Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: halcyonguitars on September 17, 2015, 06:09:14 PM
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Can coho have spots on the bottom half of their tails as well?
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(http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g365/bigblockfox545/100908-02_zpsl8rjpnfo.jpg) (http://s1098.photobucket.com/user/bigblockfox545/media/100908-02_zpsl8rjpnfo.jpg.html)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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They clip some springs too
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They clip some springs too
A spring with white gums and black tongue is unlikely, unless it was a mixed species fish ;D
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That's what really had new scratching my head. This fish had several identifiers from different species. The tail did not match the mouth.
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Or in other words, is there such a thing as a mixed species fish?
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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.
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Could it have been an Atlantic Salmon that escaped one of those salmon farms?
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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?
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Take a pic next time and post it here. Will get some good advice on ID.
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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.
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A late season "bronze" coho with tons of spots on its tail.
(http://gallery.flybc.ca/albums/Pinks/unknown.jpg)
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Some people have light brown hair, others blonde.
Why should a slight varience in fish be any different.
Just a different set of dominant genes.
Another hundred years of pollution and they'll have 3 eyes.
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A late season "bronze" coho with tons of spots on its tail.
(http://gallery.flybc.ca/albums/Pinks/unknown.jpg)
That's a lot of spots.
I bet that doe gets bonked by quite a few thinking its a Chinook.
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That's a lot of spots.
I bet that doe gets bonked by quite a few thinking its a Chinook.
I imagine if it was fresher the spots wouldn't have been as distinctive.
I was steelhead fishing in January when I caught (and released) it. I didn't notice the spots on the bottom half of the tail until I looked at the pics later.
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A late season "bronze" coho with tons of spots on its tail.
(http://gallery.flybc.ca/albums/Pinks/unknown.jpg)
That's a lot of spots.
I bet that doe gets bonked by quite a few thinking its a Chinook.
ah...looks more like a cutty to me...what makes you think that's a coho?
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ah...looks more like a cutty to me...what makes you think that's a coho?
totally agreed , looks like cut
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ah...looks more like a cutty to me...what makes you think that's a coho?
The complete lack of red colour, lack of spots on the other fins, and shape of the caudal fin.
At the time I didn't know so I showed the pictures to a group of very experienced river anglers.
Unanimously Coho and many said that they are commonly caught on the upper Vedder late in the year.
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You beat me to it. Pretty sure typhoon would have at least noticed the red slash in a fish that coloured. Not to mention the lack of spots below the lateral line.
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not all cutties have spots below the lateral lines...i can see an argument for the caudal fin being large, but the rays don't quite add up and the black belly and lack of red seem suspicious...also the ciser on the fish seem to protrude past the eye socket...long snout and abundance of spots around the head.
https://kortumofdiscovery.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/bonneville-cutthroat-trout.jpg
http://wildlife.utah.gov/strawberry/photos/10_1.jpg
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not all cutties have spots below the lateral lines...i can see an argument for the caudal fin being large, but the rays don't quite add up and the black belly and lack of red seem suspicious...also the ciser on the fish seem to protrude past the eye socket...long snout and abundance of spots around the head.
https://kortumofdiscovery.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/bonneville-cutthroat-trout.jpg
http://wildlife.utah.gov/strawberry/photos/10_1.jpg
Those look like westlope cutties, no?
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Well, at least I'm not the only one who has a hard time.
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I have been doing this for three years and am only just starting to become comfortable, but still release many fish because I am unsure of the ID.
Good for you for caring enough to ask the right questions and to release a fish you were unsure of.
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Pacific salmon do hybridize.
Chinook will hybridize with coho, and pinks with chum. Those are the only 2 decisive and confirmed hybrids I've seen. I have seen many coho with spots over their entire tail. On the island, it's even common to catch sockeye with spotted tails
P.S... For those saying typhoons coho is a cutty... A very easy way to determine salmon from trout (used commonly in fish ID for juveniles) is spots on the dorsal. Salmon don't have spots on the dorsal, trout do, therefore that fish is a coho.
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Definitely a coho; I've seen many late run coho on the Vedder that look like that. Fwiw, I've also seen sockeye in the Stuart system with fully spotted tails.
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Pacific salmon do hybridize.
Chinook will hybridize with coho, and pinks with chum. Those are the only 2 decisive and confirmed hybrids I've seen. I have seen many coho with spots over their entire tail. On the island, it's even common to catch sockeye with spotted tails
P.S... For those saying typhoons coho is a cutty... A very easy way to determine salmon from trout (used commonly in fish ID for juveniles) is spots on the dorsal. Salmon don't have spots on the dorsal, trout do, therefore that fish is a coho.
Considering where you work, I'm going to take this as gospel. ;)
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Pacific salmon do hybridize.
P.S... For those saying typhoons coho is a cutty... A very easy way to determine salmon from trout (used commonly in fish ID for juveniles) is spots on the dorsal. Salmon don't have spots on the dorsal, trout do, therefore that fish is a coho.
say again?
http://theterramarproject.org/thedailycatch/chinook-salmon/ (http://theterramarproject.org/thedailycatch/chinook-salmon/)