I'd say it's a HOmaphroNOOK. I can't honestly say that I've ever seen a coho with any spots on the pectoral fins.

I bet it was a spinner. Probably a blue fox. I tell ya' I got one almost exactly like it yesterday on a #4 vibrax with a rusty hook and a chunk of orange tape on the blade with all the other colors worn off. I told him "Go tell your daddy I'm here". KING JACK, the silver jacks look completely different there this time of year. They are skinnier, they are two-tone, and they don't look like that fish.

This may sound Stupid but when in doubt Just smell it if it smells like a King and looks like a king then it is a King no Doubt about it King Slime smells ten times more fishy than a, Silver try it!

" But officer.. I personally smelt this fish and I can say for certain....".

I wish Smalma or Salmo G would chime in I am interested to find out as there are sure alot of know it alls responding. I have always wondered what these fish with the characteristics of both sub species of salmon are.-TBJ

I'm sticking with Chinook. The back color and spots make me lean that way. It's not an easy one for sure.... How did it taste?

[quote=fishNphysician I can be pretty opinionated when I KNOW I'm right. [/quote]

Something I hadn't noticed before

I'm going out on a limb.... Atlantic Salmon

tyee

It ain't no coho

Anybody see the pic in the latest STS for the article about the 3 different versions of events surrounding the catching of that big king near the Tr-Cities? Look at that close-up of the fish's head. The gums are white and it has the classic coho "hook-nose"... yet it's a high 30's upriver bright CHINOOK.

Just goes to show ya...

I ain't no know it all. I need to see more of the fish. FNP takes fine photos, but that one doesn't yield enough for me to make a well informed ID.

Well.....going on what I remember from fisheries biology 101 in college and the thousands of hours over my life spent around these fish I voted nook' . Unless it's a hybrid(rare but it happens) there is only 1 species with larger, oval, non-round spots on the back and that is a chinook.

I don't buy the white gumline argument on this fish that would make it a coho. Many times smaller jacks have incomplete or inconsistent color on the gumline....especially nook' jacks.

As others said, a tail shot would be more conclusive.

That's my story and I'm stick'in to it!

110% coho jack....

Keith

Spots and green back color scream nookie to me.

Chinook... Get a shot of the tail?

I'll bet he did, but he's holding out on us!

Fish on...

Todd

I was just trolling for a yes or no T-rip!

like everyone else would like to see more! Much easier to ID with the fish in hand and a single photo can be ambiguous

Purposely waited until now to express my opinion to give others a chance to give their thoughts

However from I can see it is my opinion that it is not a Chinook. Color of gum/tongue aside if you held the jaw of a Chinook as shown in the photo I would expect to see some blood (and not the fish's).

Not all that uncommon to see spotted river coho like that and if I had to pick between coho and Chinook I would have to say coho. The beginning of a "button" on the snout and body color look like a maturing coho.

However there remains some doubt in the back of my mind that the fish might be a pink. The thumb is hiding how "pointy" the lower jaw might be and the teeth look small in the photo - a clearer view of the jaw and/or the tail would help answer the question.

FNP - A fun post and shows how easy it is to confuse all us so-called experts. Seems like there always are some fish around to challenge us.

Tight lines
Curt

Coho Jack for sure. I caught lots of Silvers at Buoy Ten this year that had those big spots on their backs to make them look like Chinook but the white gum line gives it away.