Catch and release, DeLaet’s getaway

Talk about beginner’s luck. The first time Graham DeLaet ever went fishing in Alaska, he caught a 55-pound king salmon. How do you put that in perspective? Well, consider this. A PGA TOUR pro’s fully-loaded golf bag weighs roughly 40 pounds — and there wasn’t a caddy in sight on the river that day. As big as DeLaet’s salmon was, though, it wasn’t near the record. According to the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame, that chinook weighed in at 97 pounds, four ounces. DeLaet was 3 years old when the late Les Anderson caught the fish on the Kenai River on May 17, 1985. Fast forward about two decades or so. Delaet, who is an avid outdoorsman, had gone to Alaska after the RBC Canadian Open several years ago for some much-needed rest and relaxation. He was using fish eggs for bait and hooked the salmon about 4 or 5 feet directly below the boat. The water was so murky, though, that DeLaet couldn’t see how big the fish was initially. “As soon as I hooked into him, they have a counter on the reel, he was 90 feet out before I even had the chance to think about what was happening,â€� the Canadian said. The battle with the stubborn fish was a challenge. And DeLaet said it felt like he fought to the salmon for a lot longer than the 15 or 20 minutes it probably took. “I almost gave the rod to my buddy,â€� DeLaet recalled. “He was like, man, you’ve got to pull this thing in. “When you are fishing the rivers there and they get into the rapids, it can get away from you so fast. It was kind of fight, fight, fight, fight, get to the boat, gone again, fight, fight, fight. It was fun.â€� DeLaet didn’t get to bring any salmon steaks home with him to Boise, Idaho, though. There were no fleshy pink filets to smoke, either. “It wasn’t the season for chinook, the kings, so I had to release him,â€� he said. Don’t worry. DeLaet says there is photographic evidence, so everyone knows this isn’t a fish story. DeLaet has been back to Alaska several times to see if he could catch another whopper like that one. He’s also fished for salmon in northern Washington with his wife, Ruby, and her family. The Boise State product initially started fishing to help him wind down from the rigors of playing golf for a living. He’s also a hunter and has sought big game in places as far away as Zimbabwe. “But I didn’t really start enjoying (fishing) until probably like 2010, something like that,â€� he said. “Kind of like my rookie year out here, I almost needed something to do to get away from golf, and that was it.â€� DeLaet’s twins, Lyla and Roscoe, now provide that release. When the two, who were born in 2015, get a little older, he hopes they’ll learn to enjoy fishing, too. “It would be a fun thing to share,â€� DeLaet said. That salmon remains the largest freshwater fish DeLaet has ever caught “by a mile,â€� he says. He did land a 40-inch barracuda earlier this year when he was fishing in the Atlantic Ocean near Fort Lauderdale, though. And this time he didn’t have to settle for a photograph. “I got that one mounted, so it’s coming,â€� DeLaet said. “It’s being delivered to Idaho to put up in my garage. It was a pretty nice barracuda.â€� Just in the garage? “Yeah. My wife won’t let me put it in the house, I’m sure,â€� DeLaet said. “Maybe if I get a cabin someday, I can put it in there.â€�

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