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[Flytech]

I love hearing people's opinions on things, this is a topic which I find interesting. The majority of information I hear from people is the fact that Salmon do not feed once they enter the fresh water system. I've done some recent reading on the topic, which suggests the old way of thinking could possibly be wrong.

Let's start with this article, and the paper it was derived from.

http://www.deneki.com/2012/09/pacific-salmon-feeding-in-fresh-water/
http://publish.udwo.ca/~bneff/papers/Garner%20et%20al_Egg%20consumption%20in%20salmon.pdf

So from my expierence, Coho often take roe at a much higher rate than anything else. Why? There is no need for aggresion attacks on roe. They often have such subtle takes, your float barely moves. Correct roe fishermen? This would suggest to me that they are just inhaling the roe as a food source.

In this article from Michigan State University, they suggest that 13%-40% of salmon had eggs in their stomachs.

http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/amazing_revelation_some_pacific_salmon_do_feed_during_spawning_run

This is just to get a discussion going, and to get people thinking outside the box. Please keep it civil everyone.

[RalphH]

Interesting but the 3 links relate to one study and paper. The average in the wild was 13% had done some kind of feeding usually just a small handful of eggs. That's a pretty small minority. I'd be kind of cautious about applying the lab results to the real world and also note they found feeding the fish reduced sperm production. All the test streams are short coastal rivers with significant hatchery production. May be the feeding behaviour is a hatchery artifact? We know that hatchery reproduction has significant impacts of salmon genetics and behaviours.

[Flytech]

Quite possibly, great point. They did state that some Alaskan rivers shows up to 40%. Would those also be hatchery? I'm not sure.

[clarki]

I would suggest that we need to be careful calling it "feeding".  IMHO "feeding" implies intent, that is to say, the fish feeds because it's hungry. All we know is that the fish takes the roe/eggs into it's mouth, and may swallow.

Is that feeding, or is it something else? Is it an instinctive reaction learned from when the fish was a feeding machine as a parr in the stream just over 1 year earlier? Or, as others have suggested but I doubt, is it a protective mechanism to protect it's progeny but ridding the stream of the eggs of its competitors?

We can't conclude a salmon is feeding just because it injests roe.                   

[bigblockfox]

funny me and my buddy were talking about this the other day. i believe it gets burned into their brain from when they were fry activity feeding on eggs and insects. so when they return to the rivers and smell it or see it instinct kicks in. kinda like the smell of fresh baked cookies from when we were kids. kind of gets burnt into our brain.

[RalphH]

I would suggest that we need to be careful calling it "feeding".  IMHO "feeding" implies intent, that is to say, the fish feeds because it's hungry. All we know is that the fish takes the roe/eggs into it's mouth, and may swallow.

Is that feeding, or is it something else?                 

I made similar comments here: http://www.fishingwithrod.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=36847.msg349669#msg349669

[Dave]

I started a similar thread about steelhead last January  .. some interesting information.

http://www.fishingwithrod.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=34921.msg333027#msg333027

[VAGAbond]

The sturgeon hatchery at Sechelt also raises coho for eggs to be supplied for private stocking ine the USA.  When I visited a couple of years ago they had some live coho a full year past their spawn that were feeding. I don't know how they got them feeding after spawning but it had been achieved showing that feeding and continuing to live is possible.

[milo]

Easy to figure out.
Instead of roe, try drifting some non-dyed krill instead of roe.
If you catch any pacific salmon, you will have your answer as to whether they feed in fresh water or not. 

[clarki]

I made similar comments here: http://www.fishingwithrod.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=36847.msg349669#msg349669

Yes, you just said it much more eloquently