A North Dakota angler has been denied a state record after an investigation into his catch of a massive walleye found disqualifying evidence.
Tom Volk was certain he had broken the record after landing a 16-pound, 9-ounce walleye on April 21 in the Heart River.
In fact, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department announced the record-setting catch the next day on Facebook.
But witnesses came forward and an investigation was launched, and on Monday the agency declared that Volk’s walleye had been foul-hooked “and therefore cannot be recognized as a state record.”
A foul-hooked fish is typically snagged behind the mouth, as far back as the tail. Only mouth-hooked fish are considered for records. Additionally, foul-hooked fish must be released, so if the walleye caught by Volk had been snagged, it was an illegal catch.
However, Volk will not be cited for keeping his walleye.
But Volk has angrily denied that his walleye was foul-hooked and has tried to work out “an appeal process of some sort” with the help of a lawyer, according to the Billings Gazette.
Volk told the newspaper: “There’s a hole in the mouth of the fish. There’s string burn on the side of the fish’s cheek,” indicating that it had been mouth-hooked. “There’s no indication of any damage to the body of the fish.”
Volk, apparently, has sought eyewitnesses to verify his claim. But there is no appeals process and the record book is kept at the discretion of the Game and Fish department.
The record still belongs to Neal Leier for his catch of a 15-pound, 13-ounce walleye last May on the Missouri River. Leier’s catch broke a record that had stood for nearly 60 years.
