Syracuse.com - Retired SUNY ESF prof hooks trophy-sized chinook on Salmon River

HuntingNY-News · August 30, 2013

"The fish was so heavy that I could not lift it out of the water for the photo but just temporarily, even on my knees," he said.

Andy Sanders, a retired SUNY ESF professor, landed a trophy-sized chinook salmon this week while fishing The Douglaston Run on the lower part of the Salmon River this week. It was one of 14 fish he caught.

Sanders wrote: "A half day on the water, despite adverse river reports and the heat today, was, well, amazing for me at the DSR stretch of the Salmon River..landing this 41 inch king was a battle I will never, ever forget...in the end, could not believe I landed it.

"I deliberately fought it out at the last in swift, shallow ,rock-filled water as the fish went down stream...to keep the fish in current and healthy, even as I worked it near the weedy bank, so a quick photo and release...and it shot off!

"Caught on a #6 wet fly, in the mouth...AND imagine, I had hooked this same fish 30 minutes earlier, and it broke off..because it had my same kind of fly, unique, on edge of its lip! I pushed it upstream, head first, as I waited for Roy to bring my camera and slowly pushed the fish into slightly shallower water approximately 10 feet upstream...did not want a repeat of last year with a hook embedded in my finger...and then as I tried to hold onto the fish waiting for the camera to arrive, the other fly and tippet tore out.

I" could not retrieve it nor even my fly rod for the photo because of the weight of the fish and its I darn near lost the fish then that I was holding onto by the tail with my new nethand....I no longer use a net on the river. This fish was so heavy that I could not lift it out of the water for the photo but just momentarily, even on my knees.

"Hooked 14 today, 5-6 legal, last fish that I lost was incredible, too...saw it grab the same kind of fly, and then it shot off, up stream, around beind me in a big arc, then downstream in only 6 inches of shallow water for 40 about yards.....with the top half of the upper body exposed the whole time! Then farther down,and back into deeper water, taking me into my backing until the tippet popped!"

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog