name this fish

[FrankTheRabbit]

At first I thought it was salmon, but it looks like a trout to me. When I grabbed the fish by the tail, it was rough and not smooth, so I'd assume that it's near the end of it's life cycle. This one weighed about 8lbs.

Here's a close up of its noggin:

And I definitely did not keep the fish. It was mentioned that it's a chinook, but at only 8lbs though? I caught another one at 11lbs that was the same species of fish. I saw a good number of fish and noticed that some in the water did have that "hook" jaw, but couldn't catch one. And they were definitely not the same size chinook like Wilmot (20lbs) plus.

 

[kmaax80]

im no expert but it looks like it could be an atlantic salmon? where did you catch it?

 

Its The Franken Salmon

 

[FrankTheRabbit]

yea, it's one ugly fish! lol

I caught it by my g/f's family farm. Big Head river runs from Georgian Bay and it passes by the family's farm. It's definitely skinny and I'm so use to seeing the fatty chinooks.

What's making me confused is that I'm not use to seeing salmon that don't have that "hook" around its mouth.

 

[dragon4]

Looks like a chinook to me,spots below lateral line so not a coho.

 

[dragon4]

Definitely not an Atlantic, no spots on gill plate

 

[Mykester]

damn bo, you got a musky

 

[dragon4]

:wink: :lol:

 

[Yanni]

Looks like a chinook.

yea, it's one ugly fish! lol

I caught it by my g/f's family farm. Big Head river runs from Georgian Bay and it passes by the family's farm. It's definitely skinny and I'm so use to seeing the fatty chinooks.

What's making me confused is that I'm not use to seeing salmon that don't have that "hook" around its mouth.

Males are the ones who have hook shaped jaws(just sometimes it's not that/as noticeable). So it's likely a female chinook. Definitely agree it's near the end of it's cycle, that worn out tail means it's been working on a bed for spawning, so it might have even spawned already... hope you tossed that back in(for your own good even lol).

 

[float^drifter]

chinook for sure. no way it can be an atlantic :wink:

 

[troutmaster04]

its most definately a g-bay spawned out female chinny getting ready to die

 

[Djcake]

it is a Jack Salmon... just a regular chinook that hit sexual maturity a year or so early

 

[frozenfire]

As mentioned, it's a spawned out female chinook that was on it's last breaths.
It's only 8lbs cause it's spawned out and dying.

Gross that you tailed it. I wouldn't touch decomposing salmon!

 

[FrankTheRabbit]

I can only say that it wasn't smooth like the fish you would normally handle. It was coarse and the fins were starting to deteriorate. Sad that their life cycles are like that. The males were very energetic—chasing around other fish. I guess they need to have a lot of energy since they need to protect the little guys when they spawn.

I was there a few weeks earlier and didn't see any fish, so I wonder if they have been pooling somewhere downstream.

 

[NADO]

As mentioned, it's a spawned out female chinook that was on it's last breaths.
It's only 8lbs cause it's spawned out and dying.

Gross that you tailed it. I wouldn't touch decomposing salmon!

dont be a wuss lol

 

[Yanni]

I can only say that it wasn't smooth like the fish you would normally handle. It was coarse and the fins were starting to deteriorate. Sad that their life cycles are like that. The males were very energetic—chasing around other fish. I guess they need to have a lot of energy since they need to protect the little guys when they spawn.

I was there a few weeks earlier and didn't see any fish, so I wonder if they have been pooling somewhere downstream.

The males are just like the females, just means the males you saw were fresher(they'll die like that as well, and will be dead months before the fish hatch). Fins are like that from making its bed, and the fish in whole was like that because it's spawned out and has been waiting to die(not eating; eating away at it's flesh).

As mentioned, it's a spawned out female chinook that was on it's last breaths.
It's only 8lbs cause it's spawned out and dying.

Gross that you tailed it. I wouldn't touch decomposing salmon!

dont be a wuss lol

Rather snap my line on purpose. :wink:

 

[Mykester]

As mentioned, it's a spawned out female chinook that was on it's last breaths.
It's only 8lbs cause it's spawned out and dying.

Gross that you tailed it. I wouldn't touch decomposing salmon!

dont be a wuss lol

he probably gets other people to put the worms on his hook.

 

What the freak is wrong with you kids?

damn I sound like a grandpa

 

[Mykester]

you look pretty old

 

lol ok guys I think it's pretty obvious its a female chinook just by looking at the head. No need to look at details, but like some one said I think it's spawned out. Yesterday I saw the darkest moldiest chinook of my life. I avoided it at all costs lol I even broke my leader when I snagged it. What a nightmare :wink: