An out-of-state angler traveled to Wisconsin last week and returned home with an extremely rare memento — a state record fish. Fishing Tuesday on Lake Michigan near Sheboygan, Roy Stromsness of Sioux Falls, S.D., caught a 12-pound 4-ounce lake whitefish. Stromsness was fishing aboard the Dumper Dan I with captain Chuck Nelson and first mate Jake Rogers.
The fish was caught south of the Sheboygan harbor in 120 feet of water. It hit a spoon fished about 30 feet down on a lead-core line.
The charter crew knew the fish was a potential state record and took it to Schwarz Fish Company in Sheboygan to be weighed on a certified scale.
It easily surpassed the 11-pound 11-ounce fish that held the state record since 1977.
Stromsness next took the fish to the Department of Natural Resources office in Plymouth, where it was inspected by fisheries biologist Travis Motl.
Motl verified the species (whitefish) and checked that no lead or other artificial weight had been added to the body cavity (it was clean).
Stromsness completed the state record fish application and it was accepted last week by the DNR.
Long a species targeted by commercial fishermen, whitefish have increasingly been caught by sport anglers in recent years.
But most action for sport anglers occurs in winter through the ice.
Dan Welsch, owner of Dumper Dan’s Sportfishing Charters in Sheboygan, said he catches about a dozen whitefish while trolling in open water each year.
“It’s not real common, but we’re mostly targeting other species,” Welsch said. “This one was a dandy, for sure.”
The state record whitefish was 30.9 inches long and had a girth of 18.5 inches.
Stromsness plans to have it mounted. Read more….