The Pacific salmon swim into streams from northern California to Alaska. Atlantic salmon enter streams from Labrador to New York. Pacific salmon return
to spawn at the same age and die, while Atlantic salmon may spawn several times in their lifetime.
Salmon are large, powerful fish. They swim long distances just to reach their spawning destinations. Once they get into the streams, they have many
obstacles to overcome. There are some areas where you can see fish almost completely out of the water trying to pass shallow, gravel areas. They
swim up over many small dams that look impossible to pass, but they continue to pass by these areas with ease.
Chinook Salmon
Also known as king salmon, these fish have silver sides with black spots on the back and on both lobes of the
tail. When caught out of the lake or sea, they are a beautiful looking silver fish, however, they turn very dark
once they get into the rivers for their fall spawning run. Chinook salmon are the largest salmon and they make
strong, powerful runs once they are hooked. Many Chinook over 40 pounds are caught every year and the world
record is over 90 pounds. They taste fairly good, but most people like the taste of Chinook less than the other
types of salmon.
Coho Salmon
Coho salmon look similar to Chinook, but the tail has spots on the upper part of the tail only. They are very silver
in the lake or sea, but they change colors when they enter the rivers for spawning season. Most coho caught
are between 4 and 8 pounds, but some very large coho are also caught with a world record over 30 pounds.
Pink Salmon
Pink salmon have silver sides with large black spots on the upper sides, their back and throughout the entire tail.
Pink salmon are much smaller than coho and Chinook. The average size pink salmon is around 3 to 5 pounds
and they normally only live for 2 years. The world record is just above 13 pounds.
Chum Salmon
Chum salmon are very silver with faint vertical stripes along their sides. The stripes are not as distinct as the
ones you will see on striped bass, but you can definitely see their stripes, which is different from any other
salmon. They do not have distinct spots anywhere on their body. Chum salmon typically live for 4 years and they
can grow fairly big. Many fish are caught over 10 pounds and the world record is over 30 pounds.
Sockeye Salmon
Sockeye salmon have silver sides with a bluish-green back. Like the chum salmon, they don’t have any distinct
black spots on their body. They have a 4 year life span, but they grow slowly. Most sockeye salmon are in the 3
to 5 pound range and any fish over 10 pounds are considered a trophy. The world record is just over 15 pounds.
Kokanee Salmon
Kokanee salmon are the smallest of all salmon. They are slim with a bluish-green back. They do have some
black spots on their back, but none on the tail. They typically live for 4 years. Most fish are caught in the 2 to 3
pound range with a world record just over 9 pounds.
Atlantic Salmon
Atlantic salmon resemble brown trout with silver to yellowish brown sides and dark spots. They have a slightly
forked tail instead of squared-shaped and the adipose fin is not spotted. They are very big and powerful with fish
caught every year over 40 pounds and a world record over 75 pounds.
Landlocked Salmon
Landlocked salmon look very unique. They have much larger spots than the sea-run Atlantic salmon and the
spots usually have light halos. A 10 pound fish is considered a trophy fish with a world record over 22 pounds.
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