At smossys request, 3 largest kings ever pictured

[Kc_Kracker]

taken in 1910 in astoria oregon caught on a commercial boat. 116 lbs and 121 lbs.......imagine the genetics lost  and also one that was from 1932 at 102 lbs 

thought id share hope you enjoy 

[bowhunterforever]

  Those are some big salmon

[Mudman]

Na, them are Tuna!  WOW!

[PolarBear]

A buddy of mie has pictures of his Great Grand Dad and his Grand Dad with sport caught kings out of the Columbia that were well over 100 pounds!  Simply amazing!!!

[Kc_Kracker]

then he would hold the state record 

[wildweeds]

About 20 years ago up on the Cascade river,my buddy and I watched the state capture fish out of the river for hatchery stock,saw em drag an 80 plus pounder ashore and get it in the trailer,the thing was AWESOME!

[Smossy]

If I could only get a fish that size in a river
Ill  just keep dreaming.

[Fishnclifff]

Probably from the Stock that used to spawn above Grande Coulee.
We lost a lot of genetics when they built the dam.

[Kc_Kracker]

i dunno but man what a couple of pigs, hard to imagine people got them that big unless these just happen to be a few sterile monsters

[Wazukie]

Here's one for you, Kenai River, sometime in the 80's.  The guy on the left is my father-in-law(the guide).  He stand 5'10"  the fish was I believe 92 pound at the dock.  Few and far between anymore.

[Jonathan_S]

imagine the genetics lost  and also one that was from 1932 at 102 lbs 

Why were they lost?  Unless those salmon were only-fry.    

[snowpack]

imagine the genetics lost  and also one that was from 1932 at 102 lbs 

Why were they lost?  Unless those salmon were only-fry.    

In some of the cases it was because the dams allowed all the salmon to mingle.  Before the dams there were parts of rivers that had rapids/small waterfalls that only the largest fish of the run could jump.  So only the big ones got up to those parts to spawn with other big ones.  After those stretches of river were blocked the fish had to spawn in lower parts of the rivers where almost any salmon could get to.  So you had little fish spawning with big fish and the average sizes went down a little.  That's according to some of the theories I've read about it.

[Jonathan_S]

Makes sense.  I thought he meant because of those individual fish that great genes were lost forever.

[Hunterman]

I can remember back in the day ( 1960's - 1970's) the commercial fisherman, and gill netters on the Columbia (Illwaco) landed quite a few extra large salmon. Many in the 80 plus pound range. Of course this was LONG before people were concerned about state records, just trying to make a living.

Hunterman(Tony)

[Fishnclifff]

imagine the genetics lost  and also one that was from 1932 at 102 lbs 

Why were they lost?  Unless those salmon were only-fry.    

Originally the dam was built with no fish ladders.
Some fish were relocated but the true upriver fish were lost after the dam was built.

[6x6in6]

I can remember back in the day ( 1960's - 1970's) the commercial fisherman, and gill netters on the Columbia (Illwaco) landed quite a few extra large salmon. Many in the 80 plus pound range. Of course this was LONG before people were concerned about state records, just trying to make a living.

Hunterman(Tony)

My grandfather had a gill netter out of Illwaco that he did for fun from the late '50's until he passed away in '72. 
I was lucky enough to go out with him a couple times in the late '60's with my Dad and older brother.  We had a few over the 70# mark.  I don't really remember a whole lot about those trips since I was only 6 when I went for the last time.  But I do remember my grandfather saying "son, that isn't anything, I would haul in at least 3 over 90#'s every time when I first started doing this."   

[Angus]

I can remember back in the day ( 1960's - 1970's) the commercial fisherman, and gill netters on the Columbia (Illwaco) landed quite a few extra large salmon. Many in the 80 plus pound range. Of course this was LONG before people were concerned about state records, just trying to make a living.

Hunterman(Tony)

Commercial caught fish don't count for the record books.

[Bullkllr]

By gawd those are some impressive chinook. Can you even imagine just seeing one of those, let alone hooking one with rod & reel?

Most experience and data points to smaller and smaller average size all over the whole range of chinook. Most common causes you hear about are:
-(as mentioned) habitat lost to dams, etc.
-gillnetting -over generations- keeps selecting out larger fish
-constant harvest pressure on feeding fish- trolling and sport- fish simply do not live as long- selects for fish returning earlier to spawn
-lower populations of feed/prey herring, krill, etc.

Whatever- its a shame we lost them.

[wildweeds]

They may not count but they do show you that they are around to possibly catch,the biggest I ever saw on the dock in blaine,the tail hung over the tote on one side and the gillplate and head hung over the other side,those totes have to be 5 foot wide,monster delievered by a seiner.My buddy was seining week before last,they made a set and came up king heavy,tried to revive but could not save 30 fish over 30 pounds,those all went over the side to feed crab.This state is so F'd up it isn't funny,those fish could have fed the derelicts at the mission for a week off of one boats by catch.DUMB dead fish from a net should be brought to shore,not paid anything for and fed to the unfortunate familys that are having a rough row to hoe period.Pure WASTE!

I can remember back in the day ( 1960's - 1970's) the commercial fisherman, and gill netters on the Columbia (Illwaco) landed quite a few extra large salmon. Many in the 80 plus pound range. Of course this was LONG before people were concerned about state records, just trying to make a living.

Hunterman(Tony)

Commercial caught fish don't count for the record books.

[h2ofowlr]

Nets, nets, nets.  New hatchery species exist.

[johnnyaustin44]

My old skipper when I seined did a study once for Alaska on the survival rate of fish that have been netted and released and apparently most will live once being released within a reasonable amount of time from hitting the deck. 

[wildweeds]

My buddy said all the little ones were good to go and off like rockets and for whatever reason the big ones just can't be coaxed/nursed into getting it together,The next set they made in a different area they just opened the bag and let the whole works go.If you don't get paid for by catch it's a helluva lot better than feeding crab,but then again they were all interloper canadian fish headed to the fraser river so who cares.My uncle has been an alaska state fisheries biologist since 1980,it's amazing the science that goes into it and how well they manage it,washington state needs a lesson.

My old skipper when I seined did a study once for Alaska on the survival rate of fish that have been netted and released and apparently most will live once being released within a reasonable amount of time from hitting the deck. 

[SemperFidelis97]

Wow amazing fish.

[Angus]

My old skipper when I seined did a study once for Alaska on the survival rate of fish that have been netted and released and apparently most will live once being released within a reasonable amount of time from hitting the deck. 

Says the skipper of a seine boat.

[Angus]

If you don't get paid for by catch it's a helluva lot better than feeding crab,but then again they were all interloper canadian fish headed to the fraser river so who cares.

Really? I know a lot of people who care.

[wildweeds]

You missed my sarcasm

If you don't get paid for by catch it's a helluva lot better than feeding crab,but then again they were all interloper canadian fish headed to the fraser river so who cares.

Really? I know a lot of people who care.

[Houndhunter]

My grandpa grew up on the columbia, fish avg was 40lbs for chinook. Boy how times have changed

[MLBowhunting]

Wooow