Man catches largest chinook salmon recorded at Lake Cd'A since 1994
<p>Larry Masuda of Post Falls poses with the 32.64-pound chinook salmon he caught Thursday at Lake Coeur d'Alene. It's the largest chinook recorded at the lake since 1994.</p>
A monster chinook salmon fished out of Lake Coeur d’Alene Thursday isn’t a record-breaker, but it’s darn close.
Boated by Larry Masuda of Post Falls, the 32.64-pound fish measured 38 inches in length with a 27-inch girth, making it the largest recorded chinook salmon caught at Lake Coeur d’Alene in 22 years.
Roger Blackstone, chairman of the Lake Coeur d’Alene Anglers Association, said a fish this size has not been recorded at the lake since 1994 when Leo Wolf reeled in a 30-pound chinook.
The state fresh water chinook salmon record, according to Idaho Fish and Game, was caught at Lake Coeur d’Alene in 1987 by Jane Clifford. That fish weighed 42 pounds, was 41.25 inches long and had a 29.75-inch girth.
“We’ve been thinking all these years it’s not going to happen again, but now, we’re thinking maybe it could, maybe even during the derby,” Blackstone said.
The Lake Coeur d’Alene Anglers Association will host its annual five-day Big One Derby beginning July 27. The derby attracts hundreds of salmon fishermen to the lake each year.
Blackstone said Masuda’s big catch is exciting for he and other local fishermen because there were several years when the salmon fishing wasn’t quite so good on Lake Coeur d’Alene. That has changed over the last few years since local anglers have worked with Fish and Game to help rebuild the fishery, Blackstone said.
“Now that there are a lot of kokanee in the lake, we’re seeing the bigger fish. That’s their feed source,” Blackstone said. “There are probably more kokanee in the lake than there have been in 30 years.”
And with so much to eat, the chinook are growing bigger and they’re doing it faster during their relatively short lifetimes. Blackstone said the average lifetime of a chinook salmon is about four years. Masuda’s catch was probably a 5-year-old fish, he said.
“Right now, we’re in a really good fish cycle,” Blackstone said. “It’s better than it’s been in about 25 years.”
For information about the upcoming Big One Derby, visit lcaaidaho.com.