Nice fish FnP, figured you would prove me wrong still though, not many look like that.

Some how I knew Fpn had already used this one

Isn't there a similar law in AK that states you are *NOT* allowed to fully remove a king from the water unless it is to be retained???? Mr. I Don't Keep Big Kenai Kings.

Oh sure, the *other* guy in the photo kept it. Where have I heard that line before... :rolleyes:

(Note all the winky and smiley faces.)

I see white gums. That's a coho!

"Forgive me, Parker, for I have sinned..."

Yes you are correct, that fish was removed from the water in its entirety, and unceremoniously bonked shortly after the "live fish" pics were taken. That shot was taken many moons ago... note the much younger, paler, beardless fNp... two years before I started my Release-A-Hawg crusade. For the record, I personally killed one other 50#plus hawg that trip. I am still regretting it to this very day. I have since seen the error of my ways and stand repentant of my evil deeds.

The young man (Randy) standing next to me hooked this gorgeous platinum buck in the old days when I actually let people hold their own rods while backtrolling. The other young fellow (Timmy), standing with only tennis shoes in the Eagle Rock muck, is the one who fought it to the net. You might ask, "Why would anyone surrender such an awesome fish?"

In an attempt to give everyone a chance at a fish, I had Randy pass the rod off since he had just caught and released a chrome 36# hen out of the Pillars earlier that morning.

When we went ashore to do the C&R shot on that fish, I had Timmy jump out to help beach the boat.... only problem was that the tide had already come up a "little" higher than I expected, and Tim jumped into about 6-7 ft of frigid glacial water..... Holy $h*t!

As Timmy went over his neoprene chest waders, and right over his head... all we saw was hands flailing as he was swallowed by the glacial current. As you can see, he lived to tell the rest of the story. After snapping the pics, we rushed him back to camp for some dry clothes... no extra boots or waders, hence the jeans/sneakers ensemble in the pic above.

We hightailed it back downriver to the Pillars, and on the first pass, Randy hooked the cleanest Kenai River buck to ever grace my boat. That trip would prove to be the last time 50#-plus slabs would ever be killed on my boat.

"And now you know.... the rest of the story."

Don't forget to put in the shadow next time