Salmon Fishing Species Classification

For most novice 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 laws are based on species it is highly critical that you can tell each from the other to prevent being in violation of the license and potentially facing fines or more serious outcomes. Studying salmon fishing and varied species is not too hard, and the general outlines 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 mature salmon and may not apply to minors and smelts.

Chinook - it’s important to recollect when speaking about salmon fishing that many species go by different names. The Chinook is also known as the King and blackmouth. It is the biggest 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 small, dark spots on the back.

Coho - also known as 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 colored or even a very brilliant red. The cover of the gills will be extremely reddish throughout 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. Buddy is the second largest of the Pacific salmon species and are easily distinguished by their red to purplish blue color and horizontal bars. They also have a very distinctive and told set of teeth.

Sockeye - this salmon is extremely red in color and may sometimes be mistaken for the Coho thanks to the coloration. Sockeye spend up to two years in a fresh water lake before moving out the ocean, and are unique in this aspect. They have no distinct spots and the female is less brilliantly colored than the male. Male Sockeyes have a noticeable hump on their back just out 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 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 great idea to bring a salmon identification book and don’t forget to practice conservation and return fish to the water whenever limits are reached.

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