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Fish Species - Details
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CHINOOK SALMON
(Oncorhynchus tschawytscha)
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Other Common Names
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King salmon
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Identifying Characteristics
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Blue to bluish green on back, grading to silver on the sides and white on the belly; almost
black during late spawning season.
Mouth is black.
Large black spots found on back, dorsal fin, and entire tail.
14 to 16 rays in anal fin.
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Habits and Habitat
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Preferred temperature range is 50 to 58 degrees; 54 degrees is ideal.
Less of a schooling fish than coho salmon.
Often found where the bottom and thermocline meet.
Spawning runs begin in early fall.
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Tackle and Techniques
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Use medium- to heavy-weight tackle and 14- to 25-pound-test line.
Spoons and spinners work very well, as do flatfish and J-Plugs.
A change in color can often make a big difference.
Caught off flatlines in the spring and fall, and off downriggers in the summer.
If water is too cold, try the warmest water available.
When the salmon are spawning in streams and rivers, egg sacs and yarn flies are very effective.
Fish areas and depths where preferred temperatures are found.
Most easily caught in the fall as they run up streams and rivers.
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Current State Record
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47 pounds, 13 ounces; caught by Kurtis L. Killian on the Salmon River on September 7, 1991.
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© Sander's Fishing Guides, Inc.
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