Southern Idaho Angler Lands A Record Walleye

For want of a bigger cooler, Bill Sorensen nearly lost his claim to Idaho’s record walleye.

Sorensen, who lives in Kuna, Idaho, caught a 33-inch walleye in the gravel pit area at Salmon Falls Creek Reservoir in early June. He was just about ready to cut the fish in half to fit in his cooler, when his fishing partner suggested the huge walleye could be a record.

A certified scale in the nearby town of Rogerson confirmed the record at 16 pounds, 2 ounces. This erases the 15-pound, 9-ounce record taken in Salmon Falls Creek Reservoir in October 1987.

“I thought it was just another fish,” Sorensen told Idaho Fish and Game Department officials. “Usually, all we catch is dinner.” His normal catch is around 2 pounds, but he said he had caught one 5-pounder in the reservoir.

Salmon Falls Creek Reservoir, situated between Twin Falls and the Nevada border off Highway 93, is one of three places in Idaho that have walleye. Others include Oneida Reservoir in southeast Idaho and Goose Creek Reservoir near Oakley. All Idaho record walleyes have been caught from Salmon Falls Creek, Fish and Game Department officials said. Because of their voracious tendencies, walleyes are planted only where they cannot escape to affect native fish species, said Ed Mitchell, department spokesman.

Sorensen’s record fish was caught in about 7 feet of water, 20 feet from shore. The angler was using a Mister Twister lure on 8-pound-test line.

He said he prefers to tie directly to the lure rather than using snap swivels, which tend to detract from the natural action of the lure.

And he likes to bait the hook with an inch-long piece of nightcrawler, noting that walleyes are notorious for biting off trailing worms without ingesting the hook.

Sorensen has divulged all the technical equipment used to catch the record fish, including the brand of line and the model and manufacturer of the reel.

But he couldn’t credit the maker of the rod. He can’t remember. And the fiberglass instrument is so old, the logo has worn off.

, DataTimes