Angler reels in 16.5-pound walleye at Lake Oahe for pending South Dakota record

POLLOCK, S.D. — A 21-year fishing record in South Dakota appears to have been broken after an angler hauled in a 16.5-pound walleye out of Lake Oahe.

Aaron Schuck, of Bismarck, North Dakota, hauled in the 33-inch walleye that weighed 16.5-pounds, according to a recent post on social media that shows Schuck holding the massive walleye. Schuck was hoisting the walleye in front of Oahe Sunset Lodge and Steakhouse in Pollock, which is located in north-central South Dakota near Mobridge.

Lake Oahe is one of South Dakota's premier walleye fishing hubs along the Missouri River and stretches from central South Dakota to the northern edge of the state.

The previous 16.2-pound state record walleye was caught in 2002 at the Fort Randall Dam by a Lake Andes woman.

For a state record to become official, the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks must verify the fish’s weight and length. GF&P has not officially determined the 16.5-pound walleye is a state new record.

Among the criteria that the GF&P uses to determine a state-record fish includes having two witnesses other than the angler being present during the weighing process or a GF&P official and using a registered scale. The angler who caught the potential record-breaking fish can also submit a photograph of the angler with the fish.

According to the GF&P’s guidelines, the weight of the fish must be rounded down to the nearest ounce. To replace the existing record, a fish must weigh at least one ounce more.