Vincent Shembarger said he has caught many walleye over the years from his choice location near the mud line around the mouth of the St. Joseph River but never a fish that was tagged, especially one that came from so far north.
"That's the first tagged fish I have ever turned in. I didn't think they came that far. I always thought they went back to where they came from to spawn," Shembarger said.
The 31.25-inch female walleye weighed nine pounds, eight ounces the day after Shembarger caught it. He said it probably lost about a half a pound since he pulled it from the lake at 9 p.m. the previous night. Shembarger said the walleye population in St. Joseph has been relatively consistent until last year when the number of fish he caught slightly decreased.
"It seemed to be slower. I don't know why that is ... I think it had a lot to do with the food," he said.
Alpena Fisheries research biologist Jim Johnson said the fish may have come from a northern Michigan inland lake.
"There were a series of tags used on Grand Lake and Long Lake when we were tagging fish here that didn't get used up. They were used on a variety of other lakes in the state," he said.
Some of the Cheboygan County lakes could have been Black Lake, Mullet Lake or Burt Lake, Johnson said.
Shembarger submitted the walleye tag's identification number to the Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station website. He will be mailed information about the exact location that tagging took place and other information about the fish when it was tagged. He said the tagging system is a good one for observing fish movement patterns.
"You'll find out where they're going and how old they're living to be," Shembarger said.
Although Johnson said the fish did not likely swim from Lake Huron in Alpena to the southeast shore of Lake Michigan, it is still quite a feat for the fish.
"I'm quite sure it's traveled some distance to get to St. Joe," Johnson said.
Erika Fifelski can be reached via e-mail at efifelski@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5688.