Muskegon - Records are made to be broken and if a 2 month trend of warm weather continues, a state fishing record may soon fall.
Muskegon Lake has long been known as home to some of the states' biggest walleye.
Fisherman Scott Hilliard remembers the catch, "My buddy Jeff Powers says? Scott it is a big walleye."
Now Hilliard has proof, "The length of this fish is really something."
While night fishing near the SPX building Scott hooked a big one, "It looked like a super sized fish, bigger than anything I ever caught. I could not get rid of my smile let's put it that way."
At just over 15 point and a half pounds and 34 inches long this fish is rearranging record books. "The biggest in 2006, as far a walleye goes, it's the biggest taken in Michigan ever, and the biggest walleye ever to come out of Muskegon Lake on record," says Hilliard.
Just one and a half pounds short of the state's 50 year old record, it's one of several 10 plus pound walleyes caught on Muskegon Lake in the last 2 months.
This warm winter is extending the fishing season. No ice on the lake means greater access to fish by boat.
State Biologist Richard O'Neal says ?This year and last year we did not have a lot of ice."
The lack of ice is only part of the formula. Muskegon lake walleye grow faster than state averages and their food source is abundant. "They are catching the large females, which put on a lot of weight at this time of the year because of the amount of eggs that they are maintaining. If we do not get any ice this year who knows how many big fish are going to get caught," says O'Neal.
Scott and Richard think if the weather holds it may soon happen.
Hilliard says, "I caught the biggest fish on record, but there are bigger fish swimming, swimming around Muskegon Lake"
Someone hooking on to, and landing a walleye over seventeen pounds, "There is the possibility that there is one of those out there," says O'Neal.
The walleye season ends on March 15th.
Jon Mills
In your voice
