ONE UNIQUELY SPECIAL FISH
FLW anglers John Cox and Keith Carson are pros at sight-fishing huge bass in
Florida. On an April trip to the St. Johns River, the pair (along with Cox’s wife,
Melissa) spotted a massive 10-pound, 15-ounce largemouth and caught it (kind
of). That’s not too unusual for the Florida hammers.
What is unusual, though, is the state of the fish in question, which they
pulled from the water and later named “Walter.” The mammoth 29-inch
largemouth appeared to have been attacked by an alligator or hit by a boat
prop, and it had a huge gash of missing flesh to show for it. It was also totally
blind.
“Keith named it ‘Walter,’ and then we all looked at each other and all
thought it at the same time: We need to save Walter,” says John.
After scooping up the fish, John, Melissa and Carson began to rehabilitate
it in a bathtub, eventually moving it to a large aerated 300-gallon tub, which
they hoped would be Walter’s new home until he was healthy enough to be
released again.
“Melissa made a sling to hold him upright after hours of taking turns keeping
him up straight and breathing,” John adds. “Then we went to bed thinking
he would probably be gone in the morning.”
Walter survived for a couple days thanks to their care, but the wound ultimately
proved to be too much for the fish to overcome. John sent Walter off to
the taxidermist to become the first fish he’s ever mounted.
“This one just seemed like the right one to have done,” he says.
While the story doesn’t have the happiest of endings, it does show just how
far anglers will go to care for the fish they love to catch so much. #ripwalter
JUNE-JULY 2020 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING.COM | FLWFISHING.COM 17