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Toss Back Tuesday Salmonid Help, Please


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#1 mattknepley

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Posted 30 August 2016 - 05:37 AM

A little bit ago when Ben had his Throw-back Thursday pics going, I was trying to find the following picture. It finally turned up.

Attached File  sunysalmon.jpeg   180.57KB   0 downloads

Yup, that's yours' truly, in all my studliness, in the Fall of 1987 or the Spring of 1988. At the time I was a freshman at State University of New York at Oswego. My dorm was right on the shore of Lake Ontario! One day several of us were down at the water and saw a few large fish doing their darnedest to swim over the rocky flats and into a dried feeder channel/drainage ditch kind of thing. I can only assume they were trying to go upstream to spawn... Figuring the weren't long for the world anyway, I wrastled one out of the water for a photo-op.

Unfortunately, this is the only picture I have from the encounter. I have always thought the fish was an Atlantic Salmon, but am curious if I am right. The head and caudal sure look like an Atlantic, but the location of the anal fin relative to the caudal, and the over-all beefy build of the creature looks more Brown Troutish to me. The fish is definitely in breeding mode, as the cascading stream of fish-stuff puddling at my feet attests. It is my understanding Atlantic Salmon take on a dark coloration like this when spawning.

But my best guess now is a Chinook Salmon. They have been stocked in the lake, and the jaw, head, color, caudal, build and nutty behavior all seem right.

So, whatcha think, Atlantic Salmon or Brown Trout, or Chinook?
Matt Knepley
"No thanks, a third of a gopher would merely arouse my appetite..."

#2 smbass

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Posted 17 September 2016 - 10:58 AM

Pretty confident in calling that a Chinook. The Great Lakes stocked ones get that brown color when making their spawning runs out of the lake, they are also the largest one.


Brian J. Zimmerman

Gambier, Ohio - Kokosing River Drainage


#3 NateTessler13

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Posted 28 February 2017 - 09:08 AM

I know I'm late to the party on this one, but it's definitely a male Chinook salmon ready to breed and then die.  As Brian stated, that gnarly brown color is pretty diagnostic.  Also, the spotting on the tail covers the entire tail, whereas the spotting is restricted to the upper lobe on Cohos.


Nate Tessler
Environmental Scientist

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#4 Chasmodes

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Posted 28 February 2017 - 09:33 AM

Agreed chinook.  Also, cohos have that black coloring on the inside of the mouth, looks like it lacks in this fish.

 

Wrastled, LOL.  That reminded me of the time that I "wrastled" about a 25" carp in a tiny lake feeder stream about 2' wide at a "falls" after the lake had been drained down.  I think it was also trying to run upstream for the same reason.  I can't imagine wrastling a king salmon...must have been a pretty good fight, worthy of the WWF (or whatever they're called now)?


Kevin Wilson


#5 mattknepley

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Posted 28 February 2017 - 04:27 PM

Thanks, guys. I'd lost track of this post after a couple days and it hadn't gotten a response. I appreciate all the feedback. I had talked myself into Coho at some point. Guess I gotta fix the ticks in the ol' Peterson's now... Actually Kevin, your carp probably fought harder. This poor dude was about spent. He was pretty strong, but not explosive. Just had to wear him down with my massive 135 lbs!
Matt Knepley
"No thanks, a third of a gopher would merely arouse my appetite..."

#6 Matt DeLaVega

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Posted 28 February 2017 - 08:31 PM

Most of us wish we were back closer to that massive 135 pound class. I was about that weight at 19. Now I fight staying under 190. I am 5'12" tall.;)


The member formerly known as Skipjack


#7 mattknepley

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Posted 01 March 2017 - 06:48 AM

Most of us wish we were back closer to that massive 135 pound class. I was about that weight at 19. Now I fight staying under 190. I am 5'12" tall. ;)

Roger, that. I'm (sorta) fighting to stay under 230 right now, if it makes you feel better. I can't believe these scrawny legs and this spare tire I sport now belong to the same person in that pic. Oh well, the chassis may have changed, but I'm still as goofy as I was then. At least my personality didn't get too fat!
Matt Knepley
"No thanks, a third of a gopher would merely arouse my appetite..."




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