Apparently that “one-in-a-million” fish is pretty hungry.
Earlier this month, we shared a story about a North Dakota angler who caught an incredibly rare “yellow” walleye. Ethan Bear (not the pro hockey player), a 21-year-old fisherman from Jamestown, North Dakota, landed the literal fish of a lifetime on July 10th. Bear and his buddies were fishing for walleye when he brought in an extremely rare yellow walleye… like, Big Bird yellow.
According to the photos, the group looks like they got a handful of other nice walleyes too, but nothing quite like this golden specimen.
Check it out:
After snapping a few quick photos to prove it happened, Bear unhooked the fish and released it safely back into the lake. Experts estimate that the odds of catching a true golden walleye are roughly 1 in 1 million to 1 in 10 million.
And while that lake will remain unnamed, it’s apparently getting pretty popular with walleye anglers. So much so that this incredibly rare yellow walleye was caught AGAIN a week later. That once-in-a-lifetime fish was caught TWICE in the same week… pretty insane, right?
Jacob Wendel, another North Dakota resident, was out fishing on July 18th when he too reeled in the very same once-in-a-lifetime fish. Much like Bear, Wendel was fishing for deep walleyes when his jig was hammered by the rare golden fish.
According to Wired2Fish, Wendel thought it might have been a pike at first, but was stunned to see what came to the surface. He took a few pictures and released it, but at the time had no idea that the same fish had been caught a week earlier. Wendel told the outlet that he plans on having a replica made:
“The fish looks identical in photos of my walleye and pictures of Bear’s catch. I’m going to have a replica mount made of the fish and hang it in my living room. Don’t think something like this will ever happen to me again.”
I don’t know, Jake… twice in one week really throws a wrench in the “1 in 10 million” odds.
Why Is It Yellow?
So, how does a walleye turn completely gold? It’s not a different species of fish. The brilliant yellow color is the result of a super-rare genetic pigment mutation called xanthism. Normally, a walleye’s scales convert white light into blue. When mixed with yellow pigments, the fish appears green. In a fish with xanthism, the molecular structure that makes the blue color is completely missing, leaving the fish solid gold or orange. We’ve seen bass with similar patterns at times, but it’s equally as rare. We’ve also seen fish that come out jet black… a different pigment mutation.
Because these fish are basically swimming neon signs, they stand out like crazy to larger predators. Very few of them survive long enough to reach adulthood, which makes this catch (which looks to be somewhere between 25 and 30 inches) even more mind-blowing.
Walleye are typically most active during low-light periods because their large eyes are highly adapted for gathering light in the dark. They tend to hang out around sand and gravel bottom areas. In North Dakota, fisheries like Lake Sakakawea, Devils Lake, and the Missouri River system are legendary for producing some fantastic walleyes, some living more than 20 years and growing over 30 inches.
