Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

Author Topic: Help identify fish  (Read 4715 times)

fish.on

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 43
Help identify fish
« on: August 29, 2011, 10:37:43 PM »
Hi, i was out on the tidal today and hooked into this beast. I was wondering if someone can help me identify it. It had a clipped adipose fin. Im guessing its a hatch jack steelhead or coho. I took a quick photo and released it.

« Last Edit: August 29, 2011, 10:45:32 PM by fish.on »
Logged

Rodney

  • Administrator
  • Old Timer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 14821
  • Where's my strike indicator?
    • Fishing with Rod
Re: Help identify fish
« Reply #1 on: August 29, 2011, 10:40:49 PM »
Coho jack.
« Last Edit: August 29, 2011, 10:47:39 PM by Rodney »
Logged

fish.on

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 43
Re: Help identify fish
« Reply #2 on: August 29, 2011, 10:46:49 PM »
ahhh thanks.

BTW, What features do you look for to seperate the two?
Logged

Rodney

  • Administrator
  • Old Timer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 14821
  • Where's my strike indicator?
    • Fishing with Rod
Re: Help identify fish
« Reply #3 on: August 29, 2011, 10:52:22 PM »
Features that separate coho and steelhead? Several. Coho's tail is more forked while steelhead's tail is "square". The spotting is also quite different. I'll let others who are more experienced on this to explain more. :)
Logged

Fish Assassin

  • Old Timer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 10848
Re: Help identify fish
« Reply #4 on: August 30, 2011, 12:00:30 AM »
What's that thing protruding from it's nostril ?
Logged

dmoney

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 67
Re: Help identify fish
« Reply #5 on: August 30, 2011, 07:50:09 AM »
Quote from: Fish Assassin on August 30, 2011, 12:00:30 AM
What's that thing protruding from it's nostril ?

I'm going to guess it's a siwash hook attached to a spoon :)

Beauty little coho, I wonder what a little guy like that is doing coming home? Just a 1-year old fish. Pretty precocial :)

I find it easier to confuse coho jacks and spring jacks than it is to confuse either with a rainbow / steelhead. Black mouth and gums at the base of the teeth on lower jaw= chinook. white gums at base of teeth in lower jaw (even if mouth is black-ish) = coho. Also, the "wrist" (caudal peduncle) is noticably narrower on chinook. Once you've seen a few of each it will become second nature.

D$
Logged

Geff_t

  • Old Timer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2276
  • Cork floats hand made by myself
Re: Help identify fish
« Reply #6 on: August 30, 2011, 07:58:00 AM »
Quote from: Fish Assassin on August 30, 2011, 12:00:30 AM
What's that thing protruding from it's nostril ?

 It looks like a nose ring lol.

fish.on thats a nice looking jack coho. It always amazes me how aggressive these little guys are, I guess they have little fish syndrome lol  ;D
Logged

<*((((((><                        <*(((((((><                       <*(((((((><Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he will phone in sick to work and fish all day

alwaysfishn

  • Old Timer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2364
Re: Help identify fish
« Reply #7 on: August 30, 2011, 08:00:09 AM »
Quote from: dmoney on August 30, 2011, 07:50:09 AM
I'm going to guess it's a siwash hook attached to a spoon :)

Beauty little coho, I wonder what a little guy like that is doing coming home? Just a 1-year old fish. Pretty precocial :)

I find it easier to confuse coho jacks and spring jacks than it is to confuse either with a rainbow / steelhead. Black mouth and gums at the base of the teeth on lower jaw= chinook. white gums at base of teeth in lower jaw (even if mouth is black-ish) = coho. Also, the "wrist" (caudal peduncle) is noticably narrower on chinook. Once you've seen a few of each it will become second nature.

D$


If you smell them you'll immediately know whether it is a coho or spring. Spring has an odor, while coho does not.
Logged
Disclosure:  This post has not been approved by the feedlot boys, therefore will likely be found to contain errors and statements that are out of context. :-[

fish.on

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 43
Re: Help identify fish
« Reply #8 on: August 30, 2011, 11:46:19 AM »
Quote from: Fish Assassin on August 30, 2011, 12:00:30 AM
What's that thing protruding from it's nostril ?

Quote from: dmoney on August 30, 2011, 07:50:09 AM
I'm going to guess it's a siwash hook attached to a spoon :)

Yes it is probably the hook from the spoon.

Quote from: Geff_t on August 30, 2011, 07:58:00 AM
It looks like a nose ring lol.

fish.on thats a nice looking jack coho. It always amazes me how aggressive these little guys are, I guess they have little fish syndrome lol  ;D

It was pretty aggressive for its size. It took the hook right in the upper roof of the mouth.

Logged

clarki

  • Old Timer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2086
Re: Help identify fish
« Reply #9 on: August 30, 2011, 12:32:13 PM »
Quote from: fish.on on August 30, 2011, 11:46:19 AM
It was pretty aggressive for its size. It took the hook right in the upper roof of the mouth.

I never cease to be amazed at the aggressiveness and predatory instinct of young salmon, particulalry chinook smolts.

When I am chucking spoons on the beach for cutts, earlier in the summer/spring there are crowds of little 6" gaffers following the spoon in and nipping at it; sometimes I catch one too. The spoon is half their size yet they crowd after it. They learn very early that they need to eat silvery things in the water.  It might just be curiousity, but I get enough nips and tugs to know that they aren't just curious.       
Logged

one more cast

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 242
Re: Help identify fish
« Reply #10 on: August 30, 2011, 02:24:02 PM »
Those little 3"/6" guys can really destroy your flies too >:(
Logged