Tips for Identifying Alaska Silver Salmon

There are all sorts of sport fish for fishermen to target.  One of the most popular is the Alaska silver salmon also known as Coho salmon or Silver Coho salmon.  These fish are very aggressive which makes them a bit easier to catch.

It can be pretty easy to mistake Alaska silver salmon with their larger cousins King salmons.  The following tips will help you distinguish Cohos from other types of fish.

Like other types of fish, Silvers migrate from rivers and end up spending a great deal of time in the ocean.  During this phase of their lives, they will have bluish-green backs and silver running down their sides.  The female fish will usually be darker in color than the males.  There may also be a number of black spots located on their back, dorsal fins, and upper tail lobes.

Like their larger counterparts, Alaska silver salmon will undergo physical changes whenever spawning time rolls around.  Instead of migrating towards larger rivers like Kings though, they will make their way to smaller streams.

During this phase, they will develop dark bellies, brown to red sides, and darker heads and backs.  Their backs may also develop relatively small dark spots whenever they migrate back to fresh water for spawning reasons.

As mentioned, Silver salmon commonly turn red in color whenever they start spawning.  This is one of the reasons why anglers commonly mistake them for sockeyes.  The fact that they are both relatively the same size and use the same types of streams makes distinguishing the two slightly more difficult too.

One of the main features that sets Silver salmon apart is their jaws and teeth.  Their jaws and teeth will start protruding during spawning.  Unlike the black gums found in King salmon mouths, Silver salmons will have a narrow band that is light gray to white in color.

Silvers are not the biggest of the salmon species since Kings hold that title.  On average, silvers weigh approximately 12 to 15 pounds, although some have been known to weigh up to 30 pounds.  Usually, they will be anywhere between 15 and 40 inches in length.

The backs of silver salmon will also help you tell them apart from other fish.  These fish will have backs that arch ever so slightly.  However, the males only develop this feature, not the females.  The fish will also develop hooked noses, but this feature is found on both males and females.