Coho that didn't look like a coho...
Kept a hatch doe coho from Norrish Creek this afternoon. What puzzles me is that it's tail had far more than the requisite number of spots. All coho that I've ever caught have just a few spot, less than 5--more like 3, on the upper part of the tail. This coho had spots over it's entire tail, not in radiating rows like a chinook or steelhead, a bit more random than that, but still a very significant number-enough to have me take a second look at the fish to confirm my ID. And yes it was a coho. Although perhaps it could have been one of Ralph's Maria sockeye ;) Have any of you observed this also in other coho? Often? Cheers

Bubba, When fishing for cap coho this past year (you know, when they bite well in June when the waters up), a friend of mine caught a nice hatchery coho of around 4 pounds or so that had spots not on the top half of caudal fin, but it had spots on the top 1/4 of the caudal fin and the bottom 1/4 of the caudal fin. The thing was a coho though, the look at the mouth confirmed it, so I guess there are some spots variation amongst stocks in the river, who knows if this is some kind of genetic adaption or mutation, who really cares, its in your freezer isn't it?

Ok, I'll give you my best explanation for this sort of "phenomenon (according to you)." It is commonly believed that through the course of evolution that all salmonid species developed from a common ancestor. Through the chain of evolution several subspecies developed and later on species. Each of these species developed spawning characteristics to suit maybe a local area they spawned and evolved. It is commonly believed that Sockeye, Pinks, and Chums are highly evolved/specialized because of their very extereme spawning characteristics and strong numbers of them, where as coho and chinook are believed to be less evolved and have more in common with each other so they are often lumped into a less evolved grouping together by where their spawning/rearing traits are considered that. Coho and Chinook therefore seem to have a lot in common with each other. As I have told you, I have seen coho with different spotting as well, but I never questioned it. Maybe spotting has to do with camouflauge. Chinook appear to be deep water fish, and have fully spotted tails. These spotted tails may have a reasoning behind them in their depth, maybe to protect from being seen. Where as Coho which are generally regarded as fish that use the upper water colums in a lot of cases may have a lighter bottom caudal and a top caudal which has adapted to be spotted. This also may be prevent them from being seen. Coho have ligter more silvery bottoms and darker/more spotted backs to their boddies. This may be an adaption for their ocean life. Maybe in their stay at the hatchery by where they are imposed upon an unusual amount of light, not normally seen by wild coho, they developed a spotting which best concealed them in the enviroment for which they grew up in (such as a trough or a concrete channel). Anyways, like you said, It is a coho. Scott

I caught a coho in Norrish last year that looked much the same. I took a good look to make sure it wasn't a steelhead as it has a few spots on the lower half of the tail. It also had an adipose fin.

Maybe its a racial adaption then. Maybe there is/was a creek (which feeds into Norrish) race of coho with different spotting for some particular reason on Norrish. I don't think all coho can be lumped into the same bin, just like all humans can be lumped into the same bin, although some of us are bound for the looney bin, there are some races of fish that grown faster than others, some that are stronger than others, a lot of which has to do with the stream in which they were born (ROS much?).

But different kind of humans are the same version of different kinds of salmon I would think. But from what I've read, its probably just a little variation over time thats happened, possibly it betetr fits the surroundings in that particular creek? Its like that, that much is certain. Chris

In the Cariboo there is a strain of trout called 'Cutbows'. These are a cross-bread of rainbow and cutthroat trouts. Possibly, the Coho strain with a full tail of spots is a result of cross-breading with Steelhead which may be the reason there is a late (December) run of Coho in that area. Am I out to lunch or is this possible?

I personally doubt the cuttbows are actually hybrids. More likely they are rainbows with some cutthroat like markings. That's my opinion - go ahead, shoot me! Numerous experiments have been carried out on hybridizing salmon. To the best of my recollection coho can't be hybridized with any other salmonid.

Interesting thought, found this link about Spring/Pink hybrids...I learned something, didn't know they existed http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/Region2/hatchery/html/hybrid.stm

And more info... Bartley and Gall (1990) recently reported that crosses between chinook and coho salmon ("conooks") were occurring in the Klamath River Basin and particularly at or below Trinity River Hatchery. Chevassus (1979), in a review of the literature, found natural crossing of chinook and coho to be extremely rare. The earlier run timing of the hatchery strain of coho versus original native coho stocks, the large runs of both coho and fall chinook in recent years, and the limited amount of spawning area below the hatchery may be the combination of factors that led to this occurrence
Have my doubts about this being a "conook" Frank. I assume this hatch fish was spawned at the Inch Creek facility, seems most likely for a Norrish htach coho, so therefore it almost certainly had coho parents, unless the hatchery staff were into a "Franken-fish" program. So given coho parents, this being a conook would require some chinook ancestry somewhere in the fishes lineage. To my knowledge there are no chinook in the Norrish system. Perhaps ancestral strays from another system (Chehalis?). Unlikely. Anyways, she caught me by surprise and good fodder for some discussion.

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