Cowlitzfisherman-
Yes that is what I said. Fish are very much a product of the environment they come from. Heavy flows, large gravel, etc all operate to select for large size in fish. If the Elwha habitat that selected for large fish in the past is still there no reason it would not do so again.

The only fly in the ointment would be the ocean fisheries. Clearly fish as large as the historic Elwha chinook were fairly old; say 5 to 8 years old. The fishing on their feeding grounds (sport and troll) would clearly select against the oldest fish. This is the major reason chinook are smaller today than in the past.

Tight lines
Smalma