Holy crap RichG.. I haven't seen that pic on some time... Now that's a real native... Certainly in the high 20's..

As for the original fish posted... Looking again, that fish is lucky to go 25... IMHO... But, we've only boated one fish this year that was over 20 and it was 24.5lbs.. A nice fish. But I didn't call it 30.

Keith

Hey Rich-
Thanks for resurfacing that photo. IMHO, that is the finest steelhead I have ever laid eyes on!

I absolutely love that photo!!

Looking again at that last pic, I wouldn't argue at 30lbs... Sure wish they would have taken dimentions of that fish. The guy himself looks 6'2" and he's not holding it out that far... Hell of a fish..

Keith

Yeah, we can only creem in our jeans over that one .

Thats a fish in a thousand lifetimes.

Boy that little turd im holdin in my moniker really looks small compared to that monster.

Here's one of the larger steelhead I've taken.. Probably 25-26lbs. It was never taped nor weighed....

Keith

Nice one Keith!

Only one over 20 for me, and a crappy photo to boot.

not worthy of showing the pic

Lots of skeptics on the weight of the original fish posted. It looks every bit of 43" long to me. A girth of 26" yields 3 X 5 proportions which are very believable, even for a steelhead. Remember those really big ones get a lot less snakey and start to look more like a rotund salmon.

The other hawg photo posted (an exceptional fish as well) gives the illusion of being much bigger due to the composition of the shot. Tighter zoom, more depth of field, and the angler's left arm is nearly fully extended toward the camera straight out from the shoulder (look at it again, Keith) makes the fish's head look like a football. Look how far out that fish is from the guy's knee... his four fingers look broader than his knee clad in thick neoprenes.

The composition in the first shot depicts a fish in the smallest possible manner to the mind's eye. It is very wide angle, nearly flat in depth, and the guys left arm is clearly extended 90 degrees to the camera. The fish is being held in a plane very close to his body (between his legs). A very true-to-life shot, and unlike most of the pictures that make magazine covers these days, there is no optical illusion to inflate the size of the fish.

I see no reason to believe that the first hawg is any smaller than the second... I suspect it's probably the other way around. But what do I know, I'm just an eye doctor.

TRBO

Is this the one you are talking about? 46 x 26

Image Removed , Bob


Tell me this beast didn't get bonked.

Got to agree with most of you guys, that first fish is not close to 30 lbs... I would think around 22- 24 lbs- and I have caught more than a handfull of fish over 20... One things for sure, thats what its all about. Thats one pretty fish

That's the one FnP ... shouldn't have been bonked since the waters were closed to retention.

I've removed the pic as I in some instances don't want pic copied or pulled off of my server, and I'm sure the feeling would be mutual in this case

Don't forget Photoshop retouching when criticizing claims made by fishermen. Having caught a huge Chinook last fall I know how fast people are to criticize the size. It doesn't apply here but some fish being bragged about have been blown up using computer technology. I won't name names but whenever you post a shot of a hog be ready for a blast from the wannabees..

Wow. That's a super nice fish.

It is really long, regardless of the girth.

All I know is that this fish is a million times larger and nicer than what I have not caught this year!

This has been my worse steelhead season in years. Just not getting out all that much, and when I do, it has sucked.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but here it seems to be worth a thousand flames.

I took a picture of a 32lb chinook last fall that because of the angle of the picture looks maybe 20lbs. I have another picture of a 22lb chinook that looks to be 35lbs because my daughter is in the pic. The measurements don't lie, so I choose to believe the guy. What a fish!

Makes me wonder though....if the guy hadn't posted a picture, but just the measurements, would anyone believe he caught a 35lb steelhead then? Damned if you do, damned if you don't. I guess the only thing to do is to bring those trophy native fish to the scale.......

Nah,

The only thing to do is revel in the fact that everybody is green with envy because no matter what it REALLY weighed, it was a damn sight nicer than anything they landed over the weekend.........or ever.

It's bigger than my best, that's for sure.

These kinds of pictures will be a thing of the past. The do-gooder law says don't take the fish out of the water.

Ya know, I read this thread over and over...and still have to pick my lower jaw up off the keyboard each time and wipe the slobber off my face....

Those (all of those hogs!) are just simply incredible fish. The stuff dreams are made of...at least my dreams!

Just the thought of hooking one of those beasts...let alone getting it to the beach/boat...is what continues to bring so many of us back to the rivers week after week...day after day...hoping...dreaming...praying.

......someday...one of those will be there when my offering floats by...I can just see him taking it, turning...heading back to the depths of that hole......FISH ON!

...and then I wake up...

Someday.....it'll happen.

Mike

These kinds of pictures will be a thing of the past. The do-gooder law says don't take the fish out of the water.

FishNPhysician,
I agree with angles and what not. The fish we caught this year that was 24.5lbs pictures didn't do the fish justice.

But after years of steelheading and over 2000 steelhead landed you begin to get a keen eye for the size of a fish. I've landed many in that went 20+ and lost a couple handfuls that met that mark too...

I'm not arguing by any means, and not flaming the pic... I'm as jealous as any to see such a fish of size and chromeness. Certainly close to a once in a lifetime fish.

Again, just looking at the dimentions of the fish, hand size, head size of the fish, tail girth etc... It's too bad that the picture doesn't do the fish justice.

As for a 43x26" fish, I am a see it to beleive it kind of guy... I don't think we've seen it..
Keith

Hey Physician,
Take a honest guess at the size of my fish (the dark one) that I posted.

No hard feelings here, but I'm wondering what you think it weighs...
Keith

Gorgeous fish, nice pic too............
my only point of reference would be to look at the tail wrist - it looks too small to be a 30# fish, but still way bigger than my best.