[DeadandBloated]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...er-salmon-9-FEET-long-mouth-spiked-teeth.html.

Big fish !

Have always been fascinated by creatures that were lost in history or were simply a rung in the ladder of evolution-especially in this time with species on this planet on the brink of extinction.
What will fill their place? What is next? What was in the past we will never know or overlooked and passed without fanfare? Undiscovered species?

Love the Stellar's Sea Cow-a giant Manatee from the north that man sadly destroyed in short time (5x larger than the one's in Florida), or the giant 500 pound Moa bird that also seemed to have met it's demise via humans.

Were there small populations of unknown salmonids that came and went before they were recorded in historical data? Pyramid Lake's 40-60 pound Cutthroat could easily have dried up before man has a chance to see.
Love to think this stuff over.

 

[weiliwen]

I read a story in an old Salmon Trout Steelheader issue from the 70's about a guy who was trolling for cutthroat. He had what ended up being a 17-lb'er on the line, when something took it and started peeling off line like the drag wasn't on. Finally it let go and the fisherman reeled up the fish. It had a huge bite mark across its body; he took it to a wildlife biologist (so the story goes) who told him that those bite marks were of a salmonid, but the size would indicate it was +/- 400 Lbs!

It has all the makings of an urban legend, but it was reported in STS, so...

 

[Gard Nale]

Think of the hackle from that giant Moa!

 

[Stonefish]

Gf2015,

If you have seen or read this article before, you might enjoy it.
SF

http://gis.ess.washington.edu/grg/publications/pdfs/fossilsalmon.pdf

 

[Bobbin]

Think of the hackle from that giant Moa!

Think of the intruders you could tie with that !

 

[Thrasybulus]

"They said that, much like modern Pacific salmon, the giant salmon was likely primarily a filter-feeder, so the spike teeth were probably not part of catching prey."

Filter feeding modern salmon??

 

[DeadandBloated]

Gf2015,

If you have seen or read this article before, you might enjoy it.
SF

http://gis.ess.washington.edu/grg/publications/pdfs/fossilsalmon.pdf

Excellent, Stonefish, appreciate the link

great read!

 

[DeadandBloated]

"They said that, much like modern Pacific salmon, the giant salmon was likely primarily a filter-feeder, so the spike teeth were probably not part of catching prey."

Filter feeding modern salmon??

yeah, unless they think Kokanee are the norm, Basking Sharks the norm for sharks, or Sperm Whales have teeth just for show.

 

[Krusty]

Hell...if you want reliable data about these things, just ask Old Man. Their demise triggered his retirement to Montana.

 

[McFly]

Gf2015,

If you have seen or read this article before, you might enjoy it.
SF

http://gis.ess.washington.edu/grg/publications/pdfs/fossilsalmon.pdf

18-28" prehistoric sockeye would put a nice bend in my 7 wt spey rod. But, the monster salmon described in the article posted by GF2015 would require tarpon or shark tackle!