South Dakota angler hauls in 17-pound walleye on Lake Oahe for pending state record

UPDATE: This story has been updated here. Hear from Keith Pazour about the day he caught the giant walleye.

GETTYSBURG – Less than three weeks after a North Dakota angler reeled in a state record-size walleye on Lake Oahe, a South Dakota fisherman appears to have broken the record with a 17-pound walleye he hauled in.

According to a social media post, Keith Pazour, of Pierre, reeled in a massive walleye over the weekend that weighed 17 pounds and 13 ounces. If the weight of Pazour’s fish is verified by the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, it would break the previous record that was just set a few weeks ago on the same body of water.

The social media post shows Pazour holding the pending state record catch at a resort in Gettysburg, South Dakota, a small town along the Missouri River in the central portion of the state. The post indicated Pazour’s walleye measured 33 inches.

In late October, Aaron Schuck, of Bismarck, North Dakota, hauled in a massive walleye on Lake Oahe that broke the previous official record which stood for 21 years. Schuck’s walleye weighed 16 pounds and 8 ounces.

During a podcast discussion with a group of South Dakota fishermen, Schuck speculated there are more state record-size walleye roaming the waters of Lake Oahe.

If Pazour’s 17-pound walleye becomes official, it would validate Schuck’s prediction.

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.