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I always love a good kid fish story and that’s exactly what we have here…Thirteen-year-old Erik McGrath landed this monster 50-pound king salmon on the Lower Rogue River on Saturday, Aug. 2 while fishing with guide Matt Zlatek.
Nice job, Erik! Now, the only problem is…how do you top that??
On May 17, 1985, Les Anderson of Soldotna, AK landed the all-tackle world record king salmon…this 97-pound, 4-ounce beast from the Kenai River. The mammoth Chinook was nearly 5 feet long and had an amazing 37.5-inch girth!
The improbable catch took place during the Kenai’s early run of kings, which typically features smaller salmon than the July run.
What’s even more crazy is the fish probably weighed considerably more at the time Andersen caught it…
JD,
I have a new Willie Driftboat 17×54 and plan on being ready to fish winter steelhead.I have quesition about rods for salmon & steelhead.
I plan on using HSR981c for plug & light back boucing.I was thinking about getting some Gloomis HSR1021c for plug fishing for salmon. When using long leaders on plugs or bait&diver I was going to use STR1263c for salmon.
For steelhead fishing I was planing to use HSR9000c for plugs. When side-drifting I was going to use STR1024s in snagy water and was thinking about using G-Loomis STR1162S rods for side-drifting & double as float rod.
Your opinion would be great. Thank You, Mitch H.
Sounds like you pretty much have it all covered! The only thing I think I would change is the STR 1024’s for side-drifting….they’re extremely parabolic. With such a soft tip, your sinkers will be more inclined to fall into the gaps between the rocks and get hung. The 1025 is better…
Good luck!
–JD
JD, In regard to your video on how to sardine-wrap plugs, would it work if I glued a small piece of sponge on the bottom of a Kwikfish and put sardine oil on it rather than wrap on a piece of sardine?
–Jim D.B.
Jim, you can do that (it’s not as effective as a real sardine) but the main problem is your plug will have a serious case of stank on it (which the fish don’t like, by the way!) if you leave the sponge on there after the trip. You’ll need to peel them off after each outing and thoroughly clean and dry the plug.
JD, can you please tell me what’s the best rod for light jigging — like for kokanee?
Thanks, George
Hey George,
While there are a zillion good sticks out there designed specifically for kokanee trolling, nobody makes a dedicated jigging rod for landlocked sockeye.
And such a beast is a bit of a designer’s nightmare because a koke rod needs to be light enough to give the fish a sporting chance, while also being fast enough to handle jigs up to an ounce or more in deep water.
At this point, your best bet is to go with a 6- to 7-foot light-duty bass rig like Shimano’s Clarus CSC60MLA or GLoomis’ CR722C. That is until some enterprising rod company comes up with a koke jigger…