POST 11: April 22nd - Media Request from Mike McFeely

Media Request from Mike McFeely with InForum

After the press release was published by Game and Fish, it wasn't long before I was contacted by media outlets. Mike McFeely from InForum was one of the first to call. McFeely asked if I would be willing to talk for a few minutes about the walleye, and I gladly agreed.

I was excited to tell people how I caught my record walleye and to provide more details, but it is important to recognize that my statements to the media were not an official statement and included my perception of events. If my words were pulled out of context, it would not provide the full picture of what I was trying to convey.

Here are some media statements published after speaking with Mike McFeely:

"We probably caught 10 or 12 fish before that, and some good ones, before the big one. I cast my jig out and felt that nice thump you get when a nice fish takes it. I set the hook and knew right away it was a big fish," Volk said. 

The walleye bit my bait. I felt the thump. 

"I was hoping it was a walleye, but when it got up near the surface and splashed its tail somebody said, 'Oh, it's just a big carp.' I fought it a while longer and it finally tired and gave up. Then it came to the surface and you could see it was a big walleye. It was like 'whoa.'

Volk wasn't out of the woods yet. The walleye had wrapped itself in his fishing line and was coming in sideways. Combined with the river's strong current, he couldn't gain much ground. That's when Gibbs went to work, sprinting downriver about 40 yards with a net to scoop the fish out of the water when it neared shore.

“Volk, a community prevention specialist for the state Department of Human Services and also a member of the Lincoln city council, asked to put to rest a rumor that he snagged the fish. He hooked the fish in the mouth, he said, and it wrapped itself in line as it fought. The mouth hook was certified by Game and Fish, Volk said. A snagged fish would not count as a record.” 

I still believe my walleye got wrapped in the string as it fought, and it was never proven my walleye didn't get wrapped in the string as it fought. 

Here is a link to the InForum article: https://www.inforum.com/sports/outdoors/1009136-McFeely-Lincoln-angler-breaks-N.D.-state-walleye-record-but-doesnt-think-itll-last-long.

Changes

Again, I am NOT asking you to believe me or side with me. What I am asking you to do is identify places where changes can be made.

When I stated to McFeely, "The mouth hook was certified by Game and Fish," I believed this is what they were doing when they verified my walleye. I thought this was the reason why the officers asked me questions about how it was caught, why they looked over the walleye and why they took so many pictures and videos. Considering North Dakota had a controversial walleye record in the past, wouldn't you assume Game and Fish developed some sort of process or protocol to verify record fish?

Game and Fish should have had a process in place for verifying records. A process for verifying records needs to be created and implemented. 

If there are laws against keeping a foul-hooked fish and a foul-hooked fish doesn't qualify for a record, Game and Fish should be documenting or trying to prove where the hook was located.

I should not have assumed there was a process for verifying records, and I should have asked they inspect my walleye and document any damage - specifically the hole in the mouth. 

#northdakotaslargestwalleye  #volkswalleye  #justiceforthelargestwalleye