Jump to content

World Record Walleye Denied


dave524

Recommended Posts

just saw this , should it have been allowed ?

 

 

On September 16, Western Angler Senior Editor, Ron Boggs nearly doubled the existing world record with a 47 pound walleye! The size and circumstances of the catch ranks it among the most unusual in modern angling history. Normally, world fishing records are broken by onces or maybe a couple of pounds. Never before has a fish eclipsed an old record by nearly double. But due to a technicality, the old walleye record of 25 pounds will stand.

Because walleye are freshwater fish, walleye records are only registered for freshwater catches. Boggs’ unbelievable lunker was caught in saltwater, thus ruling it invalid for consideration in the freshwater walleye books.

“I went to the coast to catch surf perch and just enjoy the sunny weather with my wife Pam. We were out on the bay dunking sandworms on light tackle when the fish hit. We know immediately it was something big…probably a lingcod or sturgeon — or so we thought.”

“It took almost half an hour to get the fish close enough to see it,” he recalls. “I did a double-take when I first saw it. Even after Pam netted it I couldn’t believe it was a walleye. It was so humongous I had to help her get the overloaded net into the boat. I was shaking so hard I couldn’t drive the boat. Pam drove us in to the scale at Greg’s Marina, and I about passed out when the needle registered 47 pounds.”

“I’ve dreamed of catching a state record walleye for 10 years. Who would’ve thought I’d ever see a world record sized fish. Too bad it doesn’t count [ in the record books ].”

Many species of fish adapt to both fresh and salt water, but walleye have never been observed to survive in the saltcheck. A marine biologist at the scene speculated that the leviathan fish originated in the Columbia River which empties into the Pacific 50 miles to the North. “It probably caught a fresh water current from the river,” the biologist reasoned. “Once the fresh water dissipated, the fish was stuck in the saltwater. It had to either adapt or die. I can’t explain why.” he shrugged, “but somehow this fish managed to adapt. The Pacific coast is an abundant foraging area, so this walleye probably grew at an accelerated pace.”

When asked if other saltwater walleyes were possibly swimming in Oregon or Washington coastal waters, our source hypothesized, “If this one could survive, then others probably have too. The mouth of the Columbia River is the only place in the world where walleyes have access to the Pacific Ocean. They’ve only been in the lower river for about 25 years. Who know what’s happened in that time? Nobody has ever studied the possibility of walleyes trickling into the Pacific.”

Boggs doesn’t care how the fish managed to exist, but says he’s planning future coastal walleye fishing trips. “I hope this wasn’t just a fluke. Maybe the record keepers will have to establish a new category for saltwater walleye? If that’s the case,” he smiles, “then I’ve got a headstart on other record seekers.”

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

April 1st, 2003?

 

 

 

Interesting anecdote from the link:

 

Quote:

You just had to be there!

Professional walleye angler, Bill Kutka, tells the funniest fish attractant story you’ll ever hear. This is a true story that actually happened in a walleye tournament a couple years ago.

First, a little background….

It seems that Preparation “H” ( that’s right, the hemorrhoid medication ) has gained a small following as a fish attractant. Kutka was totally unaware of this fact.

At a major national tournament, Kutka was paired with an angler he’d never met before. They got out onto the water and the guy asks, ” So, have you heard about Preparation “H”?

Kutka hesitates then responds, “Sure, I’ve heard about it.”

“Works pretty good doesn’t it?” the guy smiles. Now remember, Kutka has no idea that Prep “H” has any use other than as a medication.

Kutka pauses and then admits, “Yeah, I guess it works OK.”

The guy smiles and in an exuberant tone asks, “You want me to put some on for you?”

Well, needless to say there was a bit of confusion in the boat, but once they figured out what had happened, a good laugh was had by all.

Hopefully, you’ve gotten a chuckle out of the incident as well!

Edited by JohnBacon
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recent Topics

    Popular Topics

    Upcoming Events


×
×
  • Create New...