Not my usual thing to copy stuff over from another board for discussion, but this one's got me mystified...

There's a conversation on another board right now about this fish...about half the people think it's a steelhead, and the other half think it's some sort of gigantic mutant coho...and I'm the only one who thinks it's a Chinook...and not only that, I think it's so undeniably a Chinook that I'm sitting here shaking my head wondering how anyone who's ever seen a Chinook, coho, or steelhead could think otherwise.

What say you?





Fish on...

Todd

P.S. Here's the discussion: http://www.ifish.net/board/showthread.php?t=286198

Not a very good pic but I second the Chinook theory.

Another thing...at least this is what I can decipher from the regs...the Trask is not open for any salmon right now...just clipped steelhead. That might be affecting some folks' opinions on what it is...

Fish on...

Todd

Can you put a "scratch n sniff" panel on the photo? There's no mistaking the scent.

I don't know, Todd. She looks pretty "steely" to me. The angle the fish is being held at makes it pretty tough to see the back and tail, though.

Have you ever been wrong? No? Ok....it's a King, then.....or is it Queen?

Posted this on the other board as well.

Anal fin is definitely NOT chinook.

The tail doesn't look square enough to me to be a steelhead.....tough call on chinook versus coho without better look at the tail......gumline is sure white

Aha! Just zoomed in.....she IS a Queen! I should have picked up on the scale loss as well. Goodun!

I agree with FnP, anal fin doesn't appear to be chinook. Gumline too white for me to believe chinook. I call it a coho as well.

it's a coho.

It's definitely not a steelhead...I'm open to discussion on what type of salmon it is (I still say Chinook), but look at that thing's head...

Fish on...

Todd

chinook



coho

The "mean look" in the eye structure, the forked tail with big spots on the lower lobe...the face just looks so "Chinooky" to me...

Fish on...

Todd

Looks like a scale shakin coho to me.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

It's not a metal head.

The body shape does look like a coho...not as deep as a winter Chinook, and kinda bullet shaped for an early springer...I just can't get past the shape of its head and tail, even if the in between parts are a little ambiguous to me.

Fish on...

Todd

Yup, she's a coho all right. Yup.

I vote coho.

Wow, you guys are all losing it....

It's 100% steelhead to me... Although the tail looks forked it's the way the kid is holding the fish squeezing the wrist of the tail causing it to appear forked...

The head in the second picture screams hen steelhead as well as the anal fin screams steelhead as well...... The chromeness/snow belly screams steelhead as well. Don't forget the gumlines screaming steelhead too.... Some hatchery steelhead can have some funny noses...

Although not common to see the scale loss, I've seen it on smoking chrome tidewater steelhead...

Are those the only two pictures to choose from?

Being a clipped fish, it can't be a Chinook this time of year assuming it was caught recently.... The chances of a clipped king being in the Trask this time of year is about .0000001%....

Keith

BONG...BONG..BONG...BONG....BONG!!

We have a winner!

I would say steelhead also. In the first pic you can see the tail is not forked.Nice big hen. Scale loss could be from netting it and flopping around the boat....Rod

Just waiting for the chinark comment from Parker. To me it looks like an ocean bright steelhead with the top kype of a hen coho. The tail does throw me a little though!

Final answer: platinum steelhead