Coho Salmon

Coho Salmon Parr.

A Coho Salmon from Bowmanville Creek.

Coho Salmon- What it looks like:

• Deep-bodied but thin from side to side;
• Blue or green back;
• Silvery sides;
• White belly;
• Tail spotted on upper lobe only;
• Dark mouth, light grey gums;
• Leading ray on anal fin extends 1/2 – 2/3 the length of the fin;
• Short, narrow caudal peduncle (where body and tail join);
• Smaller than Chinook salmon.

Coho Salmon from the Ganaraska River, Lake Ontario.

Size:

• Length: 30-75 centimetres (12-30 inches);
• Weight: 2.25-4.5 kilograms (5-10 pounds);
• Ontario record: 13 kilograms (28.6 pounds);
• Similar fish;
• Chinook Salmon;
• Rainbow Trout (Great Lakes);
• Brook Trout;
• Where it is found;
• RangeRange of the Coho Salmon in Ontario;
• Native to the North Pacific Ocean;
• Introduced to the Great Lakes;
• Spend most of the year in the cold waters of the Great Lakes;
• Return to tributary streams to spawn;
• Use Fish ON-Line, an interactive mapping tool, to find specific lakes and rivers.

A Coho Salmon from The Ganaraska river.

Habitat:

Juveniles and spawning adults prefer small streams gather at the mouth of rivers in the late summer and early fall before migrating upstream to spawn.

Angling Tips:

• Very popular, feisty sporting fish;
• Usually caught near the surface and leap repeatedly, changing direction quickly;
• Smaller than Chinook salmon;
• Aggressive and likely to bite a wider range of baits and lures;
• Usually stop feeding once they move upstream in fall, but are aggressive and territorial and will hit lures in defense–try rattle baits, spinners and plugs;
• Down rigging and trolling work best when fishing in the Great Lakes;
• Troll deep with plugs, spoons and live or dead bait;Sstill-fish in moderately deep water using live, salted or fresh-cut herring.

Common Baits:

Lake Fishing: Plugs, spoons, trolling flies, live or dead bait.

River Fishing: Spawn, Flies, Beads.

Coho Salmon Par.