3 times in recent days, I've read that people chased salmon this distance to land them. My question is how far is it really? Is it
A. 880 yds. ?
B. Farther than most would walk, unless a 12 pack was involved ?
C. Around the bend ?
D. Far enough to need a shuttle ?
Personally, I chased a trophy rainbow (30") in the Yuba River in Ca. about 300 yds. down a gravel bank lined rapid with help from a nice local fellow and did go about a half mile chasing a bluefin tuna, but that was in a boat!  On the SR, I've never gone more than 100 yds., and even that may be stretching it. Anyone have any good chase stories. Maybe people do chase salmon that distance, just seems like it would take a good hour just to chase a fish down  that far.  Fish would be dead when you landed it.  Some great fish chase stories would be good to hear.

I've chase them from the UFZ to the lake and darn close to the Canadian border .

Rich,how about the idiot that "hooked" one by the wire on the UFZ and followed it past us in the fast water below and continued down around the bend and out of sight.Next thing we see is the idiot carrying the fish up to where he started and when we told him it's C&R he said he's taking it to his camera for a picture.
 

  Not to judge but any one that usually has to chase them that far the fish usually bites with his back or with his tail. I know there a few out there that fight like that but the majority I have seen people chasing that far the hook is rarely in its mouth. I'm sure I'm opening the flood gates but that's my 2 cents for the Salmon River.

I chased a very large steelie from the happy rock down to the wires(over a 1/4 mile) about 10 years ago.....now i would just snap it off, because i'd kill myself trying to walk over those rocks and fight a fish.

Last year, I chased one from Clint's rock down to the end of the wall in the petting zoo.  At 64 that is as far as I go, after that, I'm tying up a new rig!
 
The UFZ guy needing his camera would definitely be making a contribution to the local municipality if the wardens had been around.  I think it is time to put together a board with a hole cut out for the person's face, of a guy with a big fish (maybe multiple boards, salmon, steellie, and brown), like on the boardwalk at Atlantic City, so everyone can have the giant fish souvenir photos to take home, they are about that meaningful anymore what with 1/0 one material "flies" and the need to carry a food scale to weigh your flies and....  Could put it down by the ramp in Altmar, lots of room for a line there, "Step right up, you pays your money, you takes your chances, get your picture with the trophy leviathan, and a little cupie doll for the missus....." 
 
As to HT's chase, I have an old friend who was out trolling about 8 miles offshore and the engine quit.  He hooked his stringer to the front of the boat and had the two cohos he had caught swim him back to shore, not sayin' they were big or anything, he said he was tempted to take a side trip to Toronto for beer, but he wasn't quite making the speed....

Bear, I could easily see myself chasing a steelie that far.  In fact, the biggest lost fish regret I have, might've had a different outcome had I gave chase instead of standing my ground.   I was worried about a drift  boat well below me. They saw it jump and quickly yanked the anchor. Really nice of them, but I screwed up royal  and didn't take advantage of the room to run.  Lots of extra pressure on a tippet with a whole line dragging around in the water. Maybe a wall of shame with trash pigs pics next to the souvenir photo board, Lucky.
 

Half mile is a stretch but I have chased many steel and salmon from bottom of sycamore island to below the next island down in to the flats. Probably 3/8 of a mile is my guess.Many salmon I've chased from above wall pool to flats that I've kept and strung and walked them back up to above wall pool back to my spot... Set them behind an oxygenated spot off shore and fished for hours after to have them full of life when it was time to go. My observations may be skewed or biased though being it in the lower end.

Just being a little humorous, will clarify in that my pursuit of these fish , lol
As for having a fish on the line , I don't really know if there is a defined distance that I can say is logical .
A lot depends on location and determination to land that fish . As an example , I have fished some tail outs with some pretty gnarly water between there and the next softer area below . If a fish decides not to play nice and bolts down into that stuff , for myself if I'm determined to land it there really is no choice but to try and get below, however long a distance that may be . I'm not going to try and pressure or stress that fish back up through that stuff.
Is it dumb to fish those locations ? Well head, tails and gnarly water are magnets for fresh fish . If they play nice then your in control but we all know they don't always play in our favor .
Nowadays , if I can't get them to stay out of those bad spots I will throw slack in the line in hope they stay out of that stuff but if they don't I will say a few choice words at myself and goodbye to the fish .

Good luck and get those running shoes ready , fish are around and more on the way

Salmon stompers I call em tunes :) I'm tied up through the weekend... Maybe a sneak attack one evening this week, otherwise Tuesday next week I'll be doing my after work routine a few times a week with the boy