Record for pink salmon broken!

[MikeFishes]

I got this email today.

WDFW NEWS RELEASE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
http://wdfw.wa.gov/

October 23, 2007
Contact: John Kerwin, (360) 902-2681

Record pink salmon photos:

Record pink salmon on lawn (http://wdfw.wa.gov/do/newreal/recordpink01.jpg)
Adam Stewart with record pink salmon (http://wdfw.wa.gov/do/newreal/recordpink02.jpg)
Arlington angler reels in record-breaking pink salmon

OLYMPIA - Adam Stewart, a 19-year-old angler from Arlington, has set a new state record for the largest pink salmon caught in state waters, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) confirmed today.

Stewart caught the 15.4-pound salmon Oct. 11 on the lower Stillaguamish River in Snohomish County, and immediately had its weight certified at a grocery store in Arlington.

The fish was 31 inches long, with a girth of 24.75 inches, said Don Rothaus, a WDFW fish biologist. In certifying the catch, Rothaus noted the "huge" hump on its back, characteristic of male pink salmon returning to spawn.

"At first, I thought I had a coho on the line," said Stewart, a metal and glass cutter, who was fishing with spinning gear and 10-pound test line. "Then that huge hump caught the current broadside and just starting peeling line off my rod.

"I didn't really know what I had until I got it to the beach," he said.

The previous state record was a 14.86-pound pink salmon caught in the Skykomish River in 2001. That fish currently holds the world record as determined by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA), which also may put Stewart's pink salmon in line for that title.

"I know Adam has been in touch with the IGFA," said Keith Underwood, WDFW gamefish records coordinator.

While Stewart's 15.4-pound fish claimed the state record for a pink salmon caught in freshwater, an 11.56-pound fish caught off Possession Point in 2001 still holds the state title for the largest pink salmon caught in saltwater.

Pink salmon, which generally weigh three to five pounds, are the smallest and most abundant of the Pacific salmon. Also known as "humpies," most pink salmon return to Washington waters in odd-numbered years. Nearly 3.3 million pink salmon are expected to return to rivers and stream in the Puget Sound area this year.

[A9]

Saw this on another board a weeka ago.
I'd be scared to touch that thing...

[travislikesfishing]

that is an ugly fish is it sick or something or should it like like that?????awwwwwwww awwwwwwww its the salmon hunch back of the river. awwwwwwwaww

[Fisherman_max]

what is funny is that i was just on dick nitelures website and saw a picture of the previos world record humpy caught on a dick night spoons and it was caught i think in the snohomish river? but anyway what a coincidence

[A9]

Yep the last record was caught on the sky and this one was up in that system too...

[fishnislife]

NICE!
Congrats to Adam.
Get that guy in here!

That is an ugly sucka. But I'd still take it.


fishnislife

[jake campbell]

You city folk need to get some fishin lessons from us Arlington boys, I fish with Adam Stewart all the time, The guy nails the fish.

Congrats.

[Fisherman_max]

city folk haha i just recently moved into the city, i was born and raised in the middle of nowhere fishing creeks and stuff haha

[Fish-or-man?]

Hopefully he gets the world record. That whole certification process seems strange and confusing to me.

[Fisherman_max]

yea i know they have very strict rules on what scale you use and stuff like that

[Derrick-k]

Nasty looking thing what is he gonna do with it? Is he gonna eat it?!?

[Fisherman_max]

i think if he did eat the thing it would severily drop his chanches of having it put in the record books, i think he had to put it on ice and then ship it to the headquarters or sumthing so they could verify that it is a record and i think they have to disect it and make sure he dident add weight and stuff to it and all that mumbo-jumbo

[A9]

Nope all you do is go to a certified weigh station and get someone from the WDFW and verify it for the books..

[Fish-or-man?]

Well, if he doesn't save it for the record he could always cut its head and tail off and rent it out as a manhole cover.

[Fisherman_max]

haha sounds like an idea haha

[travislikesfishing]

i here that any digital rapala scale if seen by WDFW people is counted as the offical weight. does any1 know if thats true?