The Columbia Montour Visitors Bureau is pleased to announce a new digital passport program to promote fun catch, photo, and release fishing in the waters of Columbia & Montour Counties.  The Columbia-Montour Master Angler Passport encourages visitors and residents alike to participate beginning this Sunday, May 25 through the end of the year. The start date of the passport coincides with the first of two statewide “Fish-For-Free Days” throughout Pennsylvania. Likewise, the Master Angler passport is a free program, though a valid fishing license is required for all non “Fish-For-Free-Days.”

Organized through the popular fishing tournament company, iAngler, the Master Angler Passport encourages participants to get out on the water in Columbia & Montour Counties and record the fish species they catch in the iAngler mobile app.

Each unique fish species will be credited as one point for participants. Anglers who catch enough species throughout the year will be awarded the title of “Master Angler” for Columbia & Montour Counties in 2025. They will also receive corresponding commemorative prizes for reaching the Master Angler tier, and will be entered to win a year-end grand prize drawing.

The Master Angler Passport is open to anglers of all ages. Youth who are 15 or under at the time of sign-up will need to catch at least six unique species to qualify as a Master Angler for the year. Adults are classified as anyone 16 years of age or older for this program, and will need to catch at least nine unique species of fish to qualify as a Master Angler for the year.

Eligible species are:

• • Largemouth bass
  • Smallmouth bass
  • Sunfish (Various Types)
  • Yellow perch
  • Rock bass
  • Crappie
  • Brook trout
  • Rainbow trout
  • Brown trout
  • Golden Rainbow/Palomino trout
  • Channel catfish
  • Flathead catfish
  • Bullhead catfish
  • Sucker
  • Carp
  • Northern Pike
  • Chain Pickerel
  • Walleye

Bonus species:

• • Muskellunge (Muskie) / Tiger Muskellunge (Tiger Muskie)
  • American Eel

For those who achieve the Master Angler level, the Columbia Montour Visitors Bureau will mail a commemorative Master Angler hat and patch in early 2026. They will also be entered into a grand prize drawing, which will take place in January, 2026. There will be a grand prize awarded for both the adult category as well as the youth category. The grand prize is still to be determined, but will be valued at approximately $500 and likely include either a kayak or fishing gear. If a bonus species is caught, it will count for ten times the points in the grand prize drawing. All anglers, regardless of Master Angler status, will also receive a unique sticker for each species caught during the program.

The Master Angler Passport is a “Catch, Photo and Release” tournament. Participating is straightforward; once anglers have signed up and downloaded the iAngler mobile app, they simply need to take a photo of their catch (does not need to be measured or weighed). Then, they should release the fish and afterward, they can upload the photo into the iAngler passport. Photos should be uploaded directly after catch and release or at least prior to leaving the waterway if cellular service allows. Submissions will then be reviewed by an area angling expert and approved within seven days to provide credit to the angler. A leaderboard will be available within the mobile app.

To get the passport up and running, the Visitors Bureau received assistance from the Montour Area Recreation Commission as well as John Oast with Fishyaker.com.

“The Montour Area Recreation Commission is proud to partner with the Columbia Montour Visitors Bureau to encourage family-friendly enjoyment of the waterways in our two-county region” said Bob Stoudt, Director of the Montour Area Recreation Commission.  “Whether it’s at the Montour Preserve’s Lake Chillisquaque, the Hess Recreation Area’s Mahoning Creek, the North Branch Susquehanna River, or any other publicly-accessible lake or stream in Montour or Columbia County, our residents and visitors alike will find a great variety of fish species to challenge them and create life-long memories.”

Local Fishyaker Youtube channel personality and professional kayak angler, John “Toast” Oast, added, “The Columbia-Montour Master Angler Passport will offer the region an opportunity to highlight its world class fishing opportunities, while utilizing the environmentally-responsible Catch-Photo-Release (CPR) fishing tournament concept. CPR results in minimal impact to the landed fish, not requiring relocation or harvesting to enter a catch.”

Participants may only use cellphone cameras for recording fish. Location and date/time functions must be turned on. All fish must be caught within Columbia & Montour Counties. More info, sign up instructions, and a map of fishing access points and waterways in the county can be found at: itourcolumbiamontour.com/master-angler-passport.