The remarkable story behind Maine’s record Atlantic salmon that vanished for decades

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 2, 2026

Oct. 7, 1980, on Maine’s Sheepscot River, angler Howard Clifford is fly fishing the Larabee Pool. Then it happens. “Fish on!” Clifford’s salmon was 43 inches long, had a 19-inch girth and tipped the scales at 28 pounds, 1 ounce. It was a U.S. record. Clifford agreed to let L.L. Bean display the fish for five years before it was returned to him. After much inquiry, Maine marine scientist Paul Christman eventually located a deceased Howard Clifford from Southampton, New York. He got Linda Clifford on the phone. She was the wife of the late Howard Clifford and, yes, she had the fish. Christman picked it up in New York on April 13, 2026, returning the historic fish to Maine. He plans to display the impressive mount for a time before donating it to the Maine State Museum.