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Coho Salmon

Coho fishing generally starts mid June when they start to show in numbers. Not very big at this time anywhere from 3 to 7 lbs and as the season progresses they only get bigger.

Coho are very aggressive feeders that will easily put on a pound to a pound and a half a week or so and by the end of Aug to mid Sept there are some beauty’s around that can tip the 20lb mark.

Coho are the second most popular salmon species with fishermen for obvious reasons, one being they put up a fantastic fight and secondly they taste great.

Trophy size coho move into Barkley Sound in early June and continue to feed until the end of September.

Coho are easy to distinguish from the other species of salmon but you have to look closely.

The obvious signs first is that coho are smaller than chinook, secondly they have white gums and NO spots on the tail where as chinook have black gums and spots on the tail.

Be sure to check out the DFO ‘s regulations on coho as it changes from year to year based on the returning numbers as well as boundaries on where you can retain wild coho.

 

IDENTIFICATION

Mouth: White, may have black edge, white gums; sharp, medium sized teeth

Tail: Square, silver; some spots, usually on upper lobe; wide tail base

Other Features: Spots on upper part of body

Age of Maturity: 3 years

Freshwater Markings: Greenish black head, red body

 

For more information, please consult Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Pacific Coho (Silver) Salmon