New State Record Walleye?

[Guest]

I'm hearing rumors of a new state record walleye being caught here a couple of weeks ago. If anyone knows this is a fact and has details, tells us. I haven't seen anything official.

I heard it was 16+ pounds.

FYI - The local rumor around here in Minnewaukan has the old record that was "set" by a local in nearby Woods Lake as being bogus. Local legend has it alledgedly coming from Canada as a frozen fish and unthawed here.

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Kevin Neve's Devils Lake Guide Service
fishingminnesota.com/kevin-neve-guiding/
e-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 701-473-5411 or 701-351-4989
Minnewaukan ND

[Guest]

Remember a rumor is like a fart in church everyone smells it but nobody claims it.

If it was true odds are it would hit the news sooner then latter.

To confirm a record it must be done expeditiously and with a lot of verifications. Again odds are it would hit the press quickly just due to the amount of people who would see it.

When the rumor reached me it was a walleye caught on the lower Red River & was claiming to be from the DL system. I had 3 emails saying that from Grand Forks over the past few days.

Sniff-sniff.....Anybody smell that?

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Backwater Eddy..><,sUMo,>

Backwater Guiding
"Ed on the RED"
(701)-281-2300
[email protected]
http://home.talkcity.com/ResortRd/backwtr1/index.html

[Guest]

I knew it wasn't real. I was just testing the rumor mill.

If a state record walleye is caught, it would make the papers, radio and TV pretty quick. It isn't like the state record white bass, although the word did get out about that.

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Kevin Neve's Devils Lake Guide Service
fishingminnesota.com/kevin-neve-guiding/
e-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 701-473-5411 or 701-351-4989
Minnewaukan ND

[Steve Foss]

Yeah, but a post with a title like that is a guaranteed attention-getter. I agree with Eddy. That sucker would hit the media at least as soon as it hit the forum. Of course, I'm a newspaper guy, so I could be biased.

Anyway, tell me the what, where, when, how big info on the actual state record walleye. Do you guys know it by heart?

[This message has been edited by stfcatfish (edited 05-03-2002).]

[Guest]

Walleye - 15 lbs 12 oz from Wood Lake in 1959. Caught by B. Chapman.

The only reason I looked it up is because I would have bet it came from the Garrison Dam tailrace, where so many other state records have been caught.

[Guest]

B Chapman was a resident of Minnewaukan ND and is now deceased. The record walleyes was caught in Wood Lake. Wood Lake is a small lake in Benson County about 4 miles from Devils Lake.

Wood Lake was once a popular very recreational lake with locals, having a water slide in the 30's or so. It was heavily fished at one time, probably because of its popularity with weekend revelers. It had a nice park and is now surrounded by cabins. Since it was a popular lake and potential to be heavily fished, I personally doubt that a fish of that size could come out of that particular lake.

The rumor around Minnewaukan in regard to the "record" fish has the fish being purchased while on an ice fishing trip to Canada. It was thawed out and drug around Wood Lake. Supposedly the eyes of the fish and the fish itself looked like it indeed been frozen.

As all local legends go, accuracy of the story is lost in time. I do not know if there is a mount of this fish or not. As with a lot of the older record fish of any species, verification as to the validity of those records leave a lot to be desired.

Case in point, the US record for a walleyes has been proven to a hoax or at least an inacurrate weight. Measurements comparing the photo of the person holding the fish, reported measurements of the fish and known walleye girth to lenght ratios tossed the record aside. It was indeed a big walleye, but not the beamouth as recorded.

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Kevin Neve's Devils Lake Guide Service
fishingminnesota.com/kevin-neve-guiding/
e-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 701-473-5411 or 701-351-4989
Minnewaukan ND

[Guest]

Ah ha! Shades of another hoax similar to the former "world record" muskie (69lb 14oz), or the fists full of line-class "records" Len Hartman and his wife caught over 50 lbs each -- all of which have since been expunged from the books.

Hartman did get a 47-11 in 1992 to help salvage his reputation.