Erie, PA Sport Fishing Association TROUT CUP

Prove your the best trout angler on Lake Erie!

The 2026 Erie, PA Sport Fishing Association “Trout Cup” is decided by combining your ranking from the Spring Trout Challenge and Fall Trout Challenge. This trolling event will award the “Number 1” team on the lake that has the most consistency in both events.

REGISTRATION

Coming Spring 2026!

*At least 2 members of the team must be a member of the EPSFA in good standing so be sure to renew your membership today.

2025 Trout Cup Champion

Team Vision Quest wins 2025 EPSFA Trout Cup and Spring Trout Challenge:

Our two Trout Challenges always seem to be a grind where every bite counts and can be the difference between winning or not. The 2025 events were like that again. Pre-fishing helped us win the Spring Trout Challenge. A Friday pre-fish late afternoon spot paid off for us on Sunday when our Saturday hot spot vaporized due to water clearing. We “didn’t rot in dead water” and moved 3 times. That 3rd move paid off as well, only missing 2 bites Sunday. We took 1st place because of both. Next event to decide the Trout Cup was the Fall Trout Challenge. We finished second, missing 1st by less than a pound. Again, pre-fishing paid off for us, and we dialed in a deep-water program the day prior. We also had a good bite to land percentage going 10 for 13. My team did an outstanding job at both events and consisted of Paul, Doug and son Colton.

Thanks to the EPSFA and volunteers for hosting another fun event.

See ya at the Spring Trout Challenge in 2026.

Click Here for the Latest Updates from Team Vision Quest on Facebook

2024 Trout Cup Champion

Team Heartbeat wins 2024 EPSFA Trout Cup and Spring Trout Challenge:

The EPSFA Spring and Fall Trout challenge tournaments lived up to their name as a true challenge! Our team was able to win the overall thanks to a strong Spring showing. We were able to box 35.5 lb with our six fish on April 21st, fishing outside of the channel by the markers and East Avenue. We had typical spring weather with choppy water and a cool breeze. Shallow running plugs on mono was our best program for that day. Besides some nice steelhead we had a bonus of several beautiful brown trout, a couple of which we were able to weigh in.

The Fall Trout Challenge on October 20th, 2024 was a real bonus in terms of the weather which was beautiful. We pre- fished the West tributaries and had two fantastic days with 30 + bites and an excellent catch ratio which is not always easy with steelhead. The big fish that we caught during the summer however were quite elusive for us, and for a lot of the participating teams as well. Come tournament day the water at the west tribs was gin clear and our bite was much tougher. We managed to get six fish to weigh, but they were smaller than our practice days and our catch ratio was much poorer. We had a mixed bite with some fish coming on mono with shallow plugs and some on one color of Lead Core with spoons. Despite the rather lackluster performance in the Fall Challenge with just over 32 lb, we were able to win the overall thanks to our strong Spring results. Our team included Chris, Bill, john, Joel and Dale and they all contributed greatly. Special thanks to Chris Rhoades for using his well-equipped boat in the fall since mine was in storage.

Many thanks to EPSFA for holding these events which are not only fun, but in addition create a tremendous camaraderie within our fishing community.

Final Results Available Soon