UCCS student narrowly misses walleye state record with catch in Fremont County

FREMONT COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- A UCCS student from California recently caught what was almost the new state record walleye.

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), Philip Cole, a UCCS Junior, caught a "monster" walleye Monday night at the Brush Hollow State Wildlife Area in Fremont County.

CPW said the fish measured in at a length of 31.75 inches, exceeding the current catch-and-release record of 30 inches. The only problem is, Cole kept the fish.

For the fish to qualify as the catch-and-release state record, CPW said Cole would have needed to measure the fish alive, document it with photos, and release it back into the Brush Hollow Reservoir.

Cole brought the walleye into the Colorado Springs CPW office. CPW inspected and weighed the fish and urged Cole to submit it for the CPW Master Angler Award.

CPW said Cole's walleye weighed 13.26 pounds, leaving it well short of the 18.12-pounder caught by Scott Regan at Standley Lake in 1997.