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.
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 salmon are by far the most predominate of the two introduced Pacific salmon species, and the cohos typically run the entire length of the river in pods fairly quickly. (A decent run of steelhead and some brown trout show up a bit later.)
The salmon gorge themselves on alewife in Lake Ontario, and often grow to be very large the few years between their birth and the beginning of their spawning runs. The fish are only in the river a few weeks before dying. This year the Salmon River has been plagued by low water as releases from the upstream dam have greatly diminished due to the drought that occurred over the summer.
Olivio hooked his monster coho while swinging a streamer on a fly rod. Because of the fish’s size and reaction to being hooked, Olivio and his guide Jay Peck originally thought he had caught a king salmon. But when the fish later cleared the water and revealed its colors, they knew that he was into a big coho.
After a lengthy fight, the salmon was finally brought close to shore and netted by the guide.
The fish measured a lengthy 42.75 inches (108.5 cm) with a 24 inch (61 cm) girth, leading the angler to estimate the fish’s weight at 34 pounds (15.4 kg).
Olivio, sure that the world record coho must have come from Alaska, was shocked to find out that it was caught in the same river he was fishing. The current world record coho salmon, caught in the same river in 1989, weighed 33 pounds 4 ounces (15.1 kg).
Since the fish was released its size cannot be confirmed, and it is not eligible for official world record consideration. Olivio says releasing the fish was “the single most important thing we chose to do.”
You can read a full account of the catch on the Chronicle Outdoors website by clicking here.
I would note that while “combat fishing” is a common occurrence on the Salmon River, the claim by the author of that Chronicle Outdoors article that having some breathing room is “unheard of” is simply not true. There have been plenty of times that I was the only person on the water for 100 yards or more during the salmon run.
Last year another potential world record coho salmon caught in New York weighing in at 35 pounds and 1 ounce (15.9 kg) on a certified scale was disqualified when a state fisheries biologist determined that it was a chinook-coho hybrid. You can read about that story here.
For more on fishing the Salmon River, including maps and details on public access areas, see the New York State DNC’s information page at http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/37926.html
I recently caught a coho salmon at Oak Orchard, New York in October that was 43 inches & weighed in at 29lbs 14oz. I had it measured at Narbys Superette & tackle in Point Breeze, NY. I am in the process of getting it mounted. They had said I was close to the record but came up short on the weight. They were supposed to look into it but I havent heard anything back from them.
The world record coho is 33 pounds 4 ounces. The New York state record is 33 pounds 7 ounces. You may wonder why the NY state record would be larger than the world record. That’s because the records are maintained by different agencies that have their own application processes and rules for acceptance. You may have a chance at some line class records with the IGFA or the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. If it interests you, those are things you should look into. In any event that’s quite a catch Brad.
Actually, I caught a 43 Lb 8 Oz Coho Salmon on Lake Michigan in 1978. I was in the Army, stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado and while I was on leave to Waukegan, Illinois I caught the Coho. I was on my last day of leave and was due to drive back to Colorado, but my father in law and his neighbor hijacked me and took me out on the neighbor’s boat to try one more time to catch a Coho. I caught the fish and we were back on our way to my inlaw’s house before 7 AM. I weighed and photographed the fish, but there were no places to enter the fish into the record because it was Sunday morning. I know it’s a fish story, but I still have the memory and the photos of that fish. I believe if I had remained in town until later when I could have recorded the fish that I would have won a boat, motor, and trailer. Oh well, it’s all about the fishing anyway.
That sounds like a heck of a fish Gary! I would like to see the pictures, but anyway like you said you have the memories. Some of my best memories probably stick in my mind because I didn’t have a camera around. I caught the biggest brown trout of my life at almost three feet long when there was no camera around. I’ll never forget it.
I hooked a large king salmon at Hakkai Pass in Vancouver, Canada.
That was a large fish. It took around 1 hour and 49 minutes to bring it to the boat. But i wasn’t sure how to bring it up since it tried to stay away from the boat. Oh well, he got off the hooks when he spun down the boat. I could see him going away. That was a big excitement for me. But, I will never forget how close i was to capturing this fish.
That sounds like a real fight. Kings can put up a real battle. At least you have the memories. And you know what they say about the one that got away.