For most amateur fishermen or ladies one of the toughest parts about salmon fishing is being able 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 stop being in violation of the license and most likely facing fines or even more serious outcomes. Studying salmon fishing and various species isn’t too troublesome, 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 grown up salmon and may not apply to juveniles and smelts.

Chinook - it is important to keep in mind when talking about salmon fishing that many species go by different names. The Chinook is also known as 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 little, dark spots on the back.

Coho - also known as Silver salmon, are smaller than the Chinook or King salmon. They have a bluish green color to the skin on the head and back. Depending on the time of year the sides of the Coho could be wine colored or even a particularly brilliant red. The cover of the gills will be extraordinarily reddish across the year.

Chum - one of the less common salmon it’s important to understand about salmon fishing this species to be successful. They will generally not move far inland and will stay close to salt water. Buddy is the second biggest 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 pronounced set of teeth.

Sockeye - this salmon is very red in color and may sometimes be mistaken for the Coho because of 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 no distinct spots and the female is less brilliantly coloured than the male. Male Sockeyes have a conspicuous 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 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.

Do you enjoy cooking and learning more about food? If yes, you may also visit cooking101.org to learn more about the many different kinds of recipes and cooking ideas that will be useful next time you are in the kitchen. Also, you might want to check out canning smoked salmon.

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