Some Facts About Salmon Species

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Friday, May 8th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed

For most amateur fishermen or ladies one of the hardest parts about salmon fishing is being able to obviously identify which particular kind of salmon that they have caught. Since fishing laws are based on species it is very critical that you can tell each from the other to stop being in violation of the license and potentially facing fines or even more severe outcomes. Learning about salmon fishing and varied species is not too hard, and the general descriptions provided below should be all that is required to identify the salmon species.

The following tips about salmon fishing species identification will apply only to grown up salmon and may not apply to juveniles and smelts.

Chinook - it is important to keep in mind when speaking about salmon fishing that many species go by different names. The Chinook is also called the King and blackmouth. It is the largest of the Pacific salmon, and is simply identified by the distinct black coloration to the lower gums. They are olive or brown in coloration on the back with darker black coloration on the sides. They have many small, dark spots on the back.

Coho - AKA Silver salmon, are smaller than the Chinook or King salmon. They’ve a bluish green color to the skin on the head and back. Depending on the time of year the sides of the Coho might be wine coloured or even a particularly brilliant red. The cover of the gills will be terribly reddish throughout the year.

Chum - one of the less common salmon it is important to know about salmon fishing this species to achieve success. They will typically not move far inland and will stay close to salt water. Chum is the second biggest of the Pacific salmon species and are easily distinguished by their red to purplish blue color and horizontal bars. They also have a particularly particular and told set of teeth.

Sockeye - this salmon is awfully red in color and may often be mistaken for the Coho thanks to the coloration. Sockeye spend up to two years in a fresh water lake before moving out the sea, and are unique in this aspect. They have any distinct spots and the female is less brilliantly coloured than the male. Male Sockeyes have a noticeable hump on their back just in front of the dorsal fin.

Kokanee - this is the actually land locked salmon, living its complete live cycle in a fresh water lake, never venturing to the salt water. In physical description they are almost identical the Sockeye, being red in color and males having the dorsal hump.

When learning about salmon fishing and fish identification it is a great idea to bring a salmon identification book and do not forget to practice conservation and return fish to the water whenever limits are reached.

For more easy to make recipes, visit cooking101.org and also read about how to clean salmon.

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