A Girl’s Guide to Salmon Identification
Whether you are a newbie looking for a way to fill your freezer, or the new girlfriend trying to make sense of all his fishing talk, never fear! In this article we are going to go over the different kinds of salmon to get you started on your journey.
The first thing you are going to need to know is the different kinds of salmon: every salmon has different seasons, regulations, and preferences.
- The Chinook Salmon (Spring, King)
This is the prized Salmon of all Salmon — the King, if you will. This is known in Canada as a “Chinook” or “Spring” Salmon, and though more common in the States, the “King” Salmon. This salmon has a light pinkish-orange colour of meat and is generally pretty fatty in the world of Salmon. You can identify this salmon from the others by the slightly green back, black spots on the back and tail, and this fish is generally the larger of the salmon species (usually 10–40lbs).
2. Coho Salmon (Silver)
This is a coho salmon — my partner and I’s personal favourite. In Canada, we refer to this kind of salmon as a “coho” but may be referred to by folks from the states as a “silver” due to it infamous chrome silver colour. This fish has a very soft, lean, meat with a very vibrant reddish-pink colour and is my favourite for sitting down to a nice salmon supper. You can identify this fish by the silver colour with small, black spots on the back. This salmon often has fully white gums or a white gum with a black edge, the main way I like to identify (especially between coho and chinook) is by looking at the tail. As you can see in the picture, the coho has a small, very beautiful silver tail, absent of spots.
3. Chum Salmon (Dog)
Oooooo! One of my favourite photos from this season! This is a picture of my partner and I with three chum salmon after a few hours at the Puntledge River. This salmon is one of the lesser-known species and you will typically only see it (or atleast be fishing it) in October from the rivers. Chum salmon is…. less than ideal. It is still edible, and delicious, but it is certainly a better fish for smoking, candying, etc — rather than throwing it on the barbeque. It is typically referred to as a “chum” salmon, but may also be referred to as a “Dog” Salmon. This salmon will typically have a white mouth (with a black tongue), and faint (or blatant, depending on how long the fish has been in freshwater) “bars” or stripes, as you can see in this picture.
4. Pink Salmon (Humpback)
This here, is a pink salmon (I’m sure you could guess from the colour) — it can also be known as a “humpback” salmon because of the very prominent hump developed by the males of the species. This salmon is both the smallest and most abundant of the salmon species, and is terrific to throw in the smoker. You can identify this fish by the pink streak (not always seen), the severe humpback (not always seen, and only in males), large, black spots on the tail, as well as a white mouth with black gums. Interstingly enough, this salmon may also have little-to-no teeth, depending on where you are fishing.
5. Sockeye Salmon (Kokanee)
You might have been thinking earlier in the article “Wait isn’t there supposed to be a red one?” — well here he is. This salmon, known as a “Sockeye” or a “Kokanee” is the one that turns the infamous red colour. This is my favourite salmon for canning — some may say that that would be sacreligious but I promise you its sac-delicious. This salmon can be identified by an entirely white mouth (regardless of ocean or freshwater), no spots on the tail, and they have seemingly huge, glassy eyes in comparison to its other salmon brothers and sisters.
Wild vs. Hatchery
Knowing the difference between a wild salmon and a hatchery salmon will save you not only a ton of embarrassment but also save you from a pissed off Conservation Officer!
In the picture here, you can see what we refer to as an “adipose fin”. This fin will be present in wild salmon, but in hatchery fish there will be a healed scar in place of the adipose fin. This is important and always the first thing I look for when reeling in a fish, because depending on your area, aside from species, this will be the decision maker on whether you keep the fish or not.
