Priest Catches Provincial Record Walleye

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BY BRIAN MCLANE Nipawin Journal Staff Parishioners at St Eugene in Nipawin, Canadian Martyrs at Carrot River, and St. Mary in Choiceland are well aware of Father Mariusz Zajak's "fishing stories". They're about to hear more. And the news comes with legitimate bragging rights. The Roman Catholic priest broke the provincial record for walleye by .24 pounds with a 18.30-pound catch January 4, 2005. The previous Saskatchewan record walleye, at 18.06 pounds, was caught and released on Tobin Lake in 1997. Father Mariusz landed his trophy while ice fishing alone in his ice shack on Tobin Lake at around 5 p.m., Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 4. But there's still more. Father says he got "the nibble" precisely as he was praying "The Magnificat" (Luke 1:46-55) as part of The Divine Office or Liturgy of the Hours -- the official prayer of The Roman Catholic Church. "Praying and jigging" -- what a combination! The fish was caught on a "diamond spinner" about one mile from the Resort Village of Tobin Lake where Fr. Mariusz also has a cabin. "Father Mariusz deserves the record," said Debienne. "He has paid is dues. He's out there fishing in all kinds of weather." The record walleye will only add to the notoriety that Tobin Lake -- according to "Walleye Insider" and "In-Fishermen" magazines -- continues to be the top walleye fishery in North America. The new Saskatchewan record walleye has a girth of 22.5 inches and measures 36.5 inches long. It is believed Father Mariusz's walleye is the only one caught while ice fishing. All other Tobin Lake provincial records for walleye were realized in open water. Father Mariusz says he initially weighed the walleye -- at 18 pounds -- on a spring scale he had with him in his ice shack. He also measured the fish to be 92.71cm long, and made the decision he would keep it and have it mounted, as it was over the regulation slot size and therefore legal to keep. The phoning began to find a proper scale. The Pineland Co-op's downtown Nipawin store, which is open until 8 p.m., has a digital scale, so Father Mariusz took the fish to Nipawin to have it weighed and witnessed. The fish was weighed at 7:45 p.m. at Pineland Co-op by Steven Molsberry and witnessed by Kim Demmans. Father Mariusz says he is appreciative of the nearby fishermen who encouraged him to get the fish weighed properly, and to keep it in cold water, etc., otherwise the fish might have ended up just as a trophy on the wall of his Tobin Lake cabin. "My family says I was born with a fishing rod in my hands," says the 43-year-old priest. "I always pray when I fish," he said. "Including the times when my brother priest and I are fishing in Poland. We'll sing and praise the Lord and sing 'The Magnificat' when we catch a fish."

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