Jared Shypkoski’s 33-inch walleye weighed 16.39 pounds on a certified scale, and is likely to be recognized as North Dakota’s new state record. As the photo shows, he was trolling with the aid of planer boards. The fish was in less than six feet of water when it struck.
Jared Shypkoski of Dickinson, North Dakota, is an avid walleye angler. Even though he lives in a state known for producing big walleyes, Shypkoski has traveled to the Columbia River in Washington, as well as the Great Lakes, looking for the trophy of a lifetime. Fishing with friends, he found that walleye in his home state on March 13, 2021, while trolling a stickbait (Smithwick Perfect 10) an hour before sunset on the Missouri River south of Bismarck.
A North Dakota conservation officer confirmed the walleye’s weight at 16.39 pounds on a certified scale at Cash Wise Foods off the Bismarck Expressway; the fish measured exactly 33 inches in length.
North Dakota Game and Fish Department Fisheries Chief Greg Power says the state will analyze the fish and make a determination whether Shypkoski’s walleye will be recognized as the new state record. The state’s current record walleye was caught in 2018 on the Missouri River and weighed 15 pounds, 13 ounces.
