Flaming Gorge Reservoir, the world’s most prolific big kokanee salmon factory, out-did itself on June 14, 2009 when Brian Ekx of Vance’s Tackle set a new reservoir and Wyoming State record with this monster 24.75-inch, 6.26-pound koke!

The leviathan smacked a pink/blue No. 1 Vance’s Sockeye Slammer towed behind a blue/copper Vance’s dodger. At the helm? The man himself, Vance Staplin, who said that the record fish almost didn’t happen because Brian’s dad Scott, had a “small” 3.5-pound koke on at the same time that tried it’s best to tangle up Brian’s line.

The ocean-sized landlock set the record — and also helped propel Team Vance’s to victory in the Buckboard Marina Fishing Classic.

Ekx’s fish beat the previous record of 6.04 pounds, which had stood since 2009. Though certainly a massive koke, the new Wyoming record was still well shy of the all-tackle world record of 9 pounds, 6 ounces, which was caught by Norm Kuhn in Okanagan Lake, British Columbia on June 18, 1988.

The downside of the whole deal…if you can call it that…is locals say that the fish are so big this year at the Gorge, that Ekx’s record (and who knows…maybe the world mark) may not make it out of the summer alive. Stay tuned!