Another state record fish is a fraud

This thread made me look through some of the MN records. Some I really get a chuckle out of:

Flathead Catfish – We don’t know how long it was, what the girth was, but it was 70# on the nose? Not saying it’s not possible or likely, but would someone submit a fish without measuring it?

Black Crappie – 5# exactly? I just don’t believe it.

Perch – #3, 4 oz but the fish was never once measured for length? This one irks me not because it isn’t possible or likely… but because there are some trophy perch on the river during the spawn that could be legitimate records most places with all the documentation. Hopefully it’s broken soon.

Bluegill – pushing 3#, but never measured for length??? I’ll call BS here too.

***I’ll stick with my previous statement that the record books are pointless the way they are currently constructed/acknowledged

tswoboda wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Eelpoutguy wrote:</div>
Why are they not prosecuting?

I’m not trying to defend a grade-a scumbag, but what charges could they actually bring on him?

I’m not an attorney but I would guess they could hit him up with a handful.
Theft by swindle, falsifying records???
Them attorney’s are smart ya know. I’m sure Ellingson could come up with a bunch.

Yeah the smallmouth Bass entry is dubious at best. There was like a 1% chance of catching a smallmouth on that lake between the 80s and early 2000’s. Now the Ottertail River that might be a different story. I haven’t pulled weights on my big fish from there but pretty sure my 24″ fish don’t top 6 pounds even.

buckybadger wrote:

Flathead Catfish – We don’t know how long it was, what the girth was, but it was 70# on the nose? Not saying it’s not possible or likely, but would someone submit a fish without measuring it?

Haha. Probably only wanted a weight because they wanted to know how much catfish filet they would get out of it to feed the family.

I personally think the crappie and northern pike records as they now stand will never be broken. 45 pound northern pike? Seems pretty ridiculous given the average size of pike being caught nowadays are about 20 inch slime darts. I mean even a pike half the size of a 45 pounder would be a true behemoth.

Isn’t it possible the crappie ate those bearings? Could be someone was shooting bearings with a slingshot from the boat ramp to test the ice thickness last winter. Seems like reasonable doubt to me.

I am truly shocked by how some of the bass records still stand. I have heard multiple stories of 9-10 lb largemouth, obviously a little bit longer ago rather than recently. but I find it hardly out of the question someone could pull an 8+ lb smallie this summer out of mille lacs or vermillion.

jack klusa wrote:

but I find it hardly out of the question someone could pull an 8+ lb smallie this summer out of mille lacs

I started a thread last month about which state record was mostly likely to be broken next and the overwhelming responses stated a smallmouth out of Mille Lacs.

Riverrat wrote:

Yeah the smallmouth Bass entry is dubious at best. There was like a 1% chance of catching a smallmouth on that lake between the 80s and early 2000’s. Now the Ottertail River that might be a different story. I haven’t pulled weights on my big fish from there but pretty sure my 24″ fish don’t top 6 pounds even.

I have seen one caught in person that was 4.5 ounces shy out of Mille Lacs. Thought he had a carp on until it jumped and then we all had to change our shorts.

jack klusa wrote:

I am truly shocked by how some of the <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>bass records still stand. I have heard multiple stories of 9-10 lb largemouth, obviously a little bit longer ago rather than recently. but I find it hardly out of the question someone could pull an 8+ lb smallie this summer out of mille lacs or vermillion.

Agree but that fish probably doesn’t live where most are fishing for them.

Exactly, probably spawns in 10+ fow and God knows where it goes from july-may

I believe the record has been broken for smallmouth already but the fish was never entered and released. ML has been kicking out some absolute tanks. Look at Seth Feiders bassmasters bags he was turning in. I think every fish was over 5 pounds.

CaptainMusky wrote:

I believe the record has been broken for smallmouth already but the fish was never entered and released. ML has been kicking out some absolute tanks. Look at Seth Feiders bassmasters bags he was turning in. I think every fish was over 5 pounds.

X2

CaptainMusky wrote:

I believe the record has been broken for smallmouth already but the fish was never entered and released. ML has been kicking out some absolute tanks. Look at Seth Feiders bassmasters bags he was turning in. I think every fish was over 5 pounds.

Brent Erhler caught and weighed a 6 pound, 10 ounce smallmouth in September 2015 during the Bassmaster Elite AOY event there. That was 8 years ago already.

CaptainMusky wrote:

I believe the record has been broken for smallmouth already but the fish was never entered and released. ML has been kicking out some absolute tanks. Look at Seth Feiders bassmasters bags he was turning in. I think every fish was over 5 pounds.

I would say there were bigger fish overall in that lake pre Seth putting it on the map.
If a record is caught I am going to guess it will be by a walleye fisherman with live bait on accident and not by a bass guy.

Ripjiggen wrote:

If a record is caught I am going to guess it will be by a walleye fisherman with live bait and not by a bass guy.

I dont disagree

One of my buddies who is an avid bass guy, not as much anymore after his stroke, but I saw one he caught on a scale that was just ounces away from the state record. It wasnt on ML either, but it was prespawn on a lake that shall remain nameless because it isnt very big.

I never understood why records went by weight to start with since the weight can change based on the time of year the fish is caught. Doesnt it make more sense to go by length? Plus its pretty tough to make a fish longer to win a tournament or get a record

Rookies. When I tournament cheat I stuff a crappie minnow down the throat of a fathead, down the throat of a shiner, down a perch, down a smaller walleye, into the final walleyes stomach. All organic and natural food chain.

Seriously tho I can think of about a hundred different ways to make a fish heavier without the use of weights, morons.

It’s pathetic to cheat in the first place…..but for a crappie? That’s real bottom of the barrel stuff

bigstorm wrote:

I never understood why records went by weight to start with since the weight can change based on the time of year the fish is caught. Doesnt it make more sense to go by length? Plus its pretty tough to make a fish longer to win a tournament or get a record

I used to feel this way as well, and still think it might be more accurate way of measuring. However, if 20 people measure the same fish the same way you would be surprised at the variance. I’ve seen it first hand.

I definitely only look at length in regard to whether a fish is a legal keeper or not. Beyond that if I want to know how big of a fish I caught I definitely go by weight.

Sturgeon probably have the biggest discrepancies in length to weight for all Minnesota species.
5 feet of fish can go 31# and can go 61#.
This is likely due to 5-7 year egg maturation periods, as well as fish health. But the weight length examples above are legit as measured and weighed by me.

I guess when you’ve caught 60 60″ fish you begin to recognize they’re not all created equal and only one of those was truly the biggest.

I personally do not care about records.
Have caught state record big mouth buffalo, white bass, likely sauger, and like everyone else, the state record rock bass all went back without giving a hoot.

Definitely put me in the camp of not caring how long your fish was, I want to know what it weighed. But will be equally happy if I don’t even know you caught a fish or if you don’t have any measurements and your happy with your fish!

I believe all competition brings drama, so I don’t partake in records or tournaments. Zero interest whatsoever.

I exchanged messages with the administrator of the MN State Record program and he did confirm the changes are going into place on 3/1. More info to come in the reg books and press releases scheduled.

“We are opening up 18 new catch-and-release record options as well as re-opening 8 or so certified weight records that are from before 1980.”

bigstorm wrote:

I never understood why records went by weight to start with since the weight can change based on the time of year the fish is caught. Doesnt it make more sense to go by length?

So your saying all 30″ walleyes should count the same. Thats like saying all 10 point bucks are the same. I have a 32.5″ walleye on my wall caught in October and weighed 12.5lbs length wouldnt change but caught this time of year would probably be 15lbs.

3Rivers wrote:

I exchanged messages with the administrator of the MN State Record program and he did confirm the changes are going into place on 3/1. More info to come in the reg books and press releases scheduled.

“We are opening up 18 new catch-and-release record options as well as re-opening 8 or so certified weight records that are from before 1980.”

Great info, thanks for relaying that.

JEREMY wrote:

So your saying all 30″ <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>walleyes should count the same. Thats like saying all 10 point bucks are the same. I have a 32.5″ <em class=”ido-tag-em”>walleye on my wall caught in October and weighed 12.5lbs length wouldnt change but caught this time of year would probably be 15lbs.

Ok I see your point, guess there really isnt a way to keep records that cant be cheated, people that cheat to win just suck

Just don’t keep records? Don’t give someone that “winner” title, then there’s zero incentive to cheat.
For me the best thing ever was 12 years old catching a 21.5″ Smallie on 4lb test while walleye fishing vermilion. My dad was so proud of me for not snapping that line and landing the fish, he took pics and sent to outdoor news and I felt like I won the world record. Didn’t matter to me (and still doesn’t) that this size smallmouth is really nothing to write home about amongst the big bass guys. It’s the first of two fish I have mounted. Dad wanted me to have my first fish on the wall, and it really was a positive experience for me in angling.

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

I personally do not care about records.
Have caught state record big mouth buffalo, white bass, likely sauger, and like everyone else, the state record rock bass all went back without giving a hoot.

Every year we declare one of the walleye opener rock bass to be the “state record, probably national” LOL. And back into the drink it goes.

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

I personally do not care about records.
Have caught state record big mouth buffalo, white bass, likely sauger, and like everyone else, the state record rock bass all went back without giving a hoot.

Let’s see the pictures

If you cared enough to weigh them and then to claim the new current record on four fish you must have some sort of personal documentation correct?

Interestingly enough, we use inches to measure deer, not points. So no, not all 10 point deer are the same.

Why is a prespawn walleye with a belly full of eggs somehow more special than if I catch the same fish later in the year after it’s spawned? The unfortunate reality is that if you want to catch any weight record it’s to time it at peak spawn and full of food. Mainly it comes down to timing. Essentially, you’ll simply never catch a record walleye in July or August.

I don’t think there’s a perfect way, but recognizing and documenting giant fish is kind of fun I think.

I’ve weighed one fish in my life and don’t intend on weighing another one ever again. It just doesn’t do anything for me and isn’t good for the fish.