04-15-2008, 12:51 AM
In just three trips to Nantahala Lake this month, angler Mark Swann caught two North Carolina record kokanee salmon. The latest is a 3.07-pound fish that measured 19½ inches in length. Swann caught his first record-breaker, a 2.48 pounder, on Aug. 3, only to see the record broken the next day by 9-year-old Levi Towery, who brought in a salmon that topped his by a mere two-tenths of a pound.
His latest catch will be hard to beat - maybe. According to Doug Besler, the fisheries biologist who certified the catch, some kokanee salmon in Nantahala Lake may get as big as 5 pounds during the spawning run. Swann's fish is a good size, particularly for the nutrient-poor reservoirs common in the western part of the state.
Nantahala Lake is the only spot in North Carolina where kokanee salmon are found. The fish, which is native to the western United States, was stocked in Nantahala Lake in the mid-1960s by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission in an attempt to establish the species as a forage fish for other predator fishes in the lake. This stock has remained and become a favorite target for anglers like Swann.
His latest catch will be hard to beat - maybe. According to Doug Besler, the fisheries biologist who certified the catch, some kokanee salmon in Nantahala Lake may get as big as 5 pounds during the spawning run. Swann's fish is a good size, particularly for the nutrient-poor reservoirs common in the western part of the state.
Nantahala Lake is the only spot in North Carolina where kokanee salmon are found. The fish, which is native to the western United States, was stocked in Nantahala Lake in the mid-1960s by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission in an attempt to establish the species as a forage fish for other predator fishes in the lake. This stock has remained and become a favorite target for anglers like Swann.