Giant Chinook One Of The First Catches Of Season

Steamboat Bay's resident manager, Brandi Cornelius, shows off an almost 57-pound Chinook. (STEAMBOAT BAY FISHING CLUB)
Steamboat Bay’s resident manager, Brandi Cornelius, shows off an almost 57-pound Chinook. (STEAMBOAT BAY FISHING CLUB)

Thanks to Steamboat Bay Fishing Club’s (800-354-3474; steamboatbay.com) PR rep Emily Briner for the report on this massive Chinook, caught near the lodge in Southeast Alaska. (Briner reports this was a native Chinook and not an adipose fin-clipped hatchery fish):

On Steamboat Bay Fishing Club‘s opening day in Southeast Alaska, Dan Sobek of Southern California reeled in the first catch of the season, a trophy-size king salmon weighing in at 56.8 pounds. A Chinook of this size this early in the season indicates that big king salmon will be abundant at Southeast Alaska’s legendary fishing spots all season long, now through mid-August.
 
Guests at the closest lodge to the best fishing in Southeast Alaska are enjoying 2014’s increased limits for king salmon, as set by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. The season limits mean nonresident guests at Steamboat Bay can keep up to two king salmon per day during peak season, doubling the allowance from earlier years. Combine these copious limits and signs of plentiful fish with Steamboat Bay’s recent accommodation expansion and new upgraded fishing fleet, and this season is set to be one for the record books.  

For more information on Steamboat Bay Fishing Club, click here.