Coho Salmon Identification Guide

Key identification features

• Silvery body with a metallic blue-green back in the ocean phase
• Small black spots on the back and upper lobe of the tail fin only, never on the lower lobe
• White gums at the base of the teeth, unlike chinook's black gums
• Spawning males turn bright red to maroon on the sides with a green head and back, and develop a hooked jaw
• Moderate size, typically smaller than chinook but larger than pink salmon

Common look-alikes

• Chinook salmon: has black gums and spots on both lobes of the tail, versus coho's white gums and upper-lobe-only spotting
• Sockeye salmon: lacks black spots entirely, while coho always shows some spotting on the back and tail
• Steelhead: spots cover the entire tail fin and dorsal fin, not just the upper tail lobe as in coho

Where you'll see one

Coho salmon range throughout the North Pacific, spawning in coastal streams and rivers from central California north through the Pacific Northwest, British Columbia, and Alaska to the Russian Far East.