M IG RAT ORY F I SH

180 M I G R A T O R Y

Despite its supreme edibil-

ity and considerable sport-

ing qualities, the Arctic char

has long been considered the

weak sister in the pantheon

of stout northern game � sh.

Shaped like a salmon and

marked like a trout, it is often

unfairly disparaged when

compared to either.

This Arctic char is about one

pound lighter than Jeffrey

Ward’s world record (pic-

tured below right).

compared to either.

plays POLITICS

PARTBUT record

AWA R D E D

› ›

AWA R D E D

IS

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 sport-

ing tackle. It is resident in clear cold water

lakes and streams, and there is even a sea-

going anadromous population. Disrespect

and confusion aside, the Arctic char is a big

buff coldwater � sh 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

not made to the IGFA until 1984. That should have been

enough to disqualify it since there has long been a ninety-

day 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

� shing 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 � shing show likely

to bene� t from the record association. Always sensitive to

exploitation, Harry began to see red.

Despite his resistance, however, all variables sur-

rounding the catch seemed to be in order, and the weigh-in

had been extensively witnessed. Ultimately tired of the

pressure, Harry � nally decreed that the catch would be con-

sidered 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 speci� c class. A curt note from

Harry survives in the IGFA � les, 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.

HEARTY ARE CHAR!

In fact, the record was originally disal-

lowed, but pressure was brought to bear

from tackle companies, the � shing lodge at

which the catch was weighed, and even the

Canadian government, anxious to promote

angling in the region. Even more irritat-

ing to then-IGFA President Elwood Harry

was the fact that the angler was part of a

nationally-televised � shing show likely to

bene� t from the record association

Arctic char is a worthy adversary on a wide variety of sport-Arctic char is a worthy adversary on a wide variety of sport-

buff coldwater � sh that can more than hold its buff coldwater � sh that can more than hold its

own on the hook or at the dinner table. Indeed, own on the hook or at the dinner table. Indeed,

any species that can grow to size in the coldest any species that can grow to size in the coldest

submitted for record consideration submitted for record consideration

those made within the United Statesthose made within the United States

record was originally disallowed, but pressure record was originally disallowed, but pressure

was brought to bear from tackle companies, the was brought to bear from tackle companies, the

� shing lodge at which the catch was weighed, � shing lodge at which the catch was weighed,

and even the Canadian government, anxious and even the Canadian government, anxious

In fact, the record was originally disal-

A big one tips the scales.

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.

HEARTY ARE CHAR!

Of the two species of char for which the IGFA maintains Of the two species of char for which the IGFA maintains

world-record accounts, the Arctic runs twice the size of the world-record accounts, the Arctic runs twice the size of the

whitespotted variety found in Russia. They feed like bears, whitespotted variety found in Russia. They feed like bears,

182 M I G R A T O R Y

SCIENTIFIC NAMESalvelinus alpinus

WORLD RECORD WEIGHT32 lb. 9 oz. (14.77 kg.)

ANGLERJeffrey Ward

DATE OF CAPTUREJuly 30, 1981

BAITBass Buster jig

TIME OF BATTLE15 minutes

PREVIOUS RECORD29 lb. 11 oz., Jeanne Branson

LOCATIONTree River, Northwest Territories, Canada

A R C T I C

CHAR

WORLD RECORD LENGTH

40.5 inches (102.87 centimeters)

TROPHY LENGTH

27 inches (68.58 centimeters)

192 M I G R A T O R Y

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 � ex-

ible 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

It’s not common to � nd

the actual lure that fooled

a world record � sh in the

IGFA � les. Most have either

been chewed to pieces or

kept as souvenirs by

the lucky angler.

No STRANGER

chinookBIG

to

Chinook are the largest of the North American salmon

and the one most often subjected to transplantation

efforts. Well-meaning initiatives to establish new chi-

nook 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

� shery off America's

northwest coast

has collapsed.

RETURN OF THE CHINO OK

thing too, since the salmonthing too, since the salmon

� shery off America's � shery off America's

northwest coast northwest coast

has collapsed. has collapsed.

eating for a � sh 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 � le, and not likely to

employ such a ridiculous looking lure. In � shing as in life,

appearances can be deceiving. Clearly, he knew exactly what

he was doing.

In the event, the giant � sh 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

� shing the Kenai for years. He was well aware of the rough

gravel bottom along some parts of the river that would occa-

sionally cut a deep running � sh loose, but he always � shed

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 � sh. 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 � sh: beautifully formed and colored, the larg-

est 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 magni� cent of settings. In Alaska,

the chinook season peaks during the � rst 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 � sh to a can is to pervert the laws of nature.

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

In the event, the giant � sh battled for

almost an hour, dragging the angler’s

small boat up the Kenai River for more

than a quarter-mile.

If you’re looking for a heavy dollop of scenery to go with

your salmon � shing, 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 � sh.

ALEUTIANS OFFER PERFECTION

Les was a longtime resident of Alaska and had been Les was a longtime resident of Alaska and had been

to hoist the monster � sh. The setting is pure to hoist the monster � sh. The setting is pure

Alaska: the angler bundled and be-wadered, Alaska: the angler bundled and be-wadered,

steel utility buildings in the background, the steel utility buildings in the background, the

sky gray and lined with hardwood sky gray and lined with hardwood

trees in the throes of their seasonal trees in the throes of their seasonal

growth. Oh…and the salmon is of growth. Oh…and the salmon is of

epic size.epic size.

194 M I G R A T O R Y

SCIENTIFIC NAMEOncorhynchus tshawytscha

WORLD RECORD WEIGHT97 lb. 4 oz. (44.11 kg.)

ANGLERLes Anderson

DATE OF CAPTUREMay 17, 1985

BAITdrifting Spin-n-Glo lure

TIME OF BATTLE40 minutes

PREVIOUS RECORD93 lb., H. C. Rider

LOCATIONKenai River, Alaska

SALMONC H I N O O K

WORLD RECORD LENGTH

58.75 inches (149.22 centimeters)

TROPHY LENGTH

40 inches (101.60 centimeters)

210 M I G R A T O R Y

BASSSTRIPED

SCIENTIFIC NAMEMorone saxatilis

WORLD RECORD WEIGHT78 lb. 8 oz. (35.6 kg.)

ANGLERAlbert McReynolds

DATE OF CAPTURESeptember 21, 1982

BAIT5 ½" Rebel lure

TIME OF BATTLEone hour 40 minutes

PREVIOUS RECORD76 lb., Bob Rochetta

LOCATIONVermont Avenue jetty, Atlantic City, New Jersey

WORLD RECORD LENGTH

53 inches (135 centimeters)

TROPHY LENGTH

40 inches (101.60 centimeters)