Jim Galat caught a big surprise muskie from the Chain O’Lakes.

Jim Galat earned FOTW with a surprise muskie caught while walleye fishing on the Chain O’Lakes.

By Dale Bowman

Jim Galat with a big surprise muskie from the Chain O’Lakes. Provided photo — Jim Galat with a big surprise muskie from the Chain O’Lakes.

Jim Galat summed up fishing in this odd spring.

“With the shutdown this year, we had to find new waters to explore,” he emailed.

It’s worked out.

At the end of April, they had quite a day on the Chain O’Lakes. While walleye fishing, they hooked five muskies. They landed one, but it was a doozy.

“Ballparked [her] at 47 inches using a bump board, we wanted to get her back quickly, she was full of eggs,” he emailed. “The walleye fishing was pretty good that day at the Chain too, the biggest was 25 inches, and several in the slot in lows 20s. We caught three other walleyes that day which were in the keeper-size range.”

FOTW, the celebration of big fish and their stories (the stories matter) around Chicago fishing, runs Wednesdays in the Sun-Times. Submit nominations by message on Facebook (Dale Bowman), on Twitter (@BowmanOutside) and Instagram (@BowmanOutside) or email (BowmanOutside@gmail.com).

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Jim Galat earned FOTW with a surprise muskie caught while walleye fishing on the Chain O’Lakes.