Sharon Leon, Les' stepdaughter, shared similar sentiments: "He was never braggadocios or ever brought it up. That brick red, 55¼-inch male weighing 71.1 pounds was caught across from RW's Fish and Big Eddy Resort on July 16, 2009. On July 15, 2009, angler Joel Atchison caught this massive … n/a: Joe Williams: Nightcrawler: Salmon River, … "The fish nearly stripped out all the line. Anderson’s king salmon weighed in at 97 pounds, four ounces — a rod-and-reel world record that still stands. "In recent years we've had some great research done on Kenai chinook that we can draw some probable assumptions about Les' big king," Pawluk said. Killey River, a tributary of the Lower Kenai River, whopping 126-pounder captured in a commercial fish trap near Petersburg in 1949, ‘It’s bad. Many have speculated that the king might have broken the mythic 100-pound mark fresh out of the water; most anglers acknowledge that fish quickly lose weight from drying out. "They take pictures with the fish and the carving of Les that sits outside our door. It’s really bad’: Anchorage nurses under pressure as COVID-19 pushes busy hospitals to the brink, ‘An absolute powerhouse’: Short film tells the incredible survival tale of Ada Blackjack, Tracking COVID-19 in Alaska: 2 deaths and 656 new cases reported Saturday, Police investigate death of 5-year-old boy in East Anchorage as homicide, Anchorage will return to a monthlong limited ‘hunker down’ in December. Still, genetics plays a role in the big-fish equation, affecting not only the age of maturity but the average size of various rivers' stocks. Among them: • Bank closures to protect spawning and riparian habitat; • Establishing 50-foot riparian protection zones; • Culverts that follow conservation-based standards; • Construction of light-penetrating walkways that allow vegetation to grow beneath; • Using cutting-edge ARIS sonar technology to count the king salmon that make it upstream. 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, they had to beach the boat to haul the fish out of the water," she said. Harry Stoner of Stockton broke the nearly three-year-old salmon record by.2 pounds with this 6.2 pound catch on February 28, 2010. "It was quite an exciting day for him, for us, for all the Peninsula. That right time wasn't just early in the year. Salmon lose the silvery blue they had as ocean fish, and their color darkens, sometimes with a radical change in hue. Pawluk said other whoppers have been caught — including some 80- and 90-plus-pounders — between 1987 and 2003, when the sealing regulations began. The river had been running low that year. Top notch operation! Everyone interviewed for this story agreed it's possible. The king measured 58 1/4 inches long, 37 1/4 inches around. "The resulting collective community efforts to protect, restore and enhance both fish habitat and angler access have proven successful," he said. He enjoyed the quiet of the river. A 1992 study suggested that Kenai River chinook (both sexes) were the largest kings after four years in the ocean — bigger than 43 other chinook stocks sampled in Alaska, British Columbia and the Lower 48 states. The Kenai River in Alaska has pumped out more monster Chinook than anywhere. © 2020 Anchorage Daily News. We returned the next summer with friends.... - Bob Sanders, Aberdeen, SD, ....and we all landed beautiful Kings; one topping 50 lbs. The remainder spawn in Funny River, with no main-stem spawners ever being tagged in May. We have netted several 50 lb.+ kings over the years. There were two other large salmon caught on the same day. Could another fish be out there big enough to break Les' record? "Les loved to fish, but that's not the same as a love of big fish. King Salmon: 97 lbs 4 oz 1985 Kenai River Lester Anderson Chum Salmon: 32 lbs 1985 Camano Point Fredrick Thynes Coho Salmon: 26 lbs 1976 Icy Strait Andrew Robbins Cutthroat Trout: 8 lbs 6 oz 1977 Wilson Lake Robert Denison He was just out there to have fun, and honestly, he was always — before and after — the type of guy who was just as happy to bring someone along and see them catch a fish," said Clara Anderson, widow of Les Anderson, who 31 years ago today (Tuesday, May 17, 1985) landed a 97-pound, 4-ounce king salmon to set the world record. P.O. It was also early in the morning, around 6:30 a.m. "We fished every day before work back then, and he took off around 3 or 4 a.m.," said Clara, who's no salmon-catching slouch herself, having landed an 85-pound fish that held the family record until Les hauled in his hawg. Last year alone, we had people from 54 countries — from Australia to Ecuador — take pictures with Les.". Why isn't completely clear, but it is believed to be related to less-favorable marine conditions. The salmon undergo radical morphological changes as they prepare for the spawning event ahead. The few times I fished with him, people would recognize him and point and whisper, but he was never in it.". "Using recent radio telemetry and genetic data, we know that the majority of chinook entering the river in May eventually enter and spawn in the Killey River, a tributary of the Lower Kenai River. "In 1987, there were 222 registered guides with no hours restriction on when they could fish and (only) one day of no fishing, whereas as recently as 2014 there were 336 registered fishing guides who were restricted to fishing from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., five days a week," Pawluk said. In terms of salmon science, Jason Pawluk, assistant area manager with the Soldotna office of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, said technology and methodology have come a long way in the 31 years since Anderson caught his salmon. - Mark Berndt, We spent a day with Kenai Outfitters and boated 2 Kings over 40 lbs. Soaking a Spin-N-Glo lure with eggs near Honeymoon Cove, Mile 13 of the river, Les heard the familiar whine of his reel letting out line. Some have also been caught since 2003, but the fish were released rather than harvested, so there is no record of them at Fish and Game. Les was 68 years old when he caught that king, and while it brought him many years of celebrity in fishing circles, his family said the fame never went to his head. Les' record still stands, and it has secured him a place in the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame. The declining age of returning salmon in recent years may help explain why fewer big fish are found. King salmon can spend anywhere from one to six years in the ocean feeding before returning to their natal streams to spawn, and his was believed to have been 4 or 5 years old. (Retired Record) 11 lb. Kenai Outfitters always exceeds our expectations on every trip...... - Dan & Irene Nowak, Anchorage, Alaska, ..... Kenai Outfitters knowledge of the Kasilof River and World famous Kenai River is absolutely amazing. In Les' day, returning fish were slightly older. While in Soldotna, we went fishing on the Kasilof River with Kenai Outfitters, It was truly one of the most memorable experiences during our vacation in Alaska. - Colorado Springs, CO. Kenai Outfitters have terrific fishing guides with tremendous river fishing knowledge, excellent drift boat skills, and the patience to teach us the intricacies of King salmon fishing. Les' world record is for a king caught using a rod and reel, but the largest Alaska king caught by any means was a whopping 126-pounder captured in a commercial fish trap near Petersburg in 1949. "In general, fishing regulations for chinook salmon on the Kenai River in 1987 were more liberal than they are now. Salmon are sexually dimorphic, and the male salmon develop canine-like teeth and their jaws develop a pronounced curve or hook, called a "kype". Les passed away in 2003, but his fame persists. - Bob Sanders, Aberdeen, SD. Soldotna Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center. SOLDOTNA — While thousands of enthusiastic anglers come to Alaska hoping to land the fish of a lifetime, for one man who did — still remembered as the man in Soldotna — catching the world record king salmon was in many ways simply one of many wonderful days spent on the aquamarine waters of the Kenai River.

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