Angler hooked up with $1,000 prize

PRIEST RIVER — A Bonner County angler is $1,000 richer after hauling in a reward-tagged walleye on the Priest River, according to the Idaho Department of Fish & Game.

Leon Russell of Priest River caught his winning fish earlier this month in the lower reaches of the river.

The reward-tagged fish was tagged off Lake Pend Oreille’s Fisherman’s Island in February, Fish & Game said. The 21-inch walleye traveled over 27 miles before winding up in Russell’s creel.

It is the fourth $1,000 walleye to be caught in the program. In May, three Idaho anglers turned in reward-tagged walleye.

Up to 96 $1,000 tagged walleye are still available in the Pend Oreille system. Plus, any angler who submits a walleye head is entered in to monthly drawings for $100 prizes.

The state implemented the incentive program to keep walleye populations in check and allow other fish species to flourish.