16 lbs 3oz walleye caught

[Lee Borgersen]

      News Local
 
    Onoway man catches record-setting fish

By Kyle Muzyka, Spruce Grove Examiner/Stony Plain Reporter

Friday, June 5, 2015 10:29:26 MDT AM

A photo of Walker with the 16 lbs. 3 oz. walleye he caught on the Pembina River. Once the measurements were taken, he released the fish back into the river. - Photo Supplied



Bob Walker fished out of the Pembina River since he was six years old, and has seen a lot of walleye over the years.

That’s why when Walker, of the Onoway Fish and Game Association, caught a provincial-record-setting walleye this past fall, it didn’t come as a total surprise.

The walleye weighed in at 16 lbs. 3 oz., which is approximately five per cent higher than the previous provincial record. It was also measured at 36 inches long and 18 inches in diameter.

It doesn’t seem important to the average person, but the size of the fish could help draw potential tourists to the area in hopes of breaking that provincial record.

Fishing tourism in Alberta is a primary focus for the province, as the amount of lakes, rivers, and streams are in the thousands. By producing some of the province’s largest fish, the Pembina River (which is partially in Parkland County) will hope to draw more tourism as a result.

In recent years, the tri-area has increased its focus on tourism, launching a comprehensive new website, triregiontourism.com. Though they hadn’t necessarily banked on someone catching a record-setting fish as a means of promoting tourism, it certainly doesn’t hurt.

Walker’s story will appear in fish and game magazines and says he’s received calls from as far as Germany, which was one of the tri-area’s emerging markets as listed in a presentation given to Parkland County council on May 26.

Even though he currently holds the provincial record, Walker is going to keep trying to beat it every season.

“No one likes to finish second,” he said. Fortunately for Parkland County tourism, many anglers hold the same sentiment. Who knows, maybe some anglers looking for a new challenge will fish in the Pembina River and attempt to break that record.

Walker doesn’t want that record to be broken unless it’s by him himself, but that’s the beauty of competition: there will always be someone vying for the record.

In any case, it’s a win for tourism in the tri-area, because more anglers will be on the lookout for the hotspots in the Pembina River.

A photo of Walker with the 16 lbs. 3 oz. walleye he caught on the Pembina River. Once the measurements were taken, he released the fish back into the river. - Photo Supplied


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[Fawkinnae]

Great story partner! A 36" walleye would look good in our team total.

[Lee Borgersen]

Great story partner! A 36" walleye would look good in our team total.

I'll get on it right away

[Boar]

Doug said a 36 inch walleye, not a 6 inch walleye