record POLI T IC S plays Despite its supreme edibility and considerable sporting qualities, the Arctic char has long been considered the

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Dana Cynthia Griffin
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2 M I G R AT O R Y F I S H

3 POLI T IC S plays PART BUT record IS A WA R D E D This Arctic char is about one pound lighter than Jeffrey Ward s world record (pic- Despite its supreme edibility and considerable sporting qualities, the Arctic char has long been considered the weak sister in the pantheon tured below right). of stout northern game fish. Shaped like a salmon and marked like a trout, it is often unfairly disparaged when compared to either. 180 MIGRATORY

A taste for salmon eggs hasn t helped its reputation, nor has the fact that even experienced anglers often confuse it with the Dolly Varden, a close relation.

Disrespect and confusion aside, the Arctic char is a big buff coldwater fish that can more than hold its own on the hook or at the dinner table.

While Jeff Ward s giant char was caught in 1981, his world record application was evidently A big one tips the scales. not made to the IGFA until 1984.

fact, the record was originally disallowed, but pressure was brought to bear from tackle companies, the fishing lodge at which the catch was weighed, and even the Canadian government, anxious to

Even more irritating to then-igfa President Elwood Harry was the fact that the angler was part of a nationally-televised fishing show likely to benefit from the record association to Even more

Always sensitive to exploitation, Harry began to see red. HEARTY ARE CHAR!

4 A taste for salmon eggs hasn t helped its reputation, nor has the fact that even experienced anglers often confuse it with the Dolly Varden, a close relation. Nonetheless, the Arctic char is a worthy adversary on a wide variety of sporting tackle. It is resident in clear cold water lakes and streams, and there is even a seagoing anadromous population. Disrespect and confusion aside, the Arctic char is a big buff coldwater fish that can more than hold its own on the hook or at the dinner table. Indeed, any species that can grow to size in the coldest waters on earth is worthy of regard. With that said, even the all-tackle world record is something of a muddle. While Jeff Ward s giant char was caught in 1981, his world record application was evidently A big one tips the scales. not made to the IGFA until That should have been enough to disqualify it since there has long been a ninetyday window within which international catches must be submitted for record consideration (sixty days for those made within the United States). In fact, the record was originally disallowed, but pressure was brought to bear from tackle companies, the fishing lodge at which the catch was weighed, and even the Canadian government, anxious In fact, the record was originally disallowed, but pressure was brought to bear from tackle companies, the fishing lodge at which the catch was weighed, and even the Canadian government, anxious to promote angling in the region. Even more irritating to then-igfa President Elwood Harry was the fact that the angler was part of a nationally-televised fishing show likely to benefit from the record association to promote angling in the region. Even more irritating to then-igfa President Elwood Harry was the fact that the angler was part of a nationally-televised fishing show likely to benefit from the record association. Always sensitive to exploitation, Harry began to see red. HEARTY ARE CHAR! Of the two species of char for which the IGFA maintains world-record accounts, the Arctic runs twice the size of the whitespotted variety found in Russia. They feed like bears, gorging themselves in the summer and eating little during the winter months. When taken in the early fall, the Arctic char is marvelous eating: buttery and mild. Too bad you have to go so far to catch em. Despite his resistance, however, all variables surrounding the catch seemed to be in order, and the weigh-in had been extensively witnessed. Ultimately tired of the pressure, Harry finally decreed that the catch would be considered only in the all-tackle category and not as a line class record, perhaps justifying the decision based on the fact that the angler had employed an unusual I4 lb. test line for which the IGFA did not have a specific class. A curt note from Harry survives in the IGFA files, with its unmistakable tone of distaste. If Elwood had to live with the all-tackle record, he didn t have to like it. Although other captures have come tantalizingly close over the years, Jeff s catch survives today as both the species benchmark and an example of Harry s political pugnacity.

5 ARCTIC CHAR LOCATION Tree River, Northwest Territories, Canada SCIENTIFIC NAME Salvelinus alpinus WORLD RECORD WEIGHT 32 lb. 9 oz. (14.77 kg.) ANGLER Jeffrey Ward DATE OF CAPTURE July 30, 1981 BAIT Bass Buster jig TIME OF BATTLE 15 minutes PREVIOUS RECORD 29 lb. 11 oz., Jeanne Branson WORLD RECORD LENGTH 40.5 inches ( centimeters) TROPHY LENGTH 27 inches (68.58 centimeters) 182 MIGRATORY

BIGto No STRANGER chinook It s not common to find the actual lure that fooled a

Most have either been chewed to pieces or RETURN OF THE CHINOOK Chinook are the

overcome, but small stocks of chinooks have now evidently established themselves

It s a good thing too, since the salmon fishery off America's northwest coast

In this case however, the fateful lure used by Les Anderson to snare his giant

This historic bit of terminal tackle includes a cone-shaped body made from balsa

7 BIGto No STRANGER chinook It s not common to find the actual lure that fooled a world record fish in the IGFA files. Most have either been chewed to pieces or RETURN OF THE CHINOOK Chinook are the largest of the North American salmon and the one most often subjected to transplantation efforts. Well-meaning initiatives to establish new chinook populations have been attempted for more than 100 years. In most areas, the complexity of their spawning cycles has been too much to overcome, but small stocks of chinooks have now evidently established themselves in Chile, New Zealand, and the Great Lakes. It s a good thing too, since the salmon fishery off America's northwest coast has collapsed. lapsed. kept as souvenirs by the lucky angler. In this case however, the fateful lure used by Les Anderson to snare his giant chinook salmon is there. Of course, it s not much of a lure. This historic bit of terminal tackle includes a cone-shaped body made from balsa wood with two flexible rubber blades set into the sides. The Spin is evidently imparted by the blades while the Glow refers to the gaudy neon red and orange colors of the body. All in all, it looks rather like a radioactive bumblebee in search of its head. Aside from appearance, its modest size makes it barely worth 192 MIGRATORY

eating for a fish the size of a world record chinook. For his part, Mr.

looking lure. In fishing as in life, appearances can be deceiving. Clearly, he knew exactly what he was doing.

Les was a longtime resident of Alaska and had been fishing the Kenai for years.

always fished without a leader. Bites were more forthcoming that way.

Still, the classic photo of that day shows him with the widest possible smile even as he strains to hoist the monster fish.

hardwood trees in the throes of their seasonal growth. Oh and the salmon is of epic size.

Unlike some of its relations that appear to have swallowed a rainbow, the colors of a king salmon give a hued delicacy to its beauty.

feeder, acrobatic but not exhaustively so, a delicacy on the dinner table, and found only in the most magnificent of settings.

They come up the rivers in waves, mostly invisible from above but a cluttered waterborne highway underneath the surface.

Hopefully, Mr. Anderson found a better use for his.

8 eating for a fish the size of a world record chinook. For his part, Mr. Anderson appears to be a buttoned-down angler in his personal photograph in the IGFA file, and not likely to employ such a ridiculous looking lure. In fishing as in life, appearances can be deceiving. Clearly, he knew exactly what he was doing. In the event, the giant fish battled for almost an hour, dragging the angler s small boat up the Kenai River for more than a quarter-mile. Les was a longtime resident of Alaska and had been In the event, the giant fish battled for almost an hour, dragging the angler s small boat up the Kenai River for more than a quarter-mile. fishing the Kenai for years. He was well aware of the rough gravel bottom along some parts of the river that would occasionally cut a deep running fish loose, but he always fished without a leader. Bites were more forthcoming that way. He was also no stranger to big chinook, having landed previous lunkers up to sixty pounds. Still, the classic photo of that day shows him with the widest possible smile even as he strains to hoist the monster fish. The setting is pure Alaska: the angler bundled and be-wadered, steel utility buildings in the background, the sky gray and lined with hardwood trees in the throes of their seasonal growth. Oh and the salmon is of epic size. Chinook is the legendary king or Tyee salmon, its great size and leaping ability placing it at the head of the salmonid court. Unlike some of its relations that appear to have swallowed a rainbow, the colors of a king salmon give a hued delicacy to its beauty. In many ways, the chinook is the classic game fish: beautifully formed and colored, the largest of its kind, a willing but not overeager feeder, acrobatic but not exhaustively so, a delicacy on the dinner table, and found only in the most magnificent of settings. In Alaska, the chinook season peaks during the first week in July when the skies are brightest and the days without end. They come up the rivers in waves, mostly invisible from above but a cluttered waterborne highway underneath the surface. Bears feast and anglers labor when the salmon are in the river. To reduce such a fish to a can is to pervert the laws of nature. Hopefully, Mr. Anderson found a better use for his. ALEUTIANS OFFER PERFECTION If you re looking for a heavy dollop of scenery to go with your salmon fishing, there are few places as wild and lovely as those along Alaska s Aleutian chain. The king salmon begin entering the rivers there in June and peak around Independence Day. With nothing but wilderness at your back, you cast into a river barely as wide as New York s Fifth Avenue. Occasionally, your spoon stops moving and you are connected for a few special moments to one of the world s greatest fish.

9 CHINOOK SALMON LOCATION Kenai River, Alaska SCIENTIFIC NAME Oncorhynchus tshawytscha WORLD RECORD WEIGHT 97 lb. 4 oz. (44.11 kg.) ANGLER Les Anderson DATE OF CAPTURE May 17, 1985 BAIT drifting Spin-n-Glo lure TIME OF BATTLE 40 minutes PREVIOUS RECORD 93 lb., H. C. Rider WORLD RECORD LENGTH inches ( centimeters) TROPHY LENGTH 40 inches ( centimeters) 194 MIGRATORY

11 STRIPED BASS LOCATION Vermont Avenue jetty, Atlantic City, New Jersey SCIENTIFIC NAME Morone saxatilis WORLD RECORD WEIGHT 78 lb. 8 oz. (35.6 kg.) ANGLER Albert McReynolds DATE OF CAPTURE September 21, 1982 BAIT 5 ½" Rebel lure TIME OF BATTLE one hour 40 minutes PREVIOUS RECORD 76 lb., Bob Rochetta WORLD RECORD LENGTH 53 inches (135 centimeters) TROPHY LENGTH 40 inches ( centimeters) 210 MIGRATORY

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