POST 3: Walleye Verification

Walleye Verification

First Stop - Pony Express

At 3:05pm, I left the parking lot of the park in Mandan and drove to Pony Express in Bismarck. I arrived at Pony Express around 3:15pm with the fish in the back of my pickup truck wrapped in my Carhart jacket. I went inside and asked if I could weigh my walleye on their official scale. An employee of Pony Express weighed the record walleye on a certified scale out in the parking lot. The fish weighed 17 pounds 0 ounces. At this point, I knew my fish was heavy enough to be the new state record walleye. I had to get a hold of  Game and Fish to verify it.

My phone had died shortly after my wife snapped the image of me holding my walleye in the net on the shore of the Heart River, and I had no way to contact anyone. I asked one of the employees of Pony Express if they knew how to contact Game and Fish to verify my walleye. The employee contacted a few people (his boss and others I believe) but couldn’t get a hold of a Game and Fish officer. After several minutes of my phone charging in my vehicle, I was finally able to turn it on. My first call was to B.B. at 3:23 pm. I called B.B. because her husband (Paul Bailey) is the Fisheries Supervisor for Game and Fish. I asked if B.B. could contact Paul to help get my walleye verified. She stated she would try to get a hold of him and would get back to me.

At 3:26pm, based on a comment by someone at Pony Express, I contacted Burleigh County dispatch. A request was made for Game and Fish to meet me at Pony Express.

While I was waiting, several people approached me in the parking lot asking about the walleye. Some asked to take pictures which were later posted on social media. See the images below:

Image taken at Pony Express next to the outdoor scale. 

This post was made on NodakAngler with an image of me and my walleye in the Pony Express parking lot after weighing the walleye on the outdoor scale.

While waiting, I became concerned the fish was dying and asked if I could get some water to pour into my jacket to keep the fish alive. The manager allowed me put the walleye in the fish tank inside the gas station for a bit. We were talking about the walleye and looking it over. I explained to people how I caught it, where I was fishing, etc.

I was not concerned how the walleye was caught and had no concerns about the condition of the walleye. 

Game and Fish Officers Arrive

A short time later, two Game and Fish officers arrived at Pony Express. They asked how I caught the walleye and where I was at. They had me put the fish on the certified scale so they could verify the weight. An employee/manager of Pony Express assisted us with putting the walleye back on the scale. The fish again weighed exactly 17 pounds 0 ounces.

The two Game and Fish officers discussed how the scale at Pony Express had a slider arm and they were concerned it didn’t show the ounces very well. The manager assured the Game and Fish officers it was a certified scale and was reading exactly 17 pounds. I asked if the officers wanted to try another scale and stated, “I want an accurate measurement.” I knew my fish would lose weight as it dried out and died, but it was more important to get an accurate weight. The Game and Fish officers replied there was a scale in Mandan we could try. I wrapped my walleye back up in my jacket and placed it in the back of my pickup. We left and I followed Game and Fish to a gas station in Mandan.

I recommended we go to another scale because I wanted an accurate measurement.

Second Stop - Southside MVP Tesoro

Once at the Mandan gas station (Southside MVP Tesoro), I brought the fish out from the back of my pickup into the gas station wrapped in my coat. With the assistance of an employee, I placed the fish into a bucket and onto their certified scale. The scale jumped from 16 lbs 12 oz to 17 lbs 2 oz. I believe the scale was jumping in weight because the walleye was too large to fit in the bucket and was flipping its tail. One of the Game and Fish officers said they could call it “16 lbs 12 oz.” I replied, “You want to go somewhere else? I want to get an accurate measurement. I want this to be legit.” One officer replied he "might know a place" and started calling on his phone. After he was off the phone, it was decided we would go to Cashwise Foods on Expressway in Bismarck. I again wrapped the fish up in my coat and placed it in the back of the pickup truck. I followed Game and Fish to Cashwise.

Again, it was I who requested we go to another scale because I wanted to ensure we had an accurate measurement. 

Third Stop - Cashwise

Once at Cashwise in Bismarck, I again took the fish out of the back of my pickup and followed the two officers into the store. We went back to the meat department before I took the fish out of my coat and placed it on the certified scale. The two Game and Fish officers were standing beside me. We tried to weigh the fish on the scale in a plastic tub first, but then decided to just weigh the fish on the scale without the tub. The fish weighed 16.59 pounds on the Cashwise scale. It was weighed several times and each time it showed the same weight. One of the Game and Fish officers recorded this process and after an open records request, provided me a copy of the video. Here is their video of my walleye being weighed at Cashwise: https://youtu.be/VKFj215RkhI. The image below is a screenshot from the video.

Game and Fish took lots of pictures and videos during the verification process. There was NO damage to the walleye indicating it was foul-hooked. Why didn't Game and Fish release their images and videos to the public? 

This image is a screenshot from the video provided by Game and Fish of my record walleye in the tub on the scale at Cashwise. 

Here is a picture taken of my walleye on the digital scale at Cashwise. My jacket is in the background. This is one of many images taken of my walleye being weighed.

Here is another image provided by Game and Fish of my walleye on the scale at Cashwise. 

Close up from the previous image.

Verified

After my walleye was "verified" at Cashwise to be 16 pounds 9 ounces, the officers contacted Mike Anderson from Game and Fish. He was asked to meet us and the other officers at Cashwise to take pictures, video and to get a statement for a press release. While waiting for Mike Anderson to show up, the officers took measurements with a tape measure to verify the length of the fish which was recorded at 32.5 inches. They looked the fish over and asked additional questions about where I was fishing and how I caught it. I explained how it bit, how it fought, how everyone was excited, how I was excited, etc. I couldn't really contain myself. I just spewed information. The officers made phone calls, sent text messages, and took images with their phones. During this time, it was stated I would have to fill out the whopper club card with my information on it at some point. They didn't have a copy of the whopper card with them but stated I could fill it out later.

I NEVER completed the application to be recognized for the state record. 

Mike Anderson with Game and Fish showed up at Cashwise a short time after the officers contacted him. He asked if he could take pictures and video of the walleye. I replied, “absolutely! You can do whatever you want.” Mike took several pictures and videos. Employees also asked if they could take pictures of the fish. I gladly agreed!

I had no concerns about the walleye or how it was caught. 

I believe this image was taken by a Cashwise employee which was posted on social media.

Here are just a few of many images I received from an open records request to Game and Fish:

Image provided by Game and Fish of my walleye at Cashwise.

Image provided by Game and Fish of my walleye at Cashwise.

Image provided by Game and Fish of my walleye at Cashwise.

After Mike took several photos, he asked if he could take a few pictures at the Heart River at the place where I caught the walleye. I replied, “Sure! Let's do that!” We exchanged numbers in the parking lot. The time was 4:26pm.

Things to Know

Game and Fish had two officers and an employee involved in the verification process of my walleye. They had exclusive access to the walleye for nearly two hours and witnessed the condition of the walleye minutes after it was caught. They took pictures and video of the walleye and asked how the walleye was caught. They expressed no concerns. 

Why weren't the Game and Fish officers and employees interviewed as part of the investigation? They could have testified to the condition of the walleye and any statements I made about how it was caught? 

Changes 

Again, I am NOT trying to get anyone to side with me about how my walleye was caught and verified, and you can believe what you want. What this post is doing is documenting how there was NO process or protocol in place to verify my record fish.

I wrongly assumed there was a process in place to verify a record fish, but later found out from Game and Fish they "only verify weight." 

This is a problem. How can we trust any of the current records knowing there was no protocol or process used to check for the location of the hook or any acts of fraud? Think about this. If it wasn't for my request to go to multiple scales, my walleye would have been considered 17-pounds at the 1st scale and 16-pounds 12-ounces at the second scale. I was the one who recommended we go to different scales for a "more accurate" measurement. How many records would be different knowing these facts?

Game and Fish needs to create and implement a protocol or process for verifying record fish. 

The North Dakota state walleye record before Leier's was controversial. The rumor is, it was found floating dead. This was a rumor, and I am not going to judge this record on a rumor, but considering the controversial walleye record in the past, why wasn't there a better process or protocol created for verifying my record fish? Why not document any damage to a fish and verify where the hook was located? Why not check to see if there are lead weights in the belly? Why not make it a requirement to have the fish verified while it is still alive or unfrozen to ensure it can be inspected for damage and holes? Why not release images and videos to the public to be transparent and to help dispel rumors?

Game and Fish needs to do more to provide confidence and transparency to the public they represent.

In my case, Game and Fish stated they "only verify weight" even though they admitted that whenever a big fish is caught, there are "always" false claims and "jealousy" becomes an issue. Considering people make false claims "all the time," wouldn't this be a good reason to have developed a process or protocol for verifying records? 

There is no NO process or protocol for verifying a record fish. This needs to change.

In my next post, I will explain what happened after I left Cashwise.

#northdakotaslargestwalleye #volkswalleye #ndrecordwalleye