Coho Salmon (Silver)

• Bright silver in colour with a metallic dorsal surface
• Notorious for their wild, fast and erratic fight
• 1.3 to 14 kg (2 to 30 lb)
• White mouth, with white gums at the base of the teeth; black tongue
• Square silver-coloured tail with a wide base, with spots generally on top of tail

Coho is prized for food and sport. They average 2.3 to 6.8 kilograms (5 to 15 lbs.) in late June or early July. After weeks of feeding, they weigh in at 4.5 to 9 kilograms (10 to 20 lbs.) by late August and into September when these larger fish (often known as "northern coho") move into coastal waters. Coho usually live for three years and grow rapidly in their final year.

They also differ from the chinook in their fight - fast, wildly erratic leapers that often jump high on one side of the boat and, while a surprised angler is still trying to reel in slack line to keep up, come rocketing out of the water on the other side.

No fish offers finer light tackle sport. They are also attracted to flashy quick-moving lures or bait; where chinook like slowly spinning bait, coho like a fast trolled herring, "hoochy" (plastic) squid or coho fly, often near the surface. They generally feed within the upper 10 metres (30 ft.) or so, often in schools. Their esteemed flesh is generally a deep red.

Source: Fisheries and Oceans Canada