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.