Monday, December 22, 2014

Coho or steelhead?

I caught this fish 2014/12/19.  I cast a DIY spinner with orange sticker on the blade and an orange hook tube.  The fish took the hook about 15 yards downstream and pulled hard, taking out and giving back many yards of line for at least 10 minutes.  I walked downstream, taking back line until I got the fish to fight cross stream and even a little upstream from me.  Once it tired, I gently led the stubborn fish back up stream to where I could net it 20 minutes after hooking it.  Photo taken with a Kodak video camera, waterproof, but not very sharp.  This picture might help us identify the fish.  

Ben said, "Because of the forked tail I'm calling it a coho."
To which I replied,"Either way, wild ones go back to the river!
"Forked tail?  Um, the picture shows my hand grasping the tail base, which could give the appearance of a forked tail!  
"Fight over 20 minutes: 
"I don't have sufficient depth of fishing to say Chrome colored Coho can hide the white flag that long!  Gary R. thinks not. "

The lower jaw and tongue are white: steelhead.

The tail looks forked because my hand squeezes the rays together. If it looked like that without my hand, I'd agree with a coho i.d.  I cannot rely on this criterium for i.d.

The shape of the anal fin tells more:




1. on a trout (or steelhead, by implication) the tip of the anal fin reaches as far back as the base of the fin.   
2. On coho the tip falls slightly past the middle of the base.
In the picture above, after correcting for the frame cutting off the tip of the fin, I'd place the tip of the fin well within steelhead territory.

Evidence:  Mouth, anal fin, lateness in season, feistiness when hooked.
Verdict:  It's a steelhead!

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