AD, i'd have to say that you are right on. ive fished the gold river for years and have never seen a 30 lb. fish taken. last year a guy on a local river pulled in, bragging about his 55 pound salmon. i weighed it on my certified scale and it weighed 33 pounds.
fishermen lie almost as much as lawyers.
44 pound steelhead do exist though, as i have seen fish that big come out of nets, and i have several on my wall to prove it.catching one on hook and line would be a great accomplishment. not impossible, but very difficult