Amphibious.

If you ask any walleye angler what a trophy fish would be, most would say 30 inches. What if I told you that its possible to catch a 35+ inch walleye? Well it is. Kind of. The Zander. the European cousin of the walleye. What if I told you they’ve been stocked right here in the US? They have! North Dakota had a program stocking them in the 1980s.

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department scrapped the zander program after the 1989 stocking of almost 200,000 fry and around 1000 fingerlings because of concerns from neighboring states and Manitoba, Canada. Spiritwood and nearby Alkali Lake have the only verified zander populations in North America. They are small and reproducing, but to bring a better fishing opportunity to anglers we have to bring the zander program back! The next closest place to hook one is 7000 miles away across the ocean. These fish have not disrupted the natural ecosystem and with proper water management, they won’t make their way into any other bodies of water. Help Bring back the zanders to North Dakota by signing the petition in the link below.

https://www.change.org/p/north-dakota-game-and-fish-bring-the-zander-program-back-to-north-dakota

Sam Wenner of Jamestown North Dakota holding the North Dakota State record Zander. Measuring 35 5/8” weighing 15.91lbs