Chicago walleye earns Fish of the Year
Brian Markham takes Fish of the Year honors for the 26-inch, 8.1-pound walleye he caught Nov. 15 near DuSable Harbor.Last year I chose Elliott Webster, then 8, as Angler of the Year instead of doing a Fish of the Year. His dad, Todd, emailed over the weekend that fishing is more than a passing fad with Elliott. Todd also sent a bunch of photos of Elliott with big fish, which made my day.After no Illinois hook-and-line fish records were set in 2023, I considered the two state-record fish caught this year. Steve Pohlmeier caught the Illinois-record shovelnose sturgeon (12.95 pounds) on Jan. 4 from the Rock River. Michael Farniok caught the Illinois-record saugeye (10.85 pounds) on June 4 from Argyle Lake.I also considered making northern pike Fish of the Year, especially the 43-incher weighing a little more than 20 pounds caught Oct. 20 by Capt. Ernesto Amparan near the Playpen while scouting for smallmouth bass with buddy David Vasquez.In the end, however, I went with Markham’s walleye, particularly because of the surprise of it.‘‘We were all in awe when we saw this thing surface,’’ Markham said three days later. ‘‘This is downtown Chicago waters.’’He was fishing for smallmouth bass with Capt. Ryan Whitacre.‘‘We were slow-rolling tubes, trying for smallmouth,’’ Markham said. ‘‘Sure enough, this thing hit, and I said, ‘This is big.’ We saw the golden sides, and our jaws just dropped.’’‘‘It was a giant,’’ Whitacre said. ‘‘‘When it hit the surface, we were like, ‘[Expletive], I can’t believe it.’ ’’It’s the only walleye Whitacre has seen on Lake Michigan after more than 20 years of fishing it intensely.‘‘Good to see — a big, healthy walleye,’’ he said.Mike Osuch holds the unofficial record for a Chicago walleye weighed on a certified scale (7 pounds, 5.5 ounces at Henry’s Sports and Bait). He caught it in September 2008 off the point of Northerly Island.The most famous Chicago walleye probably remains the one Toni Pellegrino caught in the early hours of Oct. 8, 2007, on the Chicago River near DuSable Harbor. They had to wait for hours for Henry’s to open. It weighed 6.75 pounds on Henry’s certified scale.I think the state-record pike and walleye eventually will come from Lake Michigan. Then again, I thought the same about smallmouth bass for decades before Joe Capilupo finally caught the state record (7 pounds, 3 ounces) on Oct. 14, 2019, from Monroe Harbor.Recent pike catches on Lake Michigan have been pushing closer to the Illinois record (26-15), which was caught by Walter Klenzak from what now is called Monster Lake — in the fish’s honor — in Kankakee County.There is room for walleye on Lake Michigan to grow. Markham’s walleye is an impressive catch, but it is just more than half the weight of the state record (15.08 pounds), which was caught by Jim Zimmerman on March 11, 2012, from the Pecatonica River. Zimmerman’s walleye was 31œ inches long with a girth of 20 inches.Illinois huntingHunters in Illinois harvested 82,496 deer during the two-part, seven-day firearm deer season, up nearly 8% from 76,494 deer during the 2023 firearm season. Harvest for the second part of the firearm season Dec. 5-8 was 27,835, well up from 22,883 in the second part in 2023. . . . The first part of the late-winter, antlerless-only/CWD deer season is Thursday through Sunday. . . . The second part of dove season opens Thursday.Wild thingsConsidering the spread of significant avian flu outbreaks in Illinois, I pulled my bird feeders Monday, though I haven’t seen a formal recommendation to do so. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois Department of Public Health and Illinois Department of Agriculture are working together on the statewide outbreak.Stray castI thought this Bears season was going to be like the renovation of J.C. Murphey Lake at Willow Slough Fish and Wildlife Area in Indiana. But I thought it was going to be in the refilling stage, not the draining stage.
Brian Markham takes Fish of the Year honors for the 26-inch, 8.1-pound walleye he caught Nov. 15 near DuSable Harbor.
Last year I chose Elliott Webster, then 8, as Angler of the Year instead of doing a Fish of the Year. His dad, Todd, emailed over the weekend that fishing is more than a passing fad with Elliott. Todd also sent a bunch of photos of Elliott with big fish, which made my day.
After no Illinois hook-and-line fish records were set in 2023, I considered the two state-record fish caught this year. Steve Pohlmeier caught the Illinois-record shovelnose sturgeon (12.95 pounds) on Jan. 4 from the Rock River. Michael Farniok caught the Illinois-record saugeye (10.85 pounds) on June 4 from Argyle Lake.
I also considered making northern pike Fish of the Year, especially the 43-incher weighing a little more than 20 pounds caught Oct. 20 by Capt. Ernesto Amparan near the Playpen while scouting for smallmouth bass with buddy David Vasquez.
In the end, however, I went with Markham’s walleye, particularly because of the surprise of it.
‘‘We were all in awe when we saw this thing surface,’’ Markham said three days later. ‘‘This is downtown Chicago waters.’’
He was fishing for smallmouth bass with Capt. Ryan Whitacre.
‘‘We were slow-rolling tubes, trying for smallmouth,’’ Markham said. ‘‘Sure enough, this thing hit, and I said, ‘This is big.’ We saw the golden sides, and our jaws just dropped.’’
‘‘It was a giant,’’ Whitacre said. ‘‘‘When it hit the surface, we were like, ‘[Expletive], I can’t believe it.’ ’’
It’s the only walleye Whitacre has seen on Lake Michigan after more than 20 years of fishing it intensely.
‘‘Good to see — a big, healthy walleye,’’ he said.
Mike Osuch holds the unofficial record for a Chicago walleye weighed on a certified scale (7 pounds, 5.5 ounces at Henry’s Sports and Bait). He caught it in September 2008 off the point of Northerly Island.
The most famous Chicago walleye probably remains the one Toni Pellegrino caught in the early hours of Oct. 8, 2007, on the Chicago River near DuSable Harbor. They had to wait for hours for Henry’s to open. It weighed 6.75 pounds on Henry’s certified scale.
I think the state-record pike and walleye eventually will come from Lake Michigan. Then again, I thought the same about smallmouth bass for decades before Joe Capilupo finally caught the state record (7 pounds, 3 ounces) on Oct. 14, 2019, from Monroe Harbor.
Recent pike catches on Lake Michigan have been pushing closer to the Illinois record (26-15), which was caught by Walter Klenzak from what now is called Monster Lake — in the fish’s honor — in Kankakee County.
There is room for walleye on Lake Michigan to grow. Markham’s walleye is an impressive catch, but it is just more than half the weight of the state record (15.08 pounds), which was caught by Jim Zimmerman on March 11, 2012, from the Pecatonica River. Zimmerman’s walleye was 31œ inches long with a girth of 20 inches.
Illinois hunting
Hunters in Illinois harvested 82,496 deer during the two-part, seven-day firearm deer season, up nearly 8% from 76,494 deer during the 2023 firearm season. Harvest for the second part of the firearm season Dec. 5-8 was 27,835, well up from 22,883 in the second part in 2023. . . . The first part of the late-winter, antlerless-only/CWD deer season is Thursday through Sunday. . . . The second part of dove season opens Thursday.
Wild things
Considering the spread of significant avian flu outbreaks in Illinois, I pulled my bird feeders Monday, though I haven’t seen a formal recommendation to do so. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois Department of Public Health and Illinois Department of Agriculture are working together on the statewide outbreak.
Stray cast
I thought this Bears season was going to be like the renovation of J.C. Murphey Lake at Willow Slough Fish and Wildlife Area in Indiana. But I thought it was going to be in the refilling stage, not the draining stage.
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