare.  Open the app before you get out of reception. From the FD home screen, tap on the name of your tournament. That is all it takes to load your event for the day.  Head out.  Enter fish through the button ENTER A FISH.  Open your Digital Livewell (fish icon) when you return to a connection, to push the fish through to the leaderboard.  Entries will post with the date/time you submitted the fish, not the time they uploaded from the Livewell.

(Fish icon) Your Digital Livewell is a log of every fish you’ve entered through the FD app.  It holds fish entries and their attached photos in a safe place in case you get into an area with poor reception or no coverage. When you return to an area with good reception (2 bars at a minimum), open your Digital Livewell.  Leave that screen open until all fish are “Received”.  Never delete anything from your Digital Livewell.

It's do-able, but not convenient.  In general, most apps track individual results and this is the case with FishDonkey. If you have 2 anglers and only 1 phone (like a father and son who both want to join), each angler will need to join and record their fish under their own name/account.  Each username will need to be a unique email address. (2 usernames and passwords), one for each person.  It would require the phone owner to log in and out of both accounts, making sure they are logged in as the correct person to record the fish under the right name.  Logging out is not recommended if you are fishing in bad reception.  You won’t get back in.  Bad idea.

At this time, no. We do not currently have a method set up to integrate traditional sign-ups with the entries made through the app.

CAWG uses FishDonkey to make the derby easier to run. FishDonkey manages tournament registration, collects entry fees, and automates photo documentation and leaderboards. This helps us keep the derby organized, makes our staff more available to assist participants, lets participants easily see who is in the lead at any given time, and frees participants to go straight to their fishing spot anywhere within the derby boundaries without needing to detour to the causeway. Though we recognize that some people would prefer not to use the app, we've chosen to stick with it because FishDonkey has allowed our derby to run more smoothly.

Please consider giving it a try! Using the app is surprisingly easy, and you can choose to fish at the North River causeway where CAWG staff will be on-site to assist you if needed.