# Jumbo fish at Grand Lake may surprise you!



## zaraspook (Jun 16, 2009)

I'm not the lucky angler who brought in this pig, but am envious. The 9.1 pound walleye was caught at Grand Lake St. Mary's on Saturday 3-20-10. Fortunate angler was participating in a Catmaster fishing event. Photo supplied by the Outdoorsman/East Bank Marina.

For you walleye experts, what is the likely age of this fish? From 1999 to 2006 the state stocked 4-6 million walleye fingerlings and fry. The state fish supervisor suggested this fish is probably from the 1999 or 2000 class, therefore the age of this one at 10-11 years. Does the age sound right to you walleye experts out there?

If the rest of the stocked walleye are no longer around, I'm betting it's because this lovely pig ate them!


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## socdad (Jul 25, 2005)

Now I know where all the St. Mary's perch went!


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## Wally Diver (Aug 27, 2006)

I hope he doesn't plan on eating it. That lake is the most polluted lake in Ohio. Your not even allowed to swim in it. Cow crap runs off the dairy farms up there and goes into the lake. Plus all the farm chemicals that make there way in there.


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## FatRap007 (Jul 23, 2009)

Wow just say nice fish is it that hard


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## zaraspook (Jun 16, 2009)

FatRap007 said:


> Wow just say nice fish is it that hard


Very well said, FatRap007.


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## pumper (Jan 20, 2007)

some people arent happy not catchin fish, some arent even happy when a guy catches a very nice fish, the point is he caught a hawg on a very tough lake to catch any walleye, trying or not trying for walleye thats a nice fish. hopefully we will see a lot more of these fish in the near future, i for one dont care how they taste its just fun being out fishing with family and friends. great catch and thanks for posting.


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## RedCanoe59 (Apr 9, 2009)

zara and fatrap thank you 
Zara this is exactly what i was speaking of in the conversation about the aggiageters
Wally Diver you should be punished by having to go door to door and thank the farmers everytime you eat eggs which are mostly raised in that area or eat pork or beef which is feed by the corn......


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## GatorB (Jul 24, 2006)

pumper said:


> some people arent happy not catchin fish, some arent even happy when a guy catches a very nice fish, the point is he caught a hawg on a very tough lake to catch any walleye, trying or not trying for walleye thats a nice fish. hopefully we will see a lot more of these fish in the near future, i for one dont care how they taste its just fun being out fishing with family and friends. great catch and thanks for posting.


tsk tsk. as the forum police have already said, you're only allowed to say "nice fish" and then move on.


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## puterdude (Jan 27, 2006)

Shortdrift has an excellant study done on walleye and their aging process,hopefully he sees this post and chimes in with the info but be prepared for shocker as when he was reading it to me I was amazed at how long a walleye could and does live.
Excellant catch and be proud of it regardless what another might say,that's a beauty out of any inland lake.


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

This fish could be from the 99 stocking but it could possibly be older if the lake contained walleye prior to the 99 stocking. Studies done on Erie show numerous walleye in the plus twenty year age bracket. Needless to say that the age versus size of any fish depends on many factors regarding the lake itself. In any event, this is definitely a HawgEye and congratulations on the catch, especially from an inland lake.
Thanks for sharing this catch with us and hope you can get one :B for yourself.


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## zaraspook (Jun 16, 2009)

puterdude said:


> Shortdrift has an excellant study done on walleye and their aging process,hopefully he sees this post and chimes in with the info but be prepared for shocker as when he was reading it to me I was amazed at how long a walleye could and does live.
> Excellant catch and be proud of it regardless what another might say,that's a beauty out of any inland lake.


Puterdude.....appreciate your thoughtful remarks. In defense of Wallydiver, I looked at his past posts. All prior posts are fair, supportive, and he's a contributor. Let's give him a pass...........sometimes it's easy to take the obvious path and jump on the bandwagon.

If nothing else, I hope the hawg walleye that was caught suggests maybe Grand Lake is worth the effort to fix it. Mother Nature does a great job helping it's creatures survive, but sometimes she needs a bit of help. Criticism is alright as long as it doesn't go over the top. Many people, businesses, and organizations are engaged and doing good things. You don't have to be part of the solution, but please choose not to add to the problem.


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## zaraspook (Jun 16, 2009)

Shortdrift said:


> This fish could be from the 99 stocking but it could possibly be older if the lake contained walleye prior to the 99 stocking. Studies done on Erie show numerous walleye in the plus twenty year age bracket. Needless to say that the age versus size of any fish depends on many factors regarding the lake itself. In any event, this is definitely a HawgEye and congratulations on the catch, especially from an inland lake.
> Thanks for sharing this catch with us and hope you can get one :B for yourself.


Thanks for your input, Shortdrift. No known walleye population in Grand Lake before stocking began in '99. An 11 year-old walleye growing to 9 pounds......the lake environment can't be all bad, right? I caught a 16" and 18 1/2" walleye from Grand Lake last year......fish were very healthy, great specimens, bit no girth like the 9.1 # fish in the photo. How old would 16-18" walleyes likely be?


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## Nightprowler (Apr 21, 2004)

First off, Very Nice Fish and thanks for showing the report and picture. Second, according to ODNR (Doug Maloney - Fish biologist & Todd Haines - District 5) last night (3/28) on Outdoor Connection, they said for a fact there is another fish about the same size in the Grand (which was caught while catfishing with cutbait). And Third, is that Grand lake has the simular restrictions on eating fish as the rest of Ohio lakes. http://epa.ohio.gov/dsw/fishadvisory/limitmeals.aspx 
Go get'em guys. Also reported that the saugeye bite below Ft. Larmie was real good due to the high water and fish going over the spillway. Sounds alot like the situation on Hueston Woods last year. Good Fishin'


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## zaraspook (Jun 16, 2009)

Nightprowler said:


> First off, Very Nice Fish and thanks for showing the report and picture. Second, according to ODNR (Doug Maloney - Fish biologist & Todd Haines - District 5) last night (3/28) on Outdoor Connection, they said for a fact there is another fish about the same size in the Grand (which was caught while catfishing with cutbait). And Third, is that Grand lake has the simular restrictions on eating fish as the rest of Ohio lakes. http://epa.ohio.gov/dsw/fishadvisory/limitmeals.aspx
> Go get'em guys. Also reported that the saugeye bite below Ft. Larmie was real good due to the high water and fish going over the spillway. Sounds alot like the situation on Hueston Woods last year. Good Fishin'


Nightprowler - thanks for the link to eating advisories on Ohio waterways.


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