My 2 cents...
I think theres a hell of a lot of jealousy fueling this debacle.
Seems all this ramshackle gaggle of people down there ALL saw everyone else snagging away like crazy, yet.... of course anyone who provided a statement of course was as pure as the driven snow.
If all that snagging was going on.... why didnt any of rhese fine upstanding anglers call in reports to the RAP line?
All those statements seem very righteous in their assuredness of the only way fish could be caught was by snagging... yet have no problem sliding right into the guys prime spot to as soon as he leaves... to do what?... they stated nobody was able to legally catch a fish so they just sat there?...
The manner in with the GFgestahpo crawled up this deputies supervisors insinuating involvment of a crime...... well no wonder he took the compny line and just went with it...seems like some dubious at best tactics. After having the "investigator" calling his boss and being all wanna be cop, id basically do absolutely nothing to run the risk of any potential controversy.
This guy was probly so excited i bet he really cant tell you what happend right away, i bet everyone would be the same.... booing him.... come on what a. unch of trash, if they where all snagging they where just booing they didnt snagg the beast mama.
One thing is for certain the 50k walleye boat people were sure out for blood immediately when a lowly shore angler could have caught the record. Giess they dont have to feel their sparkly boat shame now.
What about the statement from the GF official who first certifies thebrecord???.... He or she had to have seen the fish?... di he not inspect for snag and drag marks?.... was there any competency here?
I dont know who knows, the video is as potato quality as the zapruder views of the grassy knoll. If had fish spit hooks in the net 100s of times, and times where they rehook a fin being handled around a net... who knows... id say its as good of a chance of foul hooked as fair
All i know is that if I catch a fish 16.2 ... im not going to risk public damnation due to jealousy of others, that mama bastard going right back in...
cause its not worth it and it wont be the biggest walleye landed in ND angling history.
Of course.... the easiest solution here is to eliminate the snagging/catching of reproducing females during spawn and close the season.....
but then what reason would we have to get our sparkly 60k moneypits out so early?