A rare and big walleye on the Chicago lakefront: A bit of perspective

Paul Burris caught a big walleye at Burnham Harbor, a rare occurrence on the Chicago lakefront. | Provided

Paul Burriss caught a rare Chicago lakefront walleye Wednesday at sunset.

The Brighton Park man was fishing a 2/5th-ounce Little Cleo when he caught a 27-inch walleye, which came off in the net as his girlfriend Amanda Callans netted it.

The bent hook that nearly lost a rare catch on the Chicago lakefront,a big walleye.

They were fishing ”The Pipe,” a community hole where an in-flow comes from under Solidarity Drive into the north end of Burnham Harbor.

“It was quite a surprise, really,” he said. “Normally fish for bass, pike and salmon in the harbors.”

They filleted the walleye and took out the cheeks. One fillet fed four people.

“There were two or three that were following it in,” he said. “Hopefully there are more.”

The rare walleye on the Chicago lakefront are thought to come from the Michigan side, Indiana’s Port of Indiana or the illegal stockings made in Chicago for some years. A few have been caught in the Chicago River.

The biggest lakefront walleye weighed on a certified scales (7 pounds, 5.5 ounces) was caught by Mike Osuch while he fished salmon at the southern point of Northerly Island on Sept. 11, 2008.

Measuring a walleye caught from Burnham Harbor, a rare catch on the Chicago lakefront.