Biggest walleye in the lake!

[powerdivehome]

Let's talk big walleyes! And when I say big, I mean Missouri big walleyes...

What in your opinion is the approximate weight of the BIGGEST WALLEYE IN THE LAKE currently swimming in these waters: Stockton, Bull Shoals, Norfork, Table Rock, LOZ, and any other big-fish water in MO?

Here are my guesses:

Stockton: 13 lbs.
Bull Shoals: 20.5 lbs.
Norfork: 17 lbs.
Table Rock: 24 lbs.
Lake of the Ozarks: 19.5 lbs.
St. Francis River: 15 lbs.

[meat man]

Bull 30lbs Stockton 17.5lbs Table Rock 23LBs Norfork 14 Lbs Lake of ozarks ? Francis ?

[Steve Johnson]

Powerdive, the Stockton Lake Record for walleye is 16.6 lbs., so I would say that Stockton has a little bit larger fish than 13 lbs. swimming in it. I'd say 16 lbs. for Stockton. The rest:

Bull Shoals: 24 lbs.
Table Rock: 20 lbs.
Lake of Ozarks: 16 lbs.
Norfork: 22 lbs.
St. Francis River: 19 lbs.(this river held the original Walleye state record of 20.0 lbs. from 1960 until it was broken in 1988 at Bull with a current state record fish of 21.1 lbs.)
Black River: 18 lbs.
Eleven Point River: 17 lbs.
Pomme de Terre: 15 lbs.
Truman: 15 lbs.
Mississippi River: 14 lbs.
Fellows Lake: 13 lbs.
Wapapello(a St. Francis River Reservoir): 17 lbs.
Mark Twain: 15 lbs.
Salt River: 14 lbs.(this river runs below Mark Twain and dumps eventuallyinto the Mississippi)
Clearwater: 16 lbs. (a Black River Reservoir)
Powerdive, you stimulate some good discussions with your proposed questions. I would just about guarantee that Bull will prevail among all Missouri waters to break not only the new state Walleye record but also the World record. If I forgot any bodies, I'll post them up later.

[coyotewhacker]

This requires way too much thinking....you guys go for it.
But I will venture to say that a 25+ will come out of Bull Shoals in the next two or three years. And the angler will be somebody we know.

[Guvner]

I admit I haven't paid attention in years to what is and isn't legal around the country. I can remember scuba diving Stockton when it had mostly 20 foot visibility. I remember going up and petting a wally at the entrance to Maze. The walleye I saw literally were laying in 5 inch wide cracks in the bottom sort of filling the crack. Lazy things. Huggng the bottom. I guess they don't stand around where they can be speared legally.

Guvner..

[coyotewhacker]

Spearfishing for walleye and other game fish is legal in Arkansas, but I believe it is no longer allowed in Missouri.
We got a couple of scuba divers around who can clarify that.
TR.....???

[Guvner]

You can't in Missouri last time I looked. I just wasn't sure if Arkansas had ever ditched their allowing it. And I don't live there so don't know what they might have done of late.

Thanks... Guvner..

[Steve Johnson]

CW, I am a certified PADI Diver and spearfishing IS allowed in Missouri for non-game fish(Carp, Drum, Gar, Buffalo) only. If it is gamefish in the Wildlife Code book, including Bluegill(who would shoot a bluegill anyhow), then you CANNOT shoot them. In Arkansas, gamefish except Green Carp can be speared, but you are allowed only half of what the rod & reel creel is(Ex: you can spear 2 walleye per day 18 inches or longer, but on rod & reel it is a legal limit of 4 per day 18 inches or longer). I hope this clears up the spearfishing thing. I used to do it in Arkansas, and shot 1 walleye(a 4 lb. fish) once and several Catfish, but it doesn't trip my trigger anymore like it used to when I was enbtering spearfishing contests years back. But, I think it should also be OPEN season on those Green Carp too. Why should they be protected and walleye(and other game fish) aren't. It is a bunch of bunk .

[powerdive]

We probably are a little generous in our guesses. Sometimes we forget how rare those monsters are. Record fish are record fish for a reason--they're special, perhaps one-of-a-kind, freaks of nature if you will.

But we can dream, can't we? I'd be interested in hearing what our pro friends have to say on this subject...

[coyotewhacker]

pd...absolutely agree with you on the rareity thing. I have no numbers to go on, but it's probably not unreasonable to assume that at most, one in ten thousand walleye fry make it to trophy size, maybe even less. i read somewhere that only a small percentage of a year class make it into the second year...these being wild fish and not hatchery fry.
It is also interesting to note that the record book fish are caught by amateur guys like you. Granted they are very good fishermen, and spend a lot of time on the water, but for the most part they do the 9 to 5 thing to put food on the table. The fishing professionals catch some big fish, but not world record fish. Point I'm trying to make is that somebody eventually is going to bring that new world record walleye into the boat. Anybody here could be that somebody.
If Lady Luck smiles on one of "our" pros, they deserve it. I just have a feeling that it will be a random event, based on putting an attractive lure in the right place at exactly the right time.

[powerdive]

I'd say it's more like one in ten million will make trophy size, and even that's probably pushing it...

So, tell me this: Where does the BIGGEST WALLEYE IN THE LAKE live? Are her habits different from other walleyes in the lake? What does she eat? Does she even bother to try to spawn? When and how will she be caught?

[Johnnie Candle]

It has been so long since a 20 pound walleye has been caught anywhere, I am starting to wonder if they exist any more. Look at how fishing has cahnged in the past just say ten years. Newer electronics, underwater cameras, beter line, rods, lures, I doubt that a fish has a chance to get bigger than 20 pounds.

If this mythical creature does exixts, you are right in thinking they are one of a kind fish. They will not live the same life as a 4 lber.

Then there is the dilema of catching it. The 20 pounder is most likely educated to an extent. It has to be to avoid being caught to reach this size. It would take special care to get the bite. Lighter ine, smaller hooks, etc, then the question is will the tackle be strong enough and the angler good enough to land the fish.

Catch 22 comes to mind. I believe I have had the fish hooked on a few occaisions in the great lakes. I ran a Lake Erie Charter boat for ten years and had several fish hooked for long periods of time that we just could not move. With 12 lines in the water and several inexperienced anglers trying their best, the fish won everytime.

I sure hope someday I get the chance to try and I hope I am up to the task.

As far as where the monster lives. Bull Shoals could have one, but I doubt if many of the other lakes down that way do. I do not know enough about the genetics to say for sure. My bet for the next 20 will be the Great Lakes. The genetics are there for the high teens and there is plenty of food. The population is high enough that a fish can get "lost" until it gets that big. The Columbia River could have one or two as well. Tobin Lake in Saskatchewan is another good bet.

Let's keep dreaming guys and try to be ready when our chance comes.

[powerdive]

"Let's keep dreaming guys and try to be ready when our chance comes."

Well put, Mr. Candle!!!

Please Lord, may I not be eating, rummaging, goofing off or taking a whiz when my chance comes. Although it always seems that THAT is when the big hits happen...

[coyotewhacker]

Thanks Johnnie...that pretty much covers the bases. If you ever do get that bad girl on the end of the line again, hope you bring 'er aboard. Chances are that you would get a slightly bigger tip than the time you drove the hooks through your hand......I still get queasy remembering what you told us about that day. If our Special Events Chairman gets his way, bring along a rod or two. That is prime time for big walleyes on Bull Shoals. We can probably put together a major get together and scour the waters for one of those oversize gals. Even if you travel light, ol' Front Row might have a spare rig or two or three.

[Steve Johnson]

I have to respectfully dissagree that there is not a 20lb. walleye out there. Just because one has not been caught recently does not man there aren't any around. EVERY year for as long as I can remember a fish has come in on upper Bull that weighs between 17 & 19 lbs.(always in the cold water period) Sometimes it has happened twice in the same cold water period. Sure, modern technology has come into play with devices to help us find & catch more fish, but the fact of the matter is that these fish are still there and only 1 or possibly 2(on Bull) are being caught a year. Regarding lakes farther north in latitude, I have looked at their state or province records, and they seem to NOT have the genetics the fish down here do. Erie's(and Ohio's) largest walleye is 15.5 lbs.. Our southern reservoirs produce fish larger than this every year. So, whoever said that these huge fish we have down here get huge for a reason are right. They are a superior genetic fish and one that is wary enough to avoid being caught, or if caught, have been able to break off. It is still nice to know that when I go to the Pot Hole that I could possibly catch one of these monsters because they ARE in there, and there is more than one of them. Yes, one or more 22+ lb. walleye are in Bull Shoals. But this size fish is not ever caught. It got this big for a reason, and will stay this big for a reason. And that reason is genetics & stealth. It is a survivor, and a " freak of nature". Luckily, it will pass those traits on to its offspring, and eventually, one of its offspring that survives and grows to the size where it is immune to predators(besides man) in the lake will attain the size it has.