Chum Salmon
Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) is a freshwater and saltwater species. The first thing to check: no distinct spots on the back or tail, but bold purple-green calico bars on the flank once the fish is in the river. The look-alike to rule out is Sockeye Salmon: sockeye are also unspotted but turn solid crimson with a green head, and have a bright gold eye rather than calico barring.
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| Scientific name | Oncorhynchus keta |
|---|---|
| Also called | dog salmon, keta, calico salmon |
| Water | Freshwater and saltwater |
| Group | Salmon |
| Temperature | Runs between 46 and 58 °F, and is typically the latest run of the season. |
How to identify a Chum Salmon
- No distinct spots on the back or tail, but bold purple-green calico bars on the flank once the fish is in the river.
- White tips on the anal and pelvic fins.
- Spawning males grow large canine-like teeth and a heavy hooked jaw — the origin of dog salmon.
If you would rather not work through a key on a wet deck, photograph the fish and let the app name it — you get the common and the scientific name back, and the record is filed before you release.
Fish it is mistaken for
| Species | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| Sockeye Salmon | Sockeye are also unspotted but turn solid crimson with a green head, and have a bright gold eye rather than calico barring. |
| Pink Salmon | Pinks carry large oval spots on both lobes of the tail; chum have none. |
Read the full entry for Sockeye Salmon and Pink Salmon.
Where it lives
The most widely distributed Pacific salmon, from Oregon to Alaska and across to Asia. Spawns in the lower reaches of rivers, often within tidal influence.
Temperature
Runs between 46 and 58 °F, and is typically the latest run of the season.
The conditions that matter
Because chum spawn low in the system, the fishery is often estuarine, and tide matters as much as river level — fish stage on the flood and push on the drop. They stay aggressive to a swung fly longer than sockeye, so a run that is holding is a run that is catchable.
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 chum 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.