Townsend Boy is Featured on the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Fishing Regulations
Author: Matt Nelson
Matt Nelson
Ryker Krueger, the 12-year-old son of Kindergarten Teacher Ashley and his dad Eric Krueger, the pastor of the Mountain Valley Church here in Townsend, caught a huge Walleye Father’s Day weekend at the Church’s family campout on the East side of Canyon Ferry Lake. According to Eric, “We spend a couple nights over the weekend, families show up, bring games, and their fishing poles.”
Ryker told his story: “Right when we got there, we all wanted to start fishing. We started fishing and on my second cast, I caught this big fish. We reeled the fish in because we thought it was a Carp. It was scaly, and we brought it in and I picked it up and one of my friends said, ‘Wait, that’s a Walleye!’ Everybody was freaking out. Somebody said, ‘That’s a giant Walleye.’ It was two feet long. So, I started running to camp and they shouted, ‘Ryker caught a huge Walleye, come and see it.’ And so, my dad and a couple of my friends of Mom and Dad came over to see it.”
Eric, “The really cool, like God’s story behind me, is that I was out at the house, and I was late at the camp because my well pump went out, so there was no water in the house. It turned out to be a perfect weekend to go camping, because we weren’t going to have water all weekend. I remember that I was praying on the drive out there, because when you lose a pump, you get pretty upset. I remember praying, like, ‘God, can You redeem this day?’ Your prayers aren’t long when you are angry.
When I arrived at the lake, all the kids came running. There were 40 people there. The kids shouted, ‘Ryker caught a huge Walleye.’ In my head, I think it is a Carp. It better not be a Carp. All the kids and the adults were just surrounding the fish, and they were really excited. I have always loved taking pictures, and I just had my iPhone on me, and the sun was setting, so I took a picture. And then I was on Facebook, and a FWP post came up that said, ‘Hey, submit your hunting and fishing photos.’ So, I just sent it off, forgot about it, and then a couple months ago they emailed me asking for permission to use it for the cover of the Fishing regulations. I thought, No way!”
Eric showed an actual regulation with the cover, which is about six inches long, and had it framed. Local photographer Kelly Morris enlarged it, and Eric had the enlargement mounted and framed. “Lifelong memory. I figure that the attendance at the camp will be greater next year.”
Ryker said he caught the Walleye using a spinner. He caught it about two or three feet off the bank. ‘There is like a dropdown about five feet off of it. Actually, it wasn’t that bad.” Eric said that Ryker just had to walk along the shore just a few feet. When asked if they ate it, Ryker joyfully exclaimed, “YES!” Eric responded, “With garlic and butter!”
Gabriel, Ryker’s 14-year-old brother, and 7-year-old sister Lyric were two of the kids at the camp when Ryker caught this monstrous fish, and it was obvious during the interview that both of them, as well as Ashley and Eric, all shared the joy.
Congratulations Ryker, not only on catching this big Walleye, but with the Montana Fish and Wildlife publishing it on their fishing regulations.
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PhotoCredit: Matt Nelson
Image 1 Caption: Ryker Kroeger and the photo of the huge Walleye he caught that the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks placed on their Fishing Regulations.
Photo Credit: Matt Nelson
