Coho Salmon

Coho salmon get confused with Chinook salmon and with sockeye, especially in the ocean phase when everything looks silver. The best field mark is the mouth. Coho have a black mouth with a gray or white gum line, while Chinook have a black mouth with black gums all the way through. If you can get a look inside the jaw, that settles it every time.

Body shape and spots help too. Coho carry black spots on the back and upper lobe of the tail only, not on the lower lobe, while Chinook are spotted on both lobes of the tail. Coho also have fewer, larger spots than Chinook's dense speckling. Sockeye are the easiest to rule out once a fish is spawning, since sockeye turn bright red with a green head, while spawning coho turn a dull maroon or brick red on the body with a bright green head and back, and males develop a strongly hooked jaw (kype) similar to other Pacific salmon. In freshwater, coho parr can be mistaken for young steelhead or rainbow trout, but coho parr have shorter, more oval parr marks and an anal fin with a leading white edge that is more pronounced than a trout's.

Coho spend most of their adult lives in the Pacific Ocean, then return to coastal rivers and streams to spawn, usually in fall. You find them along the Pacific coast from the Alaska panhandle down through the Pacific Northwest and into Northern California, both in open saltwater near river mouths and well upstream once they start their run.

The Great Lakes also hold strong populations, planted decades ago and now self-sustaining in places. There, coho roam open water for most of the year and push into tributary streams in late summer and fall to spawn, giving Midwest anglers a shot at the same fish West Coast anglers chase.

In the ocean and open lake, coho feed heavily on baitfish like herring, anchovies, and smelt, along with squid and small crustaceans. Once they enter rivers to spawn, they stop feeding altogether. Any strike on a lure or bait at that point is aggression or reflex, not hunger.

In saltwater and open lake water, troll baitfish-imitating spoons, plugs, or flashers with a bait behind them, working just above where sonar marks the fish. Downriggers help you hold the right depth, which is often 30 to 90 feet depending on the season and water temperature.

Once coho enter rivers, switch to casting spoons, spinners, or beads drifted under a float through deep, slow pools and current seams. Bright colors like pink, orange, and chartreuse draw strikes even though the fish are not feeding. Fish early morning and overcast days for the most aggressive action, and check your state's regulations closely, since river seasons and limits on coho are often tightly managed and can close fast.