Chinook or Coho?

[2xeagle16]

A fishing buddy of mine caught this fish off Sheringham yesterday. We thought it was a wild coho, then noticed the black gums just as I was going to remove the hook. There are almost no spots except for the a few on the top half of the tail. The fish is a male - just wondering if anyone else has caught a fish like this.

 

[scott craven]

I had one like this earlier this season, had to have a real close look but the black gums were the give away.

 

[Rob H]

I caught a similar Chinook a week ago or so. The fish was about 10 lb. and had almost no spots. The only way I knew it was a Chinook was that it had black gums.

...Rob

 

[Redfisher]

Chinook is my take on this fish. In addition to black gums it hasn't got small pupils of a coho nor the thicker tail shank.

 

[albernifisher]

The last time the port salmon fest was coho only there was a few of these weighed in, fisheries said they were a hybrid. A mix of coho and Chinook and we're disqualified from the derby

 

[Westcap19]

Yes, caught one just like it off the beach at Renfrew a few weeks back. I netted it without giving it a second thought as it was the size, shape and fight of a Chinook. Then I glanced at the tail in the net and said wooahhh a coho?? Coho shape tail with faint spots along the upper and lower leading edges. A careful look at the gums confirmed it was chinook--about 12 pounds.

 

[vanislehunter]

What'd it smell like?

 

[chris73]

Chinook, no question.

 

[barkerfam]

X2 Chinook

 

[saanauk]

Besides the gums chinook have a very distinct smell to them.

 

[TanTastic84]

Besides the gums chinook have a very distinct smell to them.

I thought the smell is how you determine if it's a girl fish......

It's definitely a "Butter Face"....The bod says Coho...but 'er face says Chinook. I would have to say it's a Chinook. It has that Chinook look to it.

 

[Kildonan]

We caught one of these today at the Vic waterfront. Too big for a coho but I just happened to glance at the tail and it made me give the fish a second check before my bro gave it the wood shampoo.

 

[tigerprawn]

Black gums feeder spring

 

[sir-vivor]

Besides the gums chinook have a very distinct smell to them.

Yes I agree they definitely have that distinctive smell, but why ?


(don't want to hijack the thread but looks like its been resolved so went ahead lol)

 

[vicsurfer]

Caught the same thing off Brotchie today (About 10 lbs). Very few tail spots but the black gums gave it away as a Chinook.

 

[cby]

Stop looking at the tail, dead give away that it's a spring took one look at the picture and knew it was a spring. Coho are very silvery with dead give away white gums. Rarely does a coho have any spots at all on the tail.

 

[seadna]

I caught a lot of chinook this year with no spots at all on the bottom of the tail. They were (like this one is) clearly chinooks by all other morphological features. It seems like this year there are more without spots on the lower half of the tail than in previous years.

 

[Karlo]

We've been shaking a lot of these little guys this year on West Coast Haida Gwaii, after an early one got kept in the heat of the action on the assumption that it was a coho. Fortunately we spotted it as a spring before we went over the chinook limit. In fact, in the last two weeks, there have been many2-3 pound springs as well as 8-10 pounders mixed in with the multitudes of coho that have tried in vain to keep us from getting down to the equally large multitudes of very nice springs on the scene.

 

[jeff candy]

easy way to tell, maybe not for everyone but just put your fingers in it's mouth and remove them quickly, if they come out bloody it's a spring!

 

[jeffywestcoast]

Black gums... Chinooky.. White gums , black n silvery .. Coho..


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