Just hot of the press a possible record walleye was caught by Tom Haberman while perch fishing. The fish was caught about 2 miles northeast of the 72nd St. pier off of Cleveland in 47 feet of water. The fish is going through the certification process has we type. The HAWG was caught tuesday and is 33 inches 211/2 inch girth and weighted 16.19lbs. on a certified scale. Now we all have something to shoot for this winter and spring Good luck to all and HAPPY THANKS GIVING!!!!!!

Please keep us posted. Do you have any idea of when this will be confirmed?

PAPER WORK WAS SEBNT IN YESTERDAY, AND IT SHOULD BE CONFIRMED BY EARLY NEXT WEEK THIS FISH WAS CAUGHT ON MY BOAT THE WAVE WALKER---HAT A DANDY!!

November 26, 1999
Contact: Melissa Hathaway
(419) 625-8062

Potential State Record Walleye Tips the Scales at Over 16 Pounds


SANDUSKY, OHIO -- Tom Haberman of Brunswick was sure glad he and friends
decided to go fishing instead of rabbit hunting last Tuesday (November
23, 1999). Haberman landed a potential state record walleye in Lake Erie
that tipped the scales at 16.19 pounds, reports the Oho Department of
Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife.

Haberman's fish will officially become the new state record walleye once
paperwork is completed by the Outdoor Writers of Ohio (OWO) that
certifies all state record fish. It surpassed the old state record of
15.95 pounds, caught off the Marblehead Lighthouse in March of 1995.

Haberman and friends were perch fishing two miles off Cleveland when he
unexpectedly caught the whopping walleye. He was fishing with minnows on
a perch rig using 6-pound test line on ultralight spinning tackle.

The group was going to go rabbit hunting but with the unseasonably warm
temperatures, decided it was too warm to run their dogs. They decided to
go fishing instead, according to Haberman's friend and boat captain Andy
Emrisko.

Haberman's walleye initially weighed in at 16.29 pounds, but immediately
afterwards spit up a round goby. When weighed again on a second scale at
a local meat market, the fish weighed 16.19 pounds. It measured 33
inches in length and had a girth of 21.5 inches.

"This state record catch is testimony that Lake Erie continues to
produce some big fish. In addition, the lake has good numbers of
walleyes in a variety of sizes as the result of some favorable hatches
from the mid-1980s through the 1990s," said Mike Budzik, chief of the
Division of Wildlife. "Lake Erie is still the Walleye Capital of the
World providing a fishery that is unsurpassed."

Biologists at the Division's Fairport Harbor Fisheries Research Station
officially examined the fish Wednesday. From scale samples, biologists
determined the fish to be from Lake Erie's 1886 walleye hatch or
possibly an earlier hatch, making it at least 13 years old.

"This was undoubtedly the most active year we've ever experienced for
state record fish," said Jeff Frischkorn, chairman of OWO's State Record
Fish Committee for all tackle. I can recall about 9 new state record
fish certified this year, which is an incredible number."

"Most of the record fish were taken from inland waterways, which shows
Ohio's fisheries continue to provide quality fishing opportunities
throughout the state," he added.

"Many of the state record fish we see are not from the most skilled or
experienced angler, or caught with the most expensive equipment. Often
times these record breaking fish are caught by ordinary anglers under
ordinary circumstances, which indicates every angler in Ohio is a
potential state record holder."

What is this round goby that this walleye spit up?

a round goby is another exotic species introduced into Lake Erie by way of freighter ballast.

The round goby is an alien life form intoduced to this planet during NASA missions in the 1960's . It found its way to Lake Erie in the 80's by way of bilge water from Russian freighters. Danm Commies!.

That's a whopper Ohio walleye there. Congratulations are certainly in order for you Tom! Hope your name stays on the top of the Ohio records for long time.

Sheila