# I'D This Fish



## bowenfish (Dec 29, 2010)

So I caught this fish on a river with a guide this past weekend. I will say the guide thought it was a hybrid chinook/ coho. Said in all his years of guiding he has never seen anything like it. White gumline and big bulbous kype say coho, but it also had some king characteristics as well like the tail. Let me know what you guys think.


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## gotoith (Sep 25, 2005)

I am voting coho with no mixed blood. Did you try lifting the fish by the tail? This is an easy way to validate if it is a King. Coho don't have the same tail bone as a king. Curious how others reply.


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## mikey (May 26, 2005)

Male coho in extreme spawning heat....


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## meatfishhunter (Jan 6, 2015)

Coho for sure


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## ausable_steelhead (Sep 30, 2002)

Big ass coho


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## Mr_Dease (Aug 30, 2011)

I certainly don’t know but it may be a Pinook.


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## AdamBradley (Mar 13, 2008)

War ready ho.


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## Trout King (May 1, 2002)

Coho 100% And a nice one at that. I would think about putting that on the wall.


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## wallerchamon (Feb 24, 2011)

Now that we know coho, it stings a little bit for him to have cut it up and not have taken a picture when we measured it. It was about 37inches and would have been a master angler ‍♂


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## bowenfish (Dec 29, 2010)

It was 36+ inches and 25 lbs. The fact that it was so big was another reason the guide thought it might be a hybrid. I am kicking myself for not getting it mounted now. Master angler for sure and would have made one sweet mount. I took a bunch of pics so a replica is a possibility.


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## meatfishhunter (Jan 6, 2015)

I have seen some giant fish this fall both kings and coho. I hope it stays that way for a few years. That's definitely a BEAST!! Get a replica for sure!


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## sportsman98 (Dec 6, 2010)

Replica is the way to go, Imo, especially if you got plenty of pics and know the length and weight.


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## AdamBradley (Mar 13, 2008)

Wow!!!!! 25lb ho not on the wall..... Ouch!


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## Trout King (May 1, 2002)

I have to ask, who was the guide?


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

There were some 4 year old coho around this year. Buddy took an 11# in late April at St. Joe this spring. As fast as coho grow, that's not a stretch.

Heck of a fish.


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

That's one spawn-ready male Coho. Truly a beast. Nice catch.


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## koditten (Sep 3, 2016)

That's a sockeye. I have only seen 1 other in the big Manistee.


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

Someone smuggle it in from Alaska? They've never been planted over here.


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## koditten (Sep 3, 2016)

I know. Blew my mind the time I saw one.


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## Trout King (May 1, 2002)

koditten said:


> That's a sockeye. I have only seen 1 other in the big Manistee.


The world record sockeye in Michigan? How did it get here?

Also, it looks nothing like a sockeye. It's just a flat out pig of a coho.


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

koditten said:


> Please do an image search for sockeye salmon before accusing me of trolling.


No Sockeyes in Michigan - now, or ever. They feed on Krill, which exist only in the oceans. Pull up pics of a mature male Coho, and a mature male Sockeye, and compare the two. The fish caught for this post is absolutely a large male Coho.


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## koditten (Sep 3, 2016)

I guess Im wrong. Won't be long before I'm wrong again.


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## gatorman841 (Mar 4, 2010)

Awesome coho in spawning mode, natural reproduction at that I'd guess. A replica would be great way to go congrats to the lucky angler!!!


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## gatorman841 (Mar 4, 2010)

koditten said:


> That's a sockeye. I have only seen 1 other in the big Manistee.


You happen to have a pic?


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## wyandot (Dec 5, 2013)

koditten said:


> I guess Im wrong. Won't be long before I'm wrong again.


No big deal. Even if you can't I.D, your fish so well, you still build a helluva nice boat. Keep up the good work man!


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## SJC (Sep 3, 2002)

That is one nice Coho! It is indeed a coho, though. When they color up, their spots are more visible and often look a lot like king spots. I have seen coho with all kinds of variations of their spotting, including almost totally spotted tails and very kingly dots. All of these were caught within minutes of each other and they all show different spotting patterns...
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## Copper44 (Sep 25, 2004)

Said the same about this one...not nearly as big tho!


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## bowenfish (Dec 29, 2010)

Ok, so it is definitely a Coho. Now comes the task of working on getting the wife to let me get this beast mounted and put on the wall!!


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## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

@SJC 

Tell the guy in the 2nd picture that I approve of his fashion sense. Flecktarn camouflage is awesome! I've walked up to Steelhead in small creeks and poked them with my rod tip. Then have them shoot upstream and around the bend. Then crept upstream and have said Steelhead drop back and sit at my feet in my shadow, using it for cover. The stuff works great. I own a ton of it now. I wear it over my waders whenever I fish small streams for trout.


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## SJC (Sep 3, 2002)

PunyTrout said:


> @SJC
> 
> Tell the guy in the 2nd picture that I approve of his fashion sense. Flecktarn camouflage is awesome! I've walked up to Steelhead in small creeks and poked them with my rod tip. Then have them shoot upstream and around the bend. Then crept upstream and have said Steelhead drop back and sit at my feet in my shadow, using it for cover. The stuff works great. I own a ton of it now. I wear it over my waders whenever I fish small streams for trout.


The guy wearing it is me. I love that jacket. It's German army surplus and Goretex. I bought some years ago for like 25 bucks each. It's a lot dryer than most of the wading jackets I've owned. I had about ten dollies sitting right below me, using my legs for a current break. They didn't seem to mind me...


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## riverbob (Jan 11, 2011)

Trout King said:


> Coho 100% And a nice one at that. I would think about putting that on the wall.... one of the prettiest coho's (in spawning colors) i've seen was caught by riverman he got it stuffed. may he can show it to us again.


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

Cool, not only were salmon not supposed to reproduce in Michigan, now they can swim through fractals in the space/time continuum. I'm holding out until I catch a chum salmon, even if they're known as dog salmon as they're dried to feed sled dogs and not the first choice for human consumption.


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## jpmarko (Feb 26, 2010)

Far Beyond Driven said:


> Cool, not only were salmon not supposed to reproduce in Michigan, now they can swim through fractals in the space/time continuum. I'm holding out until I catch a chum salmon, even if they're known as dog salmon as they're dried to feed sled dogs and not the first choice for human consumption.


LOL. Nice.


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## jpmarko (Feb 26, 2010)

ausable_steelhead said:


> Coho can have spots on the bottom of the tail if they color up enough.


I didn't know that. Makes sense. Thanks.


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## ABienk86 (Aug 31, 2017)

meatfishhunter said:


> I have seen some giant fish this fall both kings and coho. I hope it stays that way for a few years. That's definitely a BEAST!! Get a replica for sure!


I checked out the weir in TC yesterday. This will be the first time since 2011 they move 10,000+ fish through (only 700 in 2015) and there were several 20+ lb fish in there. Some I would guess were close to 30. Hopefully it keeps up!


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## Abel (Feb 14, 2003)

Far Beyond Driven said:


> Cool, not only were salmon not supposed to reproduce in Michigan, now they can swim through fractals in the space/time continuum. I'm holding out until I catch a chum salmon, even if they're known as dog salmon as they're dried to feed sled dogs and not the first choice for human consumption.


Keep an eye out for Keta salmon, usually smoked, it's chum.

That's no sockeye, hellofva nice coho man. Little known fact, world record in out of Lake Ontario, AK state record is only 26lbs, they don't get as big here in AK as they do in the lakes.


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