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[halcyonguitars]

Can coho have spots on the bottom half of their tails as well?

[bigblockfox]

[Noahs Arc]

They can... Tradionally no. I've caught them with a few on the lower portion, but never seen one like a Chinook tail.
If you're having trouble IDing the fish, look at the gums. The mouth is a sure fire way to tell the difference. Coho looks like it has white lip stick, Chinook has a black mouth.

[halcyonguitars]

Today I let a fish go that I was 95% sure was a coho. It had white gums and a black tongue. But the shape of the head didn't look right, too bulbous or round, and it had a sprinkling of spots on the bottom of the tail. So I let it go. It was also a hatchery fish with no adipose.

[SilverChaser]

If you were on the Vedder, then that would have been a Coho. I believe on the Vedder, they only clip adipose of Steelhead and Coho. Good on you for releasing the fish because you were not sure, instead of possibly mis-identifying a salmon and potentially bonking an illegal fish (Just in general).

Today I let a fish go that I was 95% sure was a coho. It had white gums and a black tongue. But the shape of the head didn't look right, too bulbous or round, and it had a sprinkling of spots on the bottom of the tail. So I let it go. It was also a hatchery fish with no adipose.

[sbc hris]

They clip some springs too

[fic]

They clip some springs too

A spring with white gums and black tongue is unlikely, unless it was a mixed species fish 

[halcyonguitars]

That's what really had new scratching my head. This fish had several identifiers from different species. The tail did not match the mouth.

[halcyonguitars]

Or in other words, is there such a thing as a mixed species fish?

[TimL]

Or in other words, is there such a thing as a mixed species fish?

Well..there are hybrids but most hybrids are not considered a distinct species from the parents as they are usually sterile and therefore incapable of reproducing (there are exceptions though..e.g. search up the hybrid/forkline sole from local waters, which is a fertile hybrid resulting from a cross between the English sole and starry flounder). I don't know of hybridization occurring in Pacific salmon..perhaps someone else who knows better might chime in.

[fic]

Could it have been an Atlantic Salmon that escaped one of those salmon farms?

[halcyonguitars]

This is my first year at it so I just don't know. Went to a coho location, used a coho specific spinner, caught what I was reasonably sure was a coho, but...spots on lower part of tail.

Honestly, I have a very hard time id'ing the fish in the field. I have pics loaded on my phone, the ID pages loaded on my browser, and study the web pages before every outing, but what it comes down to is that the fishies don't seem to actually look very much like the Internet when they're in the water. It's a bit distressing. I'd rather be fishing with some seasoned peeps, but what can you do?

[cutthroat22]

Take a pic next time and post it here.  Will get some good advice on ID. 

[typhoon]

If you were on the Vedder, then that would have been a Coho. I believe on the Vedder, they only clip adipose of Steelhead and Coho. Good on you for releasing the fish because you were not sure, instead of possibly mis-identifying a salmon and potentially bonking an illegal fish (Just in general).

They clip sockeye.

[typhoon]

A late season "bronze" coho with tons of spots on its tail.