Atlantic Salmon
Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) is a freshwater and saltwater species. The first thing to check: black spots shaped like X's or crosses, concentrated above the lateral line and on the gill cover, with few or none on the tail. The look-alike to rule out is Brown Trout: browns carry red spots as well as black, a thicker tail wrist and a squarer tail. Sea-run browns are the hardest call — the scale count settles it.
Last updated
| Scientific name | Salmo salar |
|---|---|
| Also called | the leaper, landlocked salmon, ouananiche |
| Water | Freshwater and saltwater |
| Group | Salmon |
| Temperature | Runs and holds best between 46 and 58 °F; movement slows sharply above the mid-60s. |
How to identify an Atlantic Salmon
- Black spots shaped like X's or crosses, concentrated above the lateral line and on the gill cover, with few or none on the tail.
- A narrow tail wrist you can grip in one hand, and a slightly forked tail.
- Between 10 and 13 scale rows counted from the rear of the adipose fin forward to the lateral line.
Global Fishing League's identification does not currently cover Atlantic Salmon. This page is here because the fish is worth being able to name, and because getting it wrong has consequences — but do not expect the app to return it from a photograph. See what it does identify.
Fish it is mistaken for
| Species | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| Brown Trout | Browns carry red spots as well as black, a thicker tail wrist and a squarer tail. Sea-run browns are the hardest call — the scale count settles it. |
| Pacific Salmon | Pacific species die after spawning and have 13 or more anal fin rays; Atlantic salmon have fewer and may spawn more than once. |
Read the full entry for Brown Trout.
Where it lives
North Atlantic rivers, with the North American range now centred on eastern Canada. Landlocked populations persist in Maine, New York and eastern Canadian lakes.
Temperature
Runs and holds best between 46 and 58 °F; movement slows sharply above the mid-60s.
The conditions that matter
Atlantic salmon do not feed in fresh water, so the pattern is entirely about running conditions: a rise in river level after rain moves fish, and a cool, oxygenated flow keeps them taking. Water temperature above the low 60s effectively closes the fishing on many rivers.
Global Fishing League records 18 weather and water readings against every catch automatically — tide stage, barometric pressure, water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, swell, current, moon phase and more, taken at your GPS position at the moment you log the fish. Over a season that turns a hunch about atlantic salmon into a pattern you can read.
See every reading recorded with a catch, or the guides to what each reading means.
Size limits, bag limits and seasons
Size limits, bag limits, slot limits and seasons are set by your state wildlife agency — and for many offshore and migratory species by federal regulators — and on many waters they differ from the statewide rule. They also change between seasons. Check the current regulations for the exact water you are fishing before you keep a fish — we do not republish limits here, because a number that is a season out of date is worse than no number.
What the app does do is make your side of it accurate: every catch carries a length measured from the photograph, a GPS position and a timestamp, exportable if you ever need to show your work for a tournament or a record claim. It is also what a Global Fishing League entry is built from — a record that verifies itself, without publishing where you caught the fish.