Taxidermist Report and Conclusion

The taxidermist reviewed the physical condition of my walleye and documented it with images (see below). His expert opinion and conclusion was: 

"There is a fresh tear in the mouth of the walleye. That is for sure. There is also a deep tear in the soft dorsal fin which has scar tissue between the rays. It is an old wound, and I don't believe it could have been hooked there. Neither the back, body or tail have any holes or damage so it could not have been hooked there. 

"The fish was most likely hooked in the mouth when it was caught. The deep tear in the soft dorsal fin was most likely caused when the string got caught in the old tear of the fin further splitting the fin. This would have caused the fish to fight all kittywampus similar to being wrapped in the string. This is especially true if you use braided line." 

The taxidermist came to this conclusion just by a physical examination of the walleye...the same examination Game and Fish could have done on May 10th when the walleye was offered to them. I wonder why they refused to look at the walleye?

I provided this information to Game and Fish. They didn't respond to my email.