This mammoth, record-class king salmon was found dead on Oct. 30 in Battle Creek, a major tributary to Northern California’s Sacramento River by a crew of biologists surveying the creek for spawners.
“The length of this giant was 1290 mm (50.7 inches!) and I can’t remember the massive girth, but a weight calculator gave an estimate of 85 pounds!” says Matt Johnson, of the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, who sent to photo in to be entered in our Smoker of the Year Contest. “Some lucky dog might have broken the state record had there been a season this year!”
The California state record for Chinook salmon is 88 pounds, a fish taken from the Sacramento River by O.H. Lindberg on 11/21/1979. There’s no telling how big this Battle Creek fish would have been when he was fresh and not spawned out, but he obviously had record potential! My mind reels at the thought of potentially hooking him down in the lower river where I used to fish when we had a season…down where the fish are all bright and have sea lice. I’m guessing he would have torn us up and left us heartbroken had we hooked him, but I sure would have loved to had the chance!
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In any case, I hope this big guy did ‘the deed’ many times and spread some good DNA around before kicking the bucket!
Here’s another look at it…According to Johnson, the first shot was snapped by Doug Killam, Associate DFG Fish Biologist and the guy straining to hold up the monster was Dale Morrison of the Pacific States Marines Fisheries Commission. This photo is of Killiam himself. Any way you slice it, this big sucker was the King of kings!!
Of course, this king is a small bright spot in an otherwise dismal season (again). There are hardly any kings in the Valley this fall — Nimbus Hatchery on the American River has next to none, the total fall run on the Feather is something like 6,000 fish (down from over 100,000 not too many years back) and the Sac system is also a total bust — including normally prolific Battle Creek, where this lunker called home.
“The fall-run escapement into Battle Creek this year is totally pathetic,” says Johnson. “The last update I heard was around 12,000 fish. This number represents the count through the “peak ” entry period of late September/early October. Hopefully this rain will bring a few more fish in!”
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
AWSOME FISH
Nice to see a fish of that size make it pass the seals.Nice job guy’s keep up the good work
What a magnificent Chinook salmon!!! When a fish like this shows up, it does provide a glimmer of hope to an otherwise destitute fishery. What he lacked in length, he certainly made up in girth! I think we should imagine he did indeed spawn and will be a living part of the 2014 / 2015 healthy run we would all love to see. I was on the Kenai this year, and it would have been one of the largest fish caught on the river!
Dan
Hey JD,
I was actually one of the two biologists to find this fish, the other was Ryan Revnack who also received no credit. Anyway, I though you would like to know that this fish had indeed spawned in a small braid of Battle Creek. It weighed every bit of 85lbs, it took everything that I had to lift the bugger. When we read the scales it appeared to be a 5 year old(not an expert scale reader), I do believe that this could have well been the state record, however contrary to many of the beliefs listed above I think that it is great that the season was closed giving the few salmon that are left a chance to rebound the population. I can just see the image of this thing swimming around with 2 gibs minnows, a blue fox, and several yards of leader line trailing behind him. Looking forward to fall.
Take care,
Brian
Wow…no kidding…that’s cool! I’ll have to grill ya more about it when I see ya in the fall. Thanks for the insight!
who said there isn’t seals in the river?!? Uhh not me! Check out steamboat slough when u get a chance! What a salmon !! Damn wish i had the chance to land that monster!
i really miss being able to fish for these magnificent creatures during the fall nature had provided us with. in my area the yuba the feather no water no salmon no steelhead no stripers etc etc it hurts every thing and every one. especially us sportsman
Well said, Dan!
That just blows my mind that something that big could be swimming in that tiny looking creek. It doesn’t even look like the water is that deep…is it?
The last comment said that “The seals and environmentalists have stopped all of the fishing,” Is that true? I fish the great lake tribs, have not had great runs these last couple of years, but there are not any friggin’ seals or movie stars with signs standing in the river. We do have to deal with “meat snaggers” who are in abundance on some waters, their only concept of “Catch and Release” being that of fighting over the last can of beer that is floating in the cooler and then throwing the empty in the creek. I say we put the movie stars with the signs, a bunch of meat snaggers with their coolers and a squadron of seals on their own little river, let survival of the fittest rule.
Yes tht is a BIG fish. Too bad the seals and environomentals have stopped all fishing. I hope they don’t start to plant any!!! Makes the fishing in the Great Lakes all the better, we have to pay for the gas some how.
The dimensions you have are correct.
1290mm x 850mm (51″ x “33.5″ rounded) = 85 lb fish.
JD, I enjoy reading your fishing articles.
Cheers,
Mark
No, not a typo…just going with what the biologist told me. All I know is it’s one big fish whatever it weighed, though the length does seem a bit short. He did, however, state that it had a massive girth…
In any case, let’s just hope he spawned before he died…It would be a huge crime if that fish didn’t make babies because the water was too low/warm!
No, not a typo…just going with what the biologist told me. All I know is it’s one big fish whatever it weighed, though the length does seem a bit short. He did, however, state that it had a massive girth…
Anyway to confirm the length and girth of this giant king salmon. The article states the length is only 50.7 inches. I would assume a fish of this size in the picture would be around 57 inches. Perhaps the artichle has a typo?
What a great fish! It made a full circle of life! From Battle Creek as a juvenile, all the way down the Sacramento River system, through the Delta, through the San Francisco bay, and out into the Ocean. It missed all the Stripers, Seals, Man and other predators when he was growing up He missed the commercial fishermen. He missed the Gill nets. He found plenty of food to eat in the ocean. It looks like he stayed in the ocean a little longer than his fellow Salmon to get so big? He made his full circle back through the Golden Gate Bridge, through the Delta, up the Sacramento River and swam a couple 100 miles to where he was born. To spawn and rejuvenate his legacy. Look at the size of that fish. Way to go fish!!!!!!!!!! There is still hope the runs will come back! MJP
WOW!!!
Look at the size of that thing. It would even be huge on the Kenai.