Fish of the Week: Rare big walleye on southern Lake Michigan

A 31 1/4-inch walleye weighing 11.6 pounds is not expected when pitching a Ned Rig for smallmouth bass around a rocky Indiana shoreline. But Barry O’Flynn pulled it off Sunday.

“After I set the hook, and the fish started fighting, I looked at Mike [Thomas] and told him, this sure feels like a walleye, but, in the back of my mind, I thought drum or catfish until we both saw the white tip of the tail,” O’Flynn messaged. “We have put some time in during fall trying to catch on of these girls but have never been successful, it was a great surprise to pick one up smallie fishing in less than 10 feet of water on a 90-degree day in bright sun. Mike and I spend a lot of time chasing big walleyes around the Great Lakes and have caught fish bigger than this one but this one is special, coming out of the south end of Lake Michigan.”

FOTW, the celebration of big fish and their stories (the stories matter, as this one shows) 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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