Coho Salmon
Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) is a freshwater and saltwater species. The first thing to check: white gums with a black line along the jaw — opposite of the chinook's black gums. The look-alike to rule out is Chinook Salmon: chinook have black gums and spots on both tail lobes, and run much larger.
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| Scientific name | Oncorhynchus kisutch |
|---|---|
| Also called | silver salmon, silver, hooknose |
| Water | Freshwater and saltwater |
| Group | Salmon |
| Temperature | Feeds actively between 46 and 58 °F, generally in warmer, shallower water than chinook. |
How to identify a Coho Salmon
- White gums with a black line along the jaw — opposite of the chinook's black gums.
- Small black spots on the back and on the upper lobe of the tail only.
- Bright chrome sides in salt water, turning deep red with a green head on spawning fish.
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 |
|---|---|
| Chinook Salmon | Chinook have black gums and spots on both tail lobes, and run much larger. |
| Sockeye Salmon | Sockeye have no distinct spots on the back or tail and prominent glassy eyes. |
Side-by-side comparisons
Read the full entry for Chinook Salmon and Sockeye Salmon.
Where it lives
Pacific coastal rivers from California to Alaska and established in the Great Lakes. Holds nearer the surface and nearer shore than chinook.
Temperature
Feeds actively between 46 and 58 °F, generally in warmer, shallower water than chinook.
The conditions that matter
Coho sit higher in the column than kings and respond to surface temperature and light. They chase, so an aggressive bite often coincides with low light and moving water. Recording water temperature at the depth you are fishing separates a coho pattern from a chinook one on the same day.
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 coho 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.