OK... I have the answer to the mystery question....

"Whose giant white kings are getting low-holed in Kodiak?"

I finally sent the DNA off for analysis on Monday (yeah, like 2 days ago) and I already have the answer! Friends in low places I guess?

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Here's the response....

You were in luck – we were running some in-season samples today so I got the genotype! I assigned it to the GAPs Chinook baseline and it had a high likelihood of assignment (99.9%) to Lower Kalum River on the Skeena, so it looks like Coastal Canada genetically.

My original thought about what river consistently produces 60, 70, 80-pound caliber chinook was one of three possible places. Kenai, Skeena, or Rivers Inlet. Fraser was thrown into the mix for its propensity to produce a lot of white kings. And we even had a bio in AK comment that he thought these were Fraser origin. But there's no real evidence to support the ability to produce GIANT white kings. Kenai was thrown out because it produces ZERO white kings and even its giant fish are NOT built like that. Rivers Inlet (Wannock River) was thrown out because John Beath (outdoor writer and former Rivers Inlet lodge operator) said their fish don't look like that.

So there you have it... we've come full circle... iron-clad proof it's a Skeena fish!

WOW.... mystery solved.