Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire O' Lordy, how do I explain this one...

My 11 y/o grandson has been keeping me sane during the pandemic by letting me take him fishing once a week. A couple weeks ago we ran up to the Elkhorn and were having a great time catching some nice cats - blues and channels. He drifted a chubb under a beaver felled tree right off the bank and something hit it and took off. A minute later a big silver fish shot out of the water and put up quite a fight jumping and making some impressive runs. He brought it into the shallows and landed it. He thought he'd caught some alien species. Nope, just a really big goldeye. I've always viewed them as a trash fish and usually either toss them back or chop them up for bait. This was the biggest one I'd ever seen and for kicks and giggles did a quick weight and measure with the Wally World fish scale. It was about 23" long and almost 7" deep and pulled the scale to just under the 5# mark. Took a quick hero picture with him holding it and tossed it back.

Now the rest of the story. I had sometime this week because of the rain and storms to play on the computer and just for kicks looked up the state record fish. The state record goldeye is just under 4# and was less than 21" long.

I am pretty sure I tossed my grandson's state record fish back into the river. I think that may drag down my "Who's the better grandpa' " poll numbers for quite a while.

Damn. He coulda been famous.

that really sucks.so wheres the picture of this monster?

You know where the fish lives, go back and let him get it again!!!!!!

You fellas' aren't being real helpful here...I need excuses damn it!

I used his phone to take all of the hero pics that day so he could text them to his friends.

He can still get a Master Angler award. But I bet when you show them the picture it will not be a Goldeye. Probably a hybrid.

So, uh, what bait?

Don't tell him!

Swifty, I thought of the Master Angler award right away, but since he's not 16 y/o he isn't eligible for one. What kind of hybrid are you thinking of?

jaguartx, I call them chubs or just minnows. There is a small lake just off the river that a creek feeds into. Right off the road is a shallow pool which is usually full of minnows of all kinds. We bait a minnow trap with bread balls and toss it in there and let it set for about an hour and usually get 10-12 nice size minnows. The ones I like are shorter and stockier than some but they are hardy and seem to work. The little sliver ones are flashy but the small channel cats grab them and swallow them whole so I have to replace the whole leader assembly. Even circle hooks don't help. He even caught a carp and I caught a walleye using the silver minnows?

That's been my strategy thus far, but I feel like a real CS for not letting him know.
I like Swifty's approach...it wasn't really a state record...just some freak hybrid that happened along...not worth worrying about.

Congrats...anyway.

Honestly, get your hands on those pics. If there are enough and they can verify the date then take measurements of the boy's hands, they might be able to verify the length and girth to at least establish a "catch and release" record.

Ha Ha! Just bumped up my rating! 😁👍🏻

I help them catch panfish and they give me hero status..

Not acceptable. Challenge him to catch it again. The time spent together, trying for a record, will become family folklore. Good luck.

Yup, especially if you took a pic of the weight. Could still get a writeup somewhere. Story that Grandson will remember his entire life.

Truth, almost always is best. Catch and reel ease is aok.

That blankety blank Wally World fish scale is in centimeters, not inches!!! And it doesn't weigh right!!

I'm taking it back!

(That's the excuse part. But the truth will come out and that storm will be worse).

Du bist einer Dummkopf.

This is a really good idea! I hadn’t thought of that...I even know someone at the NGPC that might be able to help me. Thank You!

Ja, ich weiß, dass!!!