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Fish ID's (pics inside)

3K views 19 replies 14 participants last post by  Willis 
#1 Ā·
I don't know who else to ask, and since you guys are the experts...

Caught these 2 fish last Sat (2-14)

Is this a spawned out Winter Chinook?


BTW: I released this fish even though it was clipped because I was sure it would not eat very well, also I am not 100% on the regs for this river and this fish species @ this time of year.



2nd question....is this a Hen Steelie?


I assume it is because of the size of the head?

Trying to educate myself somemore on these awesome fish we have in the NW.
Thanks!
 
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#5 Ā·
I don't know who else to ask, and since you guys are the experts...

Caught these 2 fish last Sat (2-14)

Is this a spawned out Winter Chinook?


BTW: I released this fish even though it was clipped because I was sure it would not eat very well, also I am not 100% on the regs for this river and this fish species @ this time of year.

Jack Coho... Hatchery fish spawning in the wild...

2nd question....is this a Hen Steelie?


I assume it is because of the size of the head?

Trying to educate myself somemore on these awesome fish we have in the NW.
Thanks!
Hen Kelt (spawned out) Steelhead, hatchery fish spawning in the wild.
 
#7 Ā· (Edited)
Just a heads up, this information is directed at the inquiring poster and not at all you seasoned salmonid stalkers :D.

The first fish is indeed a late coho and on the verge of spawning. To me, spawned out means "dead" when refering to salmon because they will die soon after actual spawning.

The second is a hen steelhead who appears to have spawned (aka spawner, kelt, downstreamer or downrunner) and is making her way back to the ocean. You can call her spawned out, yet she is still alive and attempting to recover from the rigors of spawning. Steelhead have been known to spawn up to four times before finally kicking the bucket, but in large part most do it once or twice. The fishes "color" or brightness is not always an indicator of spawned or not spawned with steelhead. On the Necanicum for instance, I have taken many chrome bright steelhead, with sealice that have already spawned. Sometimes they have spawned and sometimes they "spit" or lose their eggs during the stress of the fight. These fish are spawning only a few miles from the salt and this has most often been the case with hatchery fish. Also, a bright/spawned fish will often (but not always) still have good color to the meat and it will eat just fine.

CV
 
#8 Ā·
The first fish is indeed a late coho and on the verge of spawning. To me, spawned out means "dead" when refering to salmon because they will die within hour(s) of actual spawning.
Not necessarily true... Many female salmon will remain on a redd for days after she has deposited all her eggs. Some believe that they are guarding their redds or tidying up the gravel. No one knows for sure why they do this or what bennifits it has. But they don't die hours after spawning out.

1st fish = Late Coho Buck... spawning for sure... almost dead:flowered:
2nd fish = Kelting / down river hen steelhead.
~Should have been pretty easy to tell since you harvested her. Just look in side. Probally a few underdeveloped eggs that were still in the sac that weren't or couldn't be deposited. And males usually still have milt sacs that are deflated.

:twocents:
 
#10 Ā· (Edited)
Your'e the bio Ty, so I trust and value your input.
But I have been witness to many salmon(especially males) dump their load and roll over, belly up within minutes . I have been told/read that some will live a few hours after completely emptying their cavity.
But It also makes sense to me that some may live longer(even weeks) to protect the nest. Im still in the learning phase I guess. :)

For all purposes though, as far as B33R (the inquiring poster) is concerned, a spawned out salmon is as good as dead. And a spawned out steelie might have a whole other cycle or three ahead of it. I will change my wording in my previous post from "die within hour(s)" to "die soon after spawning", thus reflecting my new education.
CV
 
#13 Ā·
Chris...

I wasn't looking for an argument... Just that through my experiece I have seen the same fish week after week both male and female that have survived after spawning..... This is especially evident in chinook, but surprising other spp such as chum and sockeye too... For some reason some of these fish fail to die, both male and female, they will be found in off channel backwaters and holding in slow water and generally is a product of low flows.. Any high water events will wash all spawned out fish as they will epend all their energies very quickly...
 
#14 Ā·
I almost forgot... Occationally spawned out steelhead and salmon will both enter hatchery after they spawned... Not sure if they smell all the ripe fish and that is why they enter or what, but is very strange.
 
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