Justin Gaudry
07-08-2009, 02:12 PM
Just how big is this walleye? Well let's tell you about the man holding it first so you can put the fish in the proper perspective. Dick is 6'4" and 290 pounds. He played on the D-line at the University of Minnesota in college. He is no slouch of a guy. He has broad shoulders and big hands.
Dick is a recreational fisherman that enjoys getting out for a few hours from time to time when he's at his cabin on Lake of the Woods. His family has had a place up at Lake of the Woods for over 30 years. When he's out walleye fishing, he uses a measuring stick that is 18" long to decide whether to keep a fish for dinner or throw it back. Dick and his wife Cindy both verify that this fish used up this 18" stick twice plus a couple more inches. He put the stick along side the fish, then flipped it end over end and still didn't have enough to get past the tail of the fish.
I've known him for 15 years and he is one of the straightest shooters out there. With absolutely no reason to make up a fish story, I believe him when he says the walleye he caught was 38"!! Yes, people will say no way and holler that it's not possible, but who really cares if people think that way? It's a huge, monster, slob-a-saurus walleye that most people would have killed without a second thought. Dick released it without a second thought. The only thing he would have liked to have done is had a chance to weigh it out on the water before throwing it back for someone else to try to catch.
Does anyone want to guess the weight of this fish? Would it have been a possible Lake of the Woods record? Ontario Record?
No matter what you might say, you have to call it a great catch and awesome release.
Congrats to Dick and his wife, Cindy, on sharing an experience that few in the world will ever get to enjoy.
I've included some other 30+ inch walleyes for comparison purposes:
Dick's 38" Walleye - July 7, 2009 (CPR'd)
Mary's 30" Walleye - July 4, 2009 (CPR'd)
Vicki's 31" Walleye - July 3, 2009 (CPR'd)
Mark's 31" Walleye - May 24, 2009 (CPR'd)
Gene's 31.25" Walleye - June 15, 2007 (CPR'd)
Cliff's 30.5" Walleye - June 13, 2008 (CPR'd)
Dick is a recreational fisherman that enjoys getting out for a few hours from time to time when he's at his cabin on Lake of the Woods. His family has had a place up at Lake of the Woods for over 30 years. When he's out walleye fishing, he uses a measuring stick that is 18" long to decide whether to keep a fish for dinner or throw it back. Dick and his wife Cindy both verify that this fish used up this 18" stick twice plus a couple more inches. He put the stick along side the fish, then flipped it end over end and still didn't have enough to get past the tail of the fish.
I've known him for 15 years and he is one of the straightest shooters out there. With absolutely no reason to make up a fish story, I believe him when he says the walleye he caught was 38"!! Yes, people will say no way and holler that it's not possible, but who really cares if people think that way? It's a huge, monster, slob-a-saurus walleye that most people would have killed without a second thought. Dick released it without a second thought. The only thing he would have liked to have done is had a chance to weigh it out on the water before throwing it back for someone else to try to catch.
Does anyone want to guess the weight of this fish? Would it have been a possible Lake of the Woods record? Ontario Record?
No matter what you might say, you have to call it a great catch and awesome release.
Congrats to Dick and his wife, Cindy, on sharing an experience that few in the world will ever get to enjoy.
I've included some other 30+ inch walleyes for comparison purposes:
Dick's 38" Walleye - July 7, 2009 (CPR'd)
Mary's 30" Walleye - July 4, 2009 (CPR'd)
Vicki's 31" Walleye - July 3, 2009 (CPR'd)
Mark's 31" Walleye - May 24, 2009 (CPR'd)
Gene's 31.25" Walleye - June 15, 2007 (CPR'd)
Cliff's 30.5" Walleye - June 13, 2008 (CPR'd)