# 18 pound walleye caught on tape



## schram24 (Mar 29, 2009)

I just received this from a friend. 33" 18 pound slob!

It is about half way down the page for the video.

http://www.myfishingpartner.com/portal/


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

wow that is big


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

Okay I will be the first to do this. That fish does not look to me like an 18# fish. You said 33" and it appears to me to be similar to a lot of fish that I see on here as far as girth. I was thinking maybe 15# range. But who knows? Maybe it was verified and I am wrong.

And also why does the fish appear totally lifeless. Yeah, I know he played it a long time but it never flopped once for the guy.


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## bassmastermjb (Apr 8, 2004)

I'm with you bkr43050 on this one............Mark


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## PapawSmith (Feb 13, 2007)

bkr43050 said:


> And also why does the fish appear totally lifeless. Yeah, I know he played it a long time but it never flopped once for the guy.


Totally lifeless, a bit stiff I thought, and I never saw its gills move while it was held for the camera. I think this fish was resubmerged and re-retrieved for the sake of a now available video camera. This does not make it any less of a quality fish though. I have no guess on the weight, nice freakin fish in my opinion.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

PapawSmith said:


> Totally lifeless, a bit stiff I thought, and I never saw its gills move while it was held for the camera. I think this fish was resubmerged and re-retrieved for the sake of a now available video camera. This does not make it any less of a quality fish though. I have no guess on the weight, nice freakin fish in my opinion.


I suspect that it was put back down the hole as well for the video. No doubt it is a great fish but at 33 I just don't see 18#. I didn't see where it was stated that it was 33". I was just going off the original post. Here is a picture of a record Saskatchewan walleye at 18.3#. This fish though was 36.5". If the one in the video was 3.5" shorter it would have to be a toad to still be at 18#.


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## CRAPPIE LOVER (Feb 11, 2007)

I agree with Bassmastermjb and bkr43050...Dos'nt look like an 18 pounder..compared to the canada picture.....JIM.....


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## Perchy101 (Apr 14, 2004)

Doesn't look like a 18# either...

Trying to figure out if the pole was bending down/fight was going on... Because it looks like it... But once they get the fish out of the hole it looks lifeless...


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## 74chrysler (Apr 9, 2008)

I may be a sucker but it looks alive to me. If you look at the video close you can see the rod tip go down a couple of times pretty good, the dorsal fins are up and his hand is completely under the fish. As for the weight I have no idea but it looks pretty good. If that were my fish there is no way I would lower it back down the hole even with a rope for some video camera time!


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## Hetfieldinn (May 17, 2004)

Beautiful fish, but I'd have to agree with the guy in the video that said "15 pounds"


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## Fish Scalper (Oct 31, 2009)

No opinion on the fish weight because after the recent night bite, I can't judge anything based on length, girth, appearance or otherwise. I saw so many short fat footballs it wasn't funny and just as many that were long and lean that should have creamed the footballs. Some 8# fish at 24 inches and others weighing the same at 28 inches. Seemed a surprise on the scale with each fish. And it doesn't surprise me that any fish coming out of the ice is going to appear near dead with cold water metabolism being what it is. Most of our fish this fall that were caught in 45+ degree water never flopped once either. Kind of reminded me of what it was like to be married.


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

Fish Scalper said:


> Kind of reminded me of what it was like to be married.


They don't flop it they can't feel the hook

Nice fish no matter what it weighed.


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## Hetfieldinn (May 17, 2004)

Lundy said:


> They don't flop it they can't feel the hook



He'll be here all week.


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## schram24 (Mar 29, 2009)

I am a bit skeptically also. But after seeing this picture of the fish I had second thoughts.

http://www.garyengbergoutdoors.com/blog/wp-content/walleyereel-bait2.jpg

Girth was 25"

I think you may be right about the replay, especially with the camera guys. Still one heck of a fish.


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## sonar (Mar 20, 2005)

WOW! What a pig!!!! But, I have to ask! how wide was the diameter of that rascal? & how big was the hole in the ice,to be able to get it through ? If that was an eight" auger hole that was a tight fit,I'll bet.Unbelievable! That fish is tremendous! Now I really need some ice, to work off of! MORE COLD!!!!!!!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!!!!------sonar.........


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## Papascott (Apr 22, 2004)

Seen the video the other day. Its probably getting them plenty of business with their number for their guide service written all through the video. But WOW what a slob. The cheek meat alone could feed a family a 5.


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## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

nice walleye, but i caught bigger off geneva on perch stingers.lol


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## 1gmkiller (Mar 14, 2009)

To me it looks more like a 13lber not an 18 lber. Maybe that's what it is? Someone just made a typo.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

No doubt a great fish. Who knows? It may be legit. It just looks conceiving. It didn't appear to be a 25# girth coming through that hole. It is still one major pig.



Papascott said:


> The cheek meat alone could feed a family a 5.


I noticed that as well. Those are some slabs for cheeks!


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## auglaizewader (Aug 30, 2007)

To get a 25" (girth) fish out of the a 6 inch ice hole is not possible. You would have to squeeze to pull it out of an 8" diameter hole. That is assuming my math is right.

c=3.14 x d

c= 25.14" on an 8 " hole. Just for comparative perspective.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

auglaizewader said:


> To get a 25" (girth) fish out of the a 6 inch ice hole is not possible. You would have to squeeze to pull it out of an 8" diameter hole. That is assuming my math is right.
> 
> c=3.14 x d
> 
> c= 25.14" on an 8 " hole. Just for comparative perspective.


Your math is right...which is why I wondered about the girth as well. The hole doesn't look to me to be 10" and a 25" girth fish should really fill the hole up coming up through an 8" hole.


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## Nikster (Mar 14, 2007)

Never fails. Those that are of a conspiracy minded doom gloom attitude;

A Catholic Priest;


220 Centre Street 
Nipawin, SK 
S0E 1E0 
Phone: (306) 862-4618 
Fax: (306) 862-4566 

World record! 
The 18.30 pound walleye landed by Roman Catholic priest Father Mariusz Zajac on Jan. 4 this year appears to be a world record for ice fishing for the walleye species, according to Emmett Brown, assistant director of The National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame headquartered in Hayward, Wisconsin. 

BY BRIAN MCLANE 
Journal Staff 
Wednesday January 19, 2005 


Local priest Father Mariusz Zajac with his 18.30 pound walleye he landed while ice fishing on Tobin Lake January 4, 2005. The fish was 36.5 inches long and had a girth of 22.5 inches.The fish that was caught in a 10-inch hole is a world record in ice fishing for the walleye species. 

photo by Brian McLane 
Nipawin Journal  World record! 
BY BRIAN MCLANE 
Journal Staff 
It's official. Almost. 
The 18.30 pound walleye landed by Roman Catholic priest Father Mariusz Zajac on Jan. 4 this year appears to be a world record for ice fishing for the walleye species, according to Emmett Brown, assistant director of The National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame headquartered in Hayward, Wisconsin. 
The Hall of Fame is the recognized authority for fresh water fishing records in North America. 
Reached by telephone Monday, Brown said once the paper work on the application form is completed and received by his non-profit, museum-educational organization, the new record becomes official. 
Brown says his organization accepts entries in five divisions -- rod/reel, fly fishing, pole/line/no reel, ice fishing and misc. methods. 
"Division 4 (Ice fishing) only the heaviest catches are recognized, and no line sample is required," said Brown. 
"The fish must be captured through the ice by accepted legal ice fishing devices such as pole/line, tip up or other varied legal devices." 
Brown says records are kept in two categories -- fish that are kept and killed, and catch and release. 
In the "kept and killed" category only the weight is recorded while only the length is recorded in the "catch and release" category. 
The current world record for walleye in the ice fishing division for "kept and killed" by pole/line (jigging) is a 17 pound 12 ounce walleye landed March 28, 1999 in Lake Simcoe, Ontario. 
The current world record for walleye in the ice fishing division for "kept and killed" by tip up is a 17 pound 7 ounce walleye caught on Kinzua Dam in Pennsylvania in June, 1992. 
When told the length of Father Mariusz's walleye (36.5 inches), Brown said a fish like that would actually beat out the current two world records in the catch and release category for walleye caught by ice fishing. 
In the "catch and release" category for walleye in the ice fishing division, the current world record -- by length only -- is a 32 inch walleye for pole/line, and a 33 inch walleye for tip up. 
Father Mariusz resides in Carrot River and serves the Roman Catholic parishes of Canadian Martyrs in Carrot River, St. Eugene in Nipawin and St. Mary in Choiceland. 
An avid fisherman, the 43-year-old priest broke the provincial record for walleye with his Jan. 4th catch. That fish had a girth of 22.5 inches and measured 36.5 inches in length. 
The previous Saskatchewan record walleye, at 18.06 pounds, was caught and released on Tobin Lake in 1997. Tim Fehr, also from Carrot River, held that provincial record until last week. 
If qualified as a world record holder, Father Mariusz will receive a parchment certificate suitable for framing, an elaborate world record lapel pin for dress wear, a colourful garment sleeve emblem and a large companion back-patch for his favourite fishing jacket. His record will be listed in the annuals of the Hall of Fame for posterity and in the Hall's annual official world book of records. A photograph of the trophy walleye will also be displayed in the Hall's Records Gallery. 

to view a picture and more stories go to: www.nipawinjournal.com 
after that enter a key word: WALLEYE in "search for stories" 
and you'll find the first 1-5 articles giving a detailes info about the whole story. 

I pray that a lot of good things happen because of this amazing catch. 
God bless you all.  
Fr. Mariusz Zajac "Father Walleye" :wink:


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

I am not a conspiracy minded person at all. And the information posted below help to make this more credible. For starters I was reading 33" and 25" girth. That is quite different from the 36.5" and 22.5" girth. Now I can believe a 36.5" fish reaching that weight. The point I was making was that the fish in the picture was not much different than the Erie fish in shape and there are Erie guys that get 32+ inch fish. They are not coming close to 18# though. The article definitely helps validate it. Thanks for providing this info Nikster.


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## phisherman (Jun 10, 2004)

bkr43050 said:


> I suspect that it was put back down the hole as well for the video. No doubt it is a great fish but at 33 I just don't see 18#. I didn't see where it was stated that it was 33". I was just going off the original post. Here is a picture of a record Saskatchewan walleye at 18.3#. This fish though was 36.5". If the one in the video was 3.5" shorter it would have to be a toad to still be at 18#.


This is the funniest looking 8 as in 18 I've have ever seen.

Looks like some messy photoshop. Looks like a 6 turned 8.

Maybe i'm wrong.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

Wait a minute!! Now I just realized that I got myself confused on this one. That info that Nikster posted was pertaining to the Saskatchewan record that was shown in my picture above. I only posted that fish as a reference for comparison to the video. I don't believe they ever mentioned that this fish was the record fish.


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## auglaizewader (Aug 30, 2007)

Beauty of a fish, no matter what.

Are we talking about the same fish? The original post lists the fish as caught in Manitoba with a 25" girth. The article seems to be talking about the Saskatchewan fish. no big deal, just wondering. This isn't like anyone is beating up a member's fish, right? The fish belongs to someone we dont even know. 

I haven't caught enough big walleyes to make a good estimation, either way.


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## ProAngler (Feb 23, 2009)

bkr43050 said:


> Wait a minute!! Now I just realized that I got myself confused on this one. That info that Nikster posted was pertaining to the Saskatchewan record that was shown in my picture above. I only posted that fish as a reference for comparison to the video. I don't believe they ever mentioned that this fish was the record fish.


I thought the same, you guys are talking two different stories. Conspiracy Theorists LOL  Doom and Gloom Baby!!

BTW- that fish was not 18# that's my Theory!~


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

Yeah, I never posted that picture to imply that it was the same fish. I was just posting it to compare it to the one on the video.


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## tomb (Oct 9, 2004)

> No opinion on the fish weight because after the recent night bite, I can't judge anything based on length, girth, appearance or otherwise. I saw so many short fat footballs it wasn't funny and just as many that were long and lean that should have creamed the footballs. Some 8# fish at 24 inches and others weighing the same at 28 inches. Seemed a surprise on the scale with each fish. And it doesn't surprise me that any fish coming out of the ice is going to appear near dead with cold water metabolism being what it is. Most of our fish this fall that were caught in 45+ degree water never flopped once either.


I agree. They'd also have to be nuts to put that fish back down the hole for some video footage.


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## swone (Jan 24, 2007)

If you look closely at the video, you can still see a upc tag near the tail.


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## All Eyes (Jul 28, 2004)

Pictures as well as video footage can be extremely misleading. Even fish in person can fool you on the scales at times. The walleye in the video doesn't appear to be an 18lb. fish, but it wouldn't suprize me if it was. What a tank!
As far as saying that it's a twice caught fish for the camera's sake, I'm not buying it at all. The fight as shown in the rod is normal for an ice eye. 
A fish that big would have no fight left after the battle of catching her the first time IMO


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## hiddenlake (Dec 29, 2004)

LMAO !!!! Looks like a nice EYE but its dead, pretty sure they caught it then went and got the cameras, reason I say this is because every walleye I've pulled thru the ice curls his tail and flairs out.. Personally theres no way thats 18 pounder either. Caught 10 and 12 pounders out there off camp perry and they look alot bigger than that. Anyways hope we all get out there this year and HAPPY HOLIDAYS to all !!!!!


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## whistlepig1975 (Apr 11, 2009)

That rod sure moves alot for a "dead fish", and its gills and fins look extended to me. Just my opinion, but I believe the story and the video.


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## quicktafix1 (Feb 4, 2009)

I caught 2 fish that were 36 inches last winter off Mouse Island and they only weighed 13.5 and 13.75.(females wih eggs) These fish were so fat they looked as if they would explode. I saw several much larger than mine, everyone near by was catching huge fish! As for the pics, there is no belly, I believe photo shop deluxe and a great imaginaion!


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## K gonefishin (May 4, 2004)

quicktafix1 said:


> I caught 2 fish that were 36 inches last winter off Mouse Island and they only weighed 13.5 and 13.75.(females wih eggs) These fish were so fat they looked as if they would explode. I saw several much larger than mine, everyone near by was catching huge fish! As for the pics, there is no belly, I believe photo shop deluxe and a great imaginaion!


Something is wrong with your tape measure bud.


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## All Eyes (Jul 28, 2004)

K gonefishin said:


> Something is wrong with your tape measure bud.


LOL!!! You read my mind.


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