Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

Author Topic: Hatchery Sockeye  (Read 6733 times)

Rodney

  • Administrator
  • Old Timer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 14817
  • Where's my strike indicator?
    • Fishing with Rod
Re: Hatchery Sockeye
« Reply #15 on: October 17, 2021, 10:08:00 PM »

I'm a little surprised lol...

Ok, what are these?

RalphH

  • Old Timer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 5072
    • Initating Salmon Fry
Re: Hatchery Sockeye
« Reply #16 on: October 17, 2021, 10:14:20 PM »

That's a photo from your Knight inlet trip? I was just looking for it.

Upper coho, lower chum. Chum have a bigger dorsal fin and thinner caudal wrist. In this photo you can really notice the difference in the maxillary length.
« Last Edit: October 17, 2021, 10:16:26 PM by RalphH »
Logged
"The hate of men will pass and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people!" ...Charlie Chaplin, from his film The Great Dictator.

knotbadman

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 19
Re: Hatchery Sockeye
« Reply #17 on: October 17, 2021, 10:20:02 PM »

Yes but . . . white gums and clipped adipose fin. There aren't any hatchery (clipped) chum are there?
And the flesh was very red/orange. (Tasted great for dinner)
Logged

wildmanyeah

  • Old Timer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2065
Re: Hatchery Sockeye
« Reply #18 on: October 17, 2021, 10:43:13 PM »

No spots on coho is common in the ocean in port hardy. Caught plenty that have no spots.
Logged

Dave

  • Old Timer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3402
Re: Hatchery Sockeye
« Reply #19 on: October 18, 2021, 06:38:34 AM »

Some people need to bone up on their fish identification.

Yup!
Logged

tuna

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 86
Re: Hatchery Sockeye
« Reply #20 on: October 18, 2021, 07:13:57 AM »

Both those fish are definetly coho . If you are still indoubt drop  head  sample of at a hatchery and ask them todo a identification 
Logged

RalphH

  • Old Timer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 5072
    • Initating Salmon Fry
Re: Hatchery Sockeye
« Reply #21 on: October 18, 2021, 07:18:26 AM »

No spots on coho is common in the ocean in port hardy. Caught plenty that have no spots.

i caught a coho in Norrish Creek with spots on the entire tail. it wasn't heavily spotted but they were there! there is some individual variation.

I would bet that the coho you caught in PH had spots but were all but invisible. Just like the lower fish in knotbadman's photo. If that fish were a clipped chum it would be quite a unicorn. 

Actually what people are pointing out is not that I can't properly identify a fish - that people will have that experience from time to time is almost as common as dirt - it's that the common methods of identifying species is not infallible.

I have also caught fish that I had no idea what they were other than I was pretty sure it was a species of Pacific Salmon though I wasn't sure what species.
Logged
"The hate of men will pass and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people!" ...Charlie Chaplin, from his film The Great Dictator.

RalphH

  • Old Timer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 5072
    • Initating Salmon Fry
Re: Hatchery Sockeye
« Reply #22 on: October 18, 2021, 07:19:31 AM »

Both those fish are definetly coho . If you are still indoubt drop  head  sample of at a hatchery and ask them todo a identification

re-read the his first post. He did that.
Logged
"The hate of men will pass and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people!" ...Charlie Chaplin, from his film The Great Dictator.

wildmanyeah

  • Old Timer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2065
Re: Hatchery Sockeye
« Reply #23 on: October 18, 2021, 07:55:21 AM »

i caught a coho in Norrish Creek with spots on the entire tail. it wasn't heavily spotted but they were there! there is some individual variation.

I would bet that the coho you caught in PH had spots but were all but invisible. Just like the lower fish in knotbadman's photo. If that fish were a clipped chum it would be quite a unicorn. 

Actually what people are pointing out is not that I can't properly identify a fish - that people will have that experience from time to time is almost as common as dirt - it's that the common methods of identifying species is not infallible.

I have also caught fish that I had no idea what they were other than I was pretty sure it was a species of Pacific Salmon though I wasn't sure what species.

I find on the ones that look like they have no spots there’s usually some very faint spotting on the upper loab of the tail.
Logged

Rodney

  • Administrator
  • Old Timer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 14817
  • Where's my strike indicator?
    • Fishing with Rod
Re: Hatchery Sockeye
« Reply #24 on: October 18, 2021, 08:44:55 AM »

That’s ok. Even geniuses make mistakes too.

RalphH

  • Old Timer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 5072
    • Initating Salmon Fry
Re: Hatchery Sockeye
« Reply #25 on: October 18, 2021, 09:01:44 AM »

I don't know any geniuses, just schmucks like you & me.  :D
Logged
"The hate of men will pass and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people!" ...Charlie Chaplin, from his film The Great Dictator.

fishdreamer

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 32
Re: Hatchery Sockeye
« Reply #26 on: October 18, 2021, 09:17:00 AM »

It looks to me like Ralph identified Rodneys fish correctly with the added note that the pupil in the lower fish is very big.  For the original fish I am in the 2 coho camp
Logged

Wiseguy

  • Old Timer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 794
Re: Hatchery Sockeye
« Reply #27 on: October 18, 2021, 11:33:19 AM »

No spots? No coho!
That’s a coho in the first picture by the original poster. Admit your wrong dude.
« Last Edit: October 18, 2021, 11:35:31 AM by Wiseguy »
Logged

RalphH

  • Old Timer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 5072
    • Initating Salmon Fry
Re: Hatchery Sockeye
« Reply #28 on: October 18, 2021, 11:39:21 AM »

That’s a coho in the first picture by the original poster. Admit your wrong dude.

LOL! I have been and will be in future wrong about a lot of things, no problems there 'DUDE'. It is a coho.
Logged
"The hate of men will pass and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people!" ...Charlie Chaplin, from his film The Great Dictator.

knotbadman

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 19
Re: Hatchery Sockeye
« Reply #29 on: October 18, 2021, 03:50:08 PM »

Okay, I am feeling much better about keeping this fish. It is a good reminder to brush up on species identification for those times when you find an anomaly. I now feel like I have a few more tools in my pocket when I am confirming that my coho, is in fact, a coho. Unlike the calm, unmoving fish in Rod's videos, mine all seem to be thrashing around in the net when I am trying to identify them. I used to use a "clipped adipose, white gums, bonk!" sort of process. Now I'll add a look for spots and maxillary length.
Funny thing is that I've never had any trouble identifying species before but I think you all got insight into my paranoia around breaking the rules that had me wondering if my spotless salmon with red flesh was a hatchery sockeye.
As always, I appreciate the wisdom and support on this board.
Back to Nicomen on Wednesday, I think.
Logged