Chinook Salmon

Chinook salmon get confused with coho salmon and with the big lake-run rainbow trout (steelhead) that share the same rivers. The surest field mark is inside the mouth: chinook have black gums at the base of the teeth on both the upper and lower jaw, while coho have black gums only on the upper jaw and a white lower gum line. Chinook also have irregular black spots on both the upper and lower lobes of the tail, where coho usually show spots only on the upper lobe or none at all.

Body shape helps too. Chinook are thicker through the body and shoulders, with a heavier, blockier head, especially on spawning males, which develop a pronounced hooked jaw called a kype. Steelhead, by contrast, keep a slimmer trout-like profile, a smaller mouth, and lack the black gum line entirely. In salt water or fresh, a chinook's tail spotting and heavy build are the fastest way to separate it from either lookalike.

Chinook, also called king salmon, spend most of their adult lives in the open Pacific and return to freshwater rivers to spawn. Anglers find them in coastal rivers and their tributaries up and down the Pacific Northwest and into the Alaskan interior, plus big water like Puget Sound and the lower Columbia system. They also run up rivers feeding the Great Lakes, where they were introduced decades ago and now support a strong sport fishery in their own right.

In salt water, look for them near river mouths, tide rips, and bait balls. Once they enter rivers to spawn, they hold in deep, slow pools and travel lanes on their way upstream, often staging below riffles or in deep bends before pushing further.

In the ocean and the Great Lakes, Chinook feed heavily on baitfish like herring, anchovies, smelt, and alewives, along with squid where available. Once they enter rivers to spawn, they stop feeding entirely. Any strike from a river fish is a reaction or territorial response, not hunger, which is a big part of why they are hard to catch consistently.

In salt water and big lakes, trolling is the standard approach. Run cut plug herring, spoons, or flashers paired with a hoochie behind a downrigger to get baits down to where the fish are holding, often 30 to 100 feet deep depending on season and water temperature.

In rivers, switch to bottom-bouncing or drift fishing. Use roe clusters, sand shrimp, or beads under a slip float, or run a heavy jig near the bottom through deep pools and seams. Because river fish are not feeding, presentation and depth matter more than lure choice. Get the bait right in front of them at the right speed and you will draw a strike.

Chinook are strong, heavy fish and require sturdy tackle: heavier rods, stout mainline, and a drag system that will not fail on a fifty-pound fish. Seasons and limits are tightly managed and change year to year based on run size, so check your state's current regulations before you go, especially in the Great Lakes and along the Pacific coast.