The 2026 Winter Lionfish Throw Down Is Open
Lionfish do not slow down when the water cools. They continue eating, breeding, and working the same reefs all year. The Winter Lionfish Throw Down fills the quieter months. This throw down is a three-month individual harvest tournament that keeps divers in the water from October 1 through December 31, when many other derbies go dark.
Submissions for the throw down are open now and close December 31 at 11:59 PM. Fish must be caught on or after October 1. Frozen fish and anything caught before the season do not count.
Last season, divers in this throw down event removed nearly 10,000 lionfish from Atlantic, Gulf, Puerto Rico, and USVI reefs. The goal this year is the same: more pressure on the population, cleaner reefs, and a scoreboard that makes the effort worth showing up for.
New to the species? Start with basic lionfish facts from NOAA or our Meet the Bad Guy overview. Already hunting? Register on Fishing Chaos and receive a daily identifier in your inbox.
What the Throw Down Registration Includes
The fee is $50. It is non-refundable and non-transferable. Your throw down registration includes:
- A custom event rash guard
- Sponsored items and an exclusive event gift
- Eligibility for the top 10 harvester prizes
- One monthly drawing entry each month you submit at least one verified lionfish
- Voluntary challenges throughout the season
Event goodies ship by late October to the address on your registration. Full rules are available on the event page and inside the Fishing Chaos tournament. For a quick overview, check the Throw Down FAQ.
Who Can Enter the Throw Down and Where Fish Count
This is an individual throw down tournament. No teams. No commercial harvesters.
Eligible water includes Atlantic and Gulf state waters (including Florida), plus Puerto Rico and the USVI, under the rules where you dive. Catches outside those areas do not count. If you are not in Florida, you can still enter as long as the harvest comes from eligible water. For more on derbies and tournaments, see Looking for a Lionfish Derby?.
The grand-prize trip has additional rules. The winner must be 18 or older, hold a passport valid through the travel dates, and send eligibility proof within 10 days of notification. Read the trip exclusions on the registration page before you plan your season around that prize.
How to Submit a Catch for the Throw Down
Each morning, registered divers receive a daily identifier by email. After the dive:
- Lay out whole lionfish with heads and tails attached. Nothing should be missing.
- Show the identifier, catch date, county, dive buddy’s name, and the count in the photo.
- Submit it in the Fishing Chaos app under Submit Catch within 24 hours of the identifier timestamp.
You may submit once per day. If you send more than one submission, only the first counts. Late uploads are not accepted. Track your overall catches year-round with the free Lionfish Log App.
Score is based on the total number of verified lionfish. Ties go to the earliest app submission. Unclear counts, a missing identifier, a missing county or buddy, duplicate or altered photos, or fish that are not whole will be rejected. Officials can audit at random. Ignoring an audit request results in disqualification. Each lionfish can be submitted only once.
Monthly drawings take place live on the ZooKeeper Facebook page in October, November, and December. Dates are also posted on Instagram. Five prizes are awarded each month (minimum $30 each) to anyone who submitted at least one fish that month. Those prizes ship within five business days. Grand prizes are announced in early January after submissions close.
The 2026 Throw Down Prize Board
Grand prizes go to the top harvesters in the throw down. Values and donors come from the official 2026 prize sheet.
1st. 2027 ZooKeeper Curaçao Lionfish Hunting Trip. Value $3,665. Donated by ZooKeeper.
2nd. Garmin Descent Mk3i, 51 mm, Carbon Gray DLC Titanium with DLC titanium band. Value $1,799.99. Donated by DX Divers.
3rd. Cressi Commander Evo BCD and Cressi Da Vinci dive computer. Value $1,299.99. Donated by Cressi.
4th. Scubapro MK17 EVO 2 / S620 Ti regulator set. Value $1,099.99. Donated by Dive 1st Aid.
5th. Riffe 41″ Marauder Series open-track speargun. Value $1,104. Donated by DX Divers.
6th. DAN Rescue Pack Extended Care Plus. Value $784. Donated by Elite Adventures.
7th. Koah Fatback 45″. Value $685. Donated by Niuhi Dive Charters.
8th. Big Blue TL5200P Lumen Tech light. Value $639.99. Donated by Elite Adventures.
9th. Dive Rite HydroLite BCD. Value $629. Donated by Isla Divers.
10th. Garmin inReach Mini 3+. Value $499.99. Donated by Deep Water Mafia.
You do not have to win the season to win something. One verified fish in a month is enough for that month’s drawing. See past event results in Taking a Bite Out of Lionfish: REEF 13th Annual Derby Results.
Gear That Keeps Spines Off Your Hands for the Throw Down
Any legal container is allowed. Spears and fingers do not belong in the funnel. The tool built for this job is the ZooKeeper Lionfish and Marine Debris Containment Unit: clear tube, slotted funnel, safety drain, and no handshake with a venomous fish. Learn more about safe containment options in Choosing the Right Safety Lionfish Hunting Container and What’s Happened to the ZooKeeper Pole Spear Tips?.
Size is the part many people overthink. A 20″ covers most weekend reefs. Derby days and known loaded sites call for a 24″ or 28″. There is no bag limit on lionfish in U.S. waters. The limit is your container, your air, and your effort. More options are available in the shop. For details, see What Size Lionfish Containment Do You Need?.
Plan the dive. Watch your air. Respect decompression limits. Wear puncture-resistant gloves. Carry a first aid kit. Do not damage the reef. Unsafe hunting is an immediate disqualification. For practical hunting advice, read Some Tips on How to Slay Lionfish.
After the fish are up, they still need to become dinner. Fillet them carefully, then cook them. Butter-baked lionfish is a simple, low-effort option. See Are Lionfish Good to Eat? and the Butter-Baked Lionfish recipe.
Register for the Throw Down and Get in the Water
The board is live. October is already on the clock.
- Register for the 2026 Winter Lionfish Throw Down
- Event page
- Rules, dates, and FAQ
- Questions: contact ZooKeeper or info@lionfishzk.com
- App issues: Fishing Chaos
Get out and slay. #SlayEatRepeat
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