July 29, 2026
What happens with all the walleye?
The Garrison Fire Department processed nearly 1,500 pounds of walleye during this year’s Governor’s Cup Walleye Derby, continuing a long‑running tradition that began even before the Dickens Festival first launched," Garrison Fire Department Chief Tod Greaber said.
Graeber said the department must get a permit from the North Dakota Game and Fish Department to possess and haul the fish each year.
“I believe the fire department ended up with the fish because random people would show up at the fish cleaning and take coolers full of fish home,” Sloka said. “The public complained to the game and fish, and they made the Cup change how the fish is handled.”