because of the 15 years or so I've fished the southern vancouver island I spent 9 of them fishing saanich inlet and sidney waters. A 30lber was huge news a 40lber well I've never heard of it.
Also the columbia river estuary is in oregon and the Cow and Fraser aren't known for "huge" fish, espcially not this early.
Case in point, last time I did fish sidney some guy comes up to the dock all cocky and asks "ever seen a 30lber" and pulls out a fish, we pull out a scale and its barely 20lbs - very typically for the fish starved angler(ie. sidney angler).
Absolutely is this no hack on Cpony I think he got bad information, I fully believe that the angler thinks he got a 40lber - I just don't believe that it actually was.