The Coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, is a species of sea going salmon, otherwise known as anadromous.

Coho salmon are referred to by many other names including the silver salmon, silversides, hookbill, hooknose, sea trout, blueback.

The Coho Salmon has almost the same identical distribution as the Chinook Salmon. The Coho Salmon can adapt to a lake habitat, never needing to go to the ocean if the lake habitat is large enough.

The Coho Salmon was introduced to the Great Lakes and has since done very well due to the large numbers of small fish in the lakes. These Coho Salmon never travel to and from the ocean.

Features and Identification

The Coho Salmon has a body that is usually long and compressed. Large Coho Salmon appear stocky, or fat as my friend’s young boy once said.

Ocean going Coho Salmon are dark metallic blue to blue green in colour on the top. Their bellies are silver.

The male differs as it turns dusky green above and on its head, bright red on its sides, and blackish below.

The female Coho Salmon turns a pinkish red on its sides but it is the male Coho Salmon that gets the rolled up snout, which prevents the male from being able to close its mouth.

All Tackle Record

While the all tackle Coho Salmon ever caught was just over 33 pounds (15 kilograms), most Coho Salmon caught are between four to 8 pounds (1.8 to 3.6 kilograms).

Coho Salmon Distribution

The Coho Salmon is native to the northern coastal waters of the Pacific and the rivers that flow into it. This includes northern Japan to the Anadyr River. In Russia from Point Hope, Alaska all the way down to Monterey Bay, California. However, they have been reported as south as Baja California, Mexico.