Biggest Walleye Ever!

May 11, 2012

Don Sechler

Meridian ID

My partner, Robby Calhoun and I spent the day on the Columbia River near Irrigon, Oregon. We hadn't caught anything all morning using crawler harnesses when we decided to try out jigs. We tied on 1/2 oz Reel Bait stand up jigs and one half of a Berkley Gulp! nightcrawler and simply drifted with the current. it wasn't five minutes later when something big hit my rig. I couldn't believe it when I hauled in this monster walleye. The 12.3 pounder was the largest walleye I have ever landed in over 30 years of fishing for this beautiful species, including numerous years on Lake Erie. I had never even landed a 10 pounder before this day. To top off the day, Robby landed a 9.14 oz walleye an hour later, which is also his largest ever too! They were the only fish we caught all day, but boy were they worth it!!

Species: Walleye

Date Caught: 04/15/2012

Kept / Released: Released

Region of Catch: Region 3

Length: 31 inches

Recent Videos

Fishing

Afterhours with Ted Stardig and Evan Blakley

Fishing

Afterhours with Ted Stardig and Evan Blakley

Custom rod builder Ted Stardig of Toxic Rods sits down with Minnesota tournament angler Evan Blakley to talk the state of the industry, how the tournament world continues to bring drama to forefront and how the future of the sport looks. Both guys are heavily invested in the future of fishing and have a lot of interesting knowledge to share—with some laughs along the way.

Fishing

Gary Roach – “Mr. Walleye”

Fishing

Gary Roach – “Mr. Walleye”

Gary Roach, known as “Mr. Walleye”, is one of the most recognized walleye anglers in history. Mr. Walleye sits down with In-Fisherman Storyline host Thomas Allen to tell some stories and discuss his rise to walleye fame in the Brainerd Lakes Area. The historical lookback is not only informative, but entertaining and enlightening. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did!

Fishing

Tom Neustrom: The Minnesota Guide Life - Part 2

Fishing

Tom Neustrom: The Minnesota Guide Life - Part 2

Learn

Tom Neustrom: The Minnesota Guide Life - Part 1

Learn

Tom Neustrom: The Minnesota Guide Life - Part 1

Longtime Grand-Rapids based guide Tom Neustrom sits down with Thomas Allen, host of In-Fisherman Storyline, to talk about the early days of Minnesota fishing discovery, and how guides found and promoted the amazing fisheries that the state is known for. Neustrom worked very closely with the Lindners to contribute to the magazine features and the early days of the TV show. This was a long conversation that you won't want to miss, so we broke it up into two pieces for easier listenting. Part 2 will be published on July 1, 2025.

Learn

Summer Walleye Fishing Tips with Captain Ross Robertson

Learn

Summer Walleye Fishing Tips with Captain Ross Robertson

Our friend and regular contributor Ross Robertson shares a few tips to catch more summertime walleyes. He's often running the boat trolling spinner rigs and crankbaits, but when the summer bite gets right, he likes to slow down an cast with Humminbird's Mega Live 2. Lots of good info here that will help you catch more fish!

Fishing

Steve Jonesi – Muskie Legends Never Die

Fishing

Steve Jonesi – Muskie Legends Never Die

Thomas Allen sits down with his longtime friend and generational muskie angler and guide Steve Jonesi. The guys dig into how the sport has evolved and what the incoming generation needs to understand about muskies as the sport changes, seemingly by the day. Steve shares some stories from the past, including a world-class fish he put a client on that may have challenged the state record. The guys also talk about how fishing media impacted the early days of fishing passion and how it ultimately changed their lives. This is a fun conversation about life as a guide and how those impacts are worth all the investment—and why the muskie is the greatest freshwater fish that swims.

Fishing

The Minnesota Bait Crisis - with Jason and Tyler Bahr

Fishing

The Minnesota Bait Crisis - with Jason and Tyler Bahr

Mille Lacs-area baitshop owner Jason Bahr is joined by his son Tyler as they sit down and talk with host Thomas Allen about baitshop ownership—more specifically Tutt's Bait and Tackle in Garrison, Minnesota, alongside legendary Mille Lacs. The biggest problem lately is how the state of Minnesota unreasonably restricts livebait importing, which has impacted the sales of golden shiners. The golden shiner is considered the best livebait option for walleyes, especially during the ice season. The state needs to make changes, and this discussion sheds light on a situation that is killing baitshop owners across the state we also talk about good solutions going forward. This one gets a little spirited, you don't want to miss it.

Fishing

The Greatest Fishing Story Ever Told, Part 7 with Mark Fisher – The Rapala Impact

Fishing

The Greatest Fishing Story Ever Told, Part 7 with Mark Fisher – The Rapala Impact

Lifetime fishing fanatic, Mark Fisher, talks about how fishing has changed over the years, and talks in detail about his career working at Rapala. The long line of Rapala lures all started with the Original Floater and Fisher offers some insight about the evolution of the brand and how it impacted the entire fishing community. He insists on remaining relevant as an angler by fishing as often as possible, and he talks about how the incoming generations can be active contributing members of the fishing industry. Mark is one of the best dudes in the business and a fine storyteller. Fascinating guy for sure.

Learn

After Hours with Mark Courts and Tommy Allen

Learn

After Hours with Mark Courts and Tommy Allen

Host Thomas Allen has his son Tommy and good friend and veteran walleye pro Mark Courts sit down to talk about the current state of the industry, with a bunch of shenanigans along the way. The heart of the discussion is largely about the explosion of youth involvement in competitive fishing, and how it's almost created a sense of entitlement at times. Courts offers advice to Tommy, and we all agree the future is bright but not without its risks. This is a fun conversation including a couple of generations and various levels of competitive fishing experience.

Learn

An Ode to Larry Tople

Learn

An Ode to Larry Tople

As we continue to tell the story of the In-Fisherman inception, it would be incomplete without at least one thorough discussion about legendary fish artist Larry Tople.

Gear

Humminbird's NEW Mega Live 2 HOT TAKE

Gear

Humminbird's NEW Mega Live 2 HOT TAKE

Mega Live 2 offers anglers a clear and engaging perspective with Forward and Landscape modes. The transducer can be mounted on a trolling motor or a third-party pole that the user can manipulate to maximize the views. Implement Humminbird's new Mega Live 2 into your fishing game and you will catch more fish.

Gear

Humminbird's Brand New Xplore is Crystal Clear

Gear

Humminbird's Brand New Xplore is Crystal Clear

The new Xplore units from Humminbird offer clarity like never before, even when wearing polarized sunglasses. The recently updated user interface is simple, fast and helps anglers make quick and easy micro adjustments, and switch between transducers with zero headache. The new Xplore takes the game up a notch, and the benefits are crystal clear.

See All Videos

Buy Digital Single Issues

Don't miss an issue.
Buy single digital issue for your phone or tablet.

Get the In-Fisherman App

Other Magazines

Game & Fish

In-Fisherman

Florida Sportsman

Fly Fisherman

See All Other Magazines

Special Interest Magazines

2025 Fly Fishing Made Easy

Buy A Copy

2025 Fly Fishing Made Easy

Buy A Copy

2025 Kayak Fishing Fun

Buy A Copy

2025 Kayak Fishing Fun

Buy A Copy

2025 In-Fisherman Bass Guide

Buy A Copy

2025 In-Fisherman Bass Guide

Buy A Copy

2025 In-Fisherman Bass Guide Gear Box

Buy A Copy

2025 In-Fisherman Bass Guide Gear Box

Buy A Copy

2025 In-Fisherman Walleye Guide

Buy A Copy

2025 In-Fisherman Walleye Guide

Buy A Copy

2025 In-Fisherman Ice Fishing Guide

Buy A Copy

2025 In-Fisherman Ice Fishing Guide

Buy A Copy

See All Special Interest Magazines

More You May Be Interested In

Phone Icon

Get Digital Access.

All In-Fisherman subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets.

To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine.

Get Digital Access

Not a Subscriber?

Subscribe Now

2025 In-Fisherman Bass Guide Gear Box

In-Fisherman Storyline Podcast

Subscribe & Save.

Biggest Walleye Ever!

Recommended

Video That May Interest You

GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Recommended Articles

Recent Videos

GET THE MAGAZINE Subscribe & Save

Buy Digital Single Issues

Don't miss an issue.Buy single digital issue for your phone or tablet.

Other Magazines

Game & Fish

Game & Fish

In-Fisherman

In-Fisherman

Florida Sportsman

Florida Sportsman

Fly Fisherman

Fly Fisherman

Special Interest Magazines

2025 Fly Fishing Made Easy

2025 Fly Fishing Made Easy

2025 Kayak Fishing Fun

2025 Kayak Fishing Fun

2025 In-Fisherman Bass Guide

2025 In-Fisherman Bass Guide

2025 In-Fisherman Bass Guide Gear Box

2025 In-Fisherman Bass Guide Gear Box

2025 In-Fisherman Walleye Guide

2025 In-Fisherman Walleye Guide

2025 In-Fisherman Ice Fishing Guide

2025 In-Fisherman Ice Fishing Guide

More You May Be Interested In

GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.

Get Digital Access.

Not a Subscriber?

Get a Full Yearof Guns & Ammo& Digital Access.

Get the Newsletter

Don't miss an issue.
Buy single digital issue for your phone or tablet.

Get a Full Year
of Guns & Ammo
& Digital Access.