About Salmon Fishing

For most amateur fishermen or women one of the hardest parts about salmon fishing is having the ability to clearly identify which particular kind of salmon that they have caught. Since fishing regulations 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 most likely facing fines or more serious outcomes. Learning about salmon fishing and various species isn’t too hard, and the general descriptions provided below should be all that is wanted to spot 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 recollect when talking about salmon fishing that many species go by different names. The Chinook is also called the King and blackmouth. It’s the largest of the Pacific salmon, and is simply identified by the distinct black coloration to the lower gums. They’re olive or brown in coloration on the back with darker black coloration on the sides. They have many tiny, 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 may be wine colored or even a particularly brilliant red. The cover of the gills will be extremely reddish across the year.

Chum - one of the less common salmon it is important to understand 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 largest of the Pacific salmon species and are simply distinguished by their red to purplish blue color and horizontal bars. They also have a particularly particular and voiced set of teeth.

Sockeye - this salmon is extremely 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 truly land locked salmon, living its complete live cycle in a fresh water lake, never venturing to the salt water. In physical outline they are nearly matching the Sockeye, being red in color and males having the dorsal hump.

When studying salmon fishing and fish identification it is a brilliant idea to bring a salmon identification book and don’t forget to practice conservation and return fish to the water whenever limits are reached.

For more information about food and useful cooking tips, check out cooking101.org and also have a look at recipe for honey glazed salmon.

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