Big fish stories are everywhere, but every now and then, one comes along that is unforgettable. As you may remember, back in 2016, Kyle Sando hooked a Fort Peck walleye so massive it was just a scale tip away from making history—a whopping 17.66-pounder. Eddie White, who owns The Minnow Bucket in Huntley, reported the length of Sando’s whopper measured 34 inches long with a girth of 22 inches. Sando’s catch was a mere 0.09 pounds shy of the Montana state record at the time. That record, a 17.75-pound walleye from Tiber Reservoir, had stood since 2007, and Kyle’s catch proved that Fort Peck was still home to some true giants.
Fast forward to 2021, and the record books got an update when Trevor Johnson hauled in an 18.02-pound, 32.25-inch behemoth of a walleye at Holter Reservoir, officially setting the new Montana state record. With Trevor’s new record, Kyle’s catch still remains one of the biggest walleye ever pulled from Montana waters, falling just 0.36 pounds short of Trevor’s reigning champ.
One lingering mystery we are trying to solve is what area of Fort Peck Kyle landed his near-record fish. If you have the inside scoop, be sure to spill the beans in the Facebook comments or shoot an email to captain@montanaoutdoor.com. And if you’re out there chasing a record of your own, just remember—somewhere in these waters, the next history-making walleye is waiting. Tight lines!
