For the rest of Anderson’s life — he died in 2003 — he was introduced to people as “the man who caught the world-record salmon.” Sometimes, for short, Anderson’s memorable catch was referred to as “the big fish,” with everyone knowing which fish was being talked about. The mammoth Chinook was nearly 5 feet long and had an amazing 37.5-inch girth! In short, Les Anderson has set the bar high with his record king — the heaviest salmon ever recorded by the IGFA. But its not an IGFA world record because it was commercially caught in a net. Of course, it was one of those rare sunny & warm days in coastal Alaska…and the sun beat down on that fish for 7 hours before it was officially weighed. Unfortunately, the mold was destroyed along with a reproduction in a fire that leveled his fathers taxidermy shop in Hoquiam, WA in 1997. The world record sport caught King Salmon was from Alaska on the Kenai River in 1985 and weighed an incredible 97 pounds! World records… in Pacific salmon are made in British Columbia waters… “Heintz Wichmann’s 92 pound salmon came from the Skeena river”. I found a Zippo lighter that is engraved ” World Record Salmon 92 lbs.” How can I find the rightfull owner? Best Place to Fish Salmon in Alaska – 9 Amazing Spots - EatThatFish.com. The fish gods were with him that day! He sold a few reproductions out of the mold to sea food restaurants in different places. For the rest of Anderson’s life — he died in 2003 — he was introduced to people as “the man who caught the world-record salmon.” This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Anderson’s king salmon weighed in at 97 pounds, four ounces — a rod-and-reel world record that still stands. The Salmon River is home to an annual fall run of chinook (king) salmon, coho salmon and what remains of the Atlantic salmon after which the river was originally named. Chinook may spend one to eight years in the ocean (averaging from three to four years) before returning to their home rivers to spawn. Les Anderson, holder of the world record for his 97-1/4 lbs. Even the Sacramento in California has produced kings to 88 pounds in recent times and may have had even larger ones historically. My husband has personally seen the mount and his father also had a fiberglass mold that he made off the mount. For populations of King Salmon to thrive, … I’m in a restaurant in Seattle and they have a pic of a teddy roosevelt looking guy that caught a 124 lb fish. Billy, did ya snap a pic of that photo for us? They rushed it to a scale in town where onlookers who had heard tell of a giant catch were already gathered. Three times Anderson reeled the fish up to the side of the craft, but it was too large to haul in. Before the dams, the Columbia River was reported to have 100 pounders as did Washington’s Elwah River. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Use the search form above to find fishing world records for freshwater fish, saltwater fish, and more. The improbable catch took place during the Kenai’s early run of kings, which typically features smaller salmon than the July run. Not going to mention any names but anyone that knew my husbands father knows who we are talking about. 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. 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. Finally Anderson subdued it by leading it to land. Salmon lose the silvery blue they had as ocean fish, and their color darkens, sometimes with a radical change in hue. I can be contacted at zapme_3@hotmail.com, […] back in history, Les Anderson caught the biggest king salmon at this river which weighed 97 pounds and 4 ounces making it on the […]. That fish was commercially caught and is the true largest king salmon ever recorded. August 1, 2008 By JD 12 Comments. Anderson’s 97-4 is the official record, but there have been even larger undocumented catches. Anderson’s king salmon weighed in at 97 pounds, four ounces — a rod-and-reel world record that still stands. From the Field and Stream, May 1971 page 84. The mammoth Chinook was nearly 5 feet long and had an amazing 37.5-inch girth! Well, not in Les’s lifetime did that happen. Anderson and partner Bud Lofstedt were fishing for early-season king salmon on the Kenai River, the world-famous Alaska salmon stream, when Anderson hooked up for the fight of his life. Once Anderson and Lofstedt gazed upon the full size of the monster lifted from the water, they realized it was imperative that it be weighed as soon as possible before it dried out and too much poundage was lost. The fish of everyone’s dreams was caught by Soldotna auto dealer Les Anderson early on the morning of May 17, 1985, much to his own shock. Learn how your comment data is processed. Today, the mount of Anderson’s record catch is on display at the Soldotna Visitors Association building. On September 19, angler Tom Olivio of Montana caught and released what he claims could have been a world record coho (silver) salmon on the Salmon River in upstate New York. You can stop in and pay homage to the record king salmon at the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce where’s he mounted and on display. A commercial fishing boat in British Columbia in the 1970’s caught one weighed at 126 pounds! Anderson, 68 at the time, was using a spin-n-glo and salmon eggs, and the powerful chinook the bait attracted had the muscle to pull Anderson around in his little boat. Les Anderson died on August 26, 2003 holding the current record. Filed Under: Best of FishwithJD, Fishing Stories, Trophy Room Tagged With: alaska, chinook salmon, kenai river, skeena river, world record king salmon, Good old Les !! All fish must be caught per IGFA rules. The salmon undergo radical morphological changes as they prepare for the spawning event ahead. Chris Clark’s Olympic Marathon Trials Victory, Dolly Lefever Becomes First American Woman to Complete the Seven Summits, Kodiak Boys Basketball State Championship, Special Olympics World Games Comes to Anchorage. Conclusion Although it was originally founded as a saltwater angling organization in 1939, the IGFA is proud of its rich 36 year history in the world of freshwater fishing. In 2001, a German tourist caught and released a 99.1-pound Chinook on B.C.’s Skeena River, so there’s still a chance. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. King salmon wished everyone the best in beating the record and “taking the heat off of me!”. 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