Nearly Record Sized Chinook Salmon Caught In Michigan

Now that's a big fish. A Michigan fishing guide has earned some bragging rights after reeling in an absolute monster-sized chinook salmon in northern Michigan.

Larry Ramey was fishing on the Big Manistee River in Manistee County on Monday, September 9th when he caught the whopper which measured 42 inches long and weighed 40 pounds. It took him about 10 minutes to reel it in. The photo was posted to his Premier Angling Guides Facebook page. Ramey told MLive that it is the biggest Chinook Salmon he has ever seen in his 20 years as a fishing guide in Michigan.

I couldn’t even weigh it out. It’s substantial. Very rarely does the picture do the fish any justice. - Larry Ramey speaking to MLive

The average weight for that type of fish is 20 to 23 pounds. Several in the 30 to 35 pound range have been caught in Lake Michigan over the summer. The state record for chinook salmon record is 46 pounds and 43.5 inches long. It was caught in the Grand River in Kent County back in 1978, according to records from the DNR. Although Raney wasn't too far away from breaking the record, he will receive the Master Angler patch from the Michigan DNR. The fish exceeded the minimum length to earn the recognition at 39 inches.

The fish was released back into the water after measurements and photos were taken.