# Something Fishy in the State of Illinois **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 10, 2012, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fishy-in-the-state-of-illinois/627788 "2012-07-10T14:19:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fishy-in-the-state-of-illinois/627788/1 "2012-07-10T14:19:19Z")
Former fishing guide and professional bass angler Larry Coleman landed what appeared to be a 1-pound 7-ounce walleye, winning $100 in the Kankekee River Fishing Derby. It was later discovered that the fish contained lead weights and now Coleman faces being banned from Northern Illinois Anglers Association events. The only link is in [the Kankakee paper and they charge for the whole story](http://daily-journal.com/archives/dj/display.php?id=493630). ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fishy-in-the-state-of-illinois/627788/2 "2012-07-10T16:27:31Z")
And I thought Obama care was a scandal! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fishy-in-the-state-of-illinois/627788/3 "2012-07-10T18:02:33Z")
Did he also break the fish’s spine to make it appear longer? ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fishy-in-the-state-of-illinois/627788/4 "2012-07-10T18:30:56Z")
A 1-pound, 7-ounce walleye won a prize? And the guy had to cheat to get _that_? Man, Illinois are weird. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fishy-in-the-state-of-illinois/627788/5 "2012-07-10T18:35:30Z")
> [@Sudden\_Kestrel](#): > > A 1-pound, 7-ounce walleye won a prize? And the guy had to cheat to get _that_? > > Man, Illinois are weird. My guess is that he _had_ to put the lead weights in to keep it from floating away. Since when do they give prizes for largest bait? ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fishy-in-the-state-of-illinois/627788/6 "2012-07-10T19:02:52Z")
Weird Walleye Weighing Causes Kankakee Kerfuffle ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fishy-in-the-state-of-illinois/627788/7 "2012-07-10T19:03:11Z")
> [@Sudden\_Kestrel](#): > > A 1-pound, 7-ounce walleye won a prize? And the guy had to cheat to get _that_? > > Man, Illinois are weird. It’s possible he was just in the running and didn’t have the “winner”. Other reports aren’t clear on that and I’d rather not pay for the article. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fishy-in-the-state-of-illinois/627788/8 "2012-07-10T19:07:00Z")
Lead Leads to Leaderboard Change ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fishy-in-the-state-of-illinois/627788/9 "2012-07-10T19:14:27Z")
Mustachioed Miscreant Monkeys with Mass, Perplexed Pescatorians Propose Permanent Proscription. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fishy-in-the-state-of-illinois/627788/10 "2012-07-10T19:38:47Z")
Actually fairly common cheat, which is why they’ve generally started cutting open the top fish to check for it. ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fishy-in-the-state-of-illinois/627788/11 "2012-07-10T20:02:59Z")
I thought this was going to be about the [Testicle-Eating Fish Species, Caught In Lake Lou Yaeger In Illinois](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/07/pacu-testicle-eating-fish-illinois-lake_n_1656015.html) ---
**Author:** ![Esox\_Lucius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Esox\_Lucius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esox_Lucius)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fishy-in-the-state-of-illinois/627788/12 "2012-07-11T00:52:42Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > Former fishing guide and professional bass angler Larry Coleman landed what appeared to be a **1-pound 7-ounce walleye** , winning $100 in the Kankekee River Fishing Derby. Someone oughta be banned for mistaking a perch for a walleye. ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fishy-in-the-state-of-illinois/627788/13 "2012-07-11T01:46:34Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > It’s possible he was just in the running and didn’t have the “winner”. Other reports aren’t clear on that and I’d rather not pay for the article. 🙂 I’m trying to imagine a fishing contest where a walleye under 1-1/2 pounds wouldn’t just cause all the adults to say, “Aww, ain’t that cute!” ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fishy-in-the-state-of-illinois/627788/14 "2012-07-11T03:00:23Z")
Illicit Illinoisan Inflates… Ah the hell with it, no one else is playing! ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fishy-in-the-state-of-illinois/627788/15 "2012-07-11T04:00:58Z")
Going to shuffle this off to the Game Room. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fishy-in-the-state-of-illinois/627788/16 "2012-07-11T15:27:59Z")
I’m shocked and disappointed that such a thing would happen in Illinois. Everyone knows that the proper way to win a contest is to bribe the judges, not to stick weights in a stupid fish. ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fishy-in-the-state-of-illinois/627788/17 "2012-07-11T15:55:17Z")
With all that lead, one wonders if the fish was originally swimming in a wood cylinder. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fishy-in-the-state-of-illinois/627788/18 "2012-07-11T18:22:32Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > Illicit Illinoisan Inflates… Ah the hell with it, no one else is playing! If it makes you feel any better, your other posts made me chuckle. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2012, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fishy-in-the-state-of-illinois/627788/19 "2012-07-11T21:50:33Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > Illicit Illinoisan Inflates… Ah the hell with it, no one else is playing! Amoral Angler awaits decision from Derby Deciders!