It was quite the day for Marlin Ingebretson of Mayville.
"He didn't say a lot about it, but he was one happy guy," said Dan Lohnes, Spirit Lake Casino Marina, which is located south of Devils Lake.
Lohnes weighed a huge walleye brought in by Ingebretson on Oct. 30.
Article Photos
Submitted photo
Marlin Ingebretson, Mayville, holds the new Devils Lake-record walleye. The fish weighed 13.97 pounds, surpassing the previous lake standard of 13 pounds, 3 ounces.
"I weighed it on a digital scale and took the picture," said Lohnes. "It weighed 13.97 pounds. That equates to 13 pounds, 15 1/2 ounces."
The measurements of Ingebretson's remarkable catch were equally impressive - 32 inches in length and a 20-inch girth.
"It's definitely a lake record," said Lohnes. "I called so many guys that day. From what I understand, the old record was 13 pounds and 3 ounces. I've been fishing my whole life and I think my biggest walleye is 6 pounds."
By any scale or tape, Ingebretson's fish is a monster of a catch. Walleyes that size are very rare fish.
"It was quite a while ago, but we weighed a 13 3/4-pounder during the spring netting," said Randy Hiltner, North Dakota Game and Fish biologist, Devils Lake. "That fish (Ingebretson's) would be much heavier come spring."
North Dakota's state record walleye is 15 pounds, 12 ounces by Blair Chapman of Minnewaukan in 1959. More recently, Alecia Berg of Minot landed a 15 pound, 4 ounce walleye on hook and line Aug. 27, 2011.