Another Idaho angler has won $1,000 in the Lake Pend Oreille walleye lottery. Doug Lambrecht of Sandpoint caught his reward-tagged walleye while fishing shallow weed beds along the northern lakeshore during mid-July. The winning fish was tagged in Feb. 2020 near Fisherman’s Island.
Lambrecht is the fifth winner to reel in a $1,000 walleye since the program began in 2019. Up to 95 reward-tagged walleye are still available.
Anglers are unable to tell if a walleye has a nearly-microscopic reward tag implanted in the fish’s snout. In order to win, anglers submit walleye heads to Fish & Game freezers located throughout the region. Biologists then scan for winning heads at the end of each month. Untagged heads are worth a chance at ten $100 monthly prizes.
Lambrecht guessed his winning fish was in the two to three pound range. He was happy to report his daughter reeled in a much bigger walleye in the same month, despite not having a $1,000 tag.
More information on Lake Pend Oreille Angler Incentive Program is available at idfg.idaho.gov.
Anglers can also check out the most recent blog from the fisheries team, with information on walleye movement tracking through July.
