Chinook, spring or king, powerfull and strong....
| The largest of all salmon species, the chinook or king salmon. On average, they grow to four feet and 40 pounds. At most, they can grow to as long as five feet and 100 pounds! Fishermen mostly hook fish between 15 and 50 lbs. Powerful, sleek and singularly determined to return to their birthplace to spawn and die, salmon are at the heart of many Northwest Native American tribes' heritage and have been a pillar of the region's economy. Chinook are the first of the 5 species that enter the rivers to spawn. From the end of May they can be found on most rivers. Just like all Pacific salmon, chinook also change from a silvery fish into a coloured one. Sometimes grey/black and sometimes red/grey. In British Columbia chinook are also called 'tyee' of 'spring' and most fish that are caught on the flyrod has a size between 20 an 40 lbs. The Skeena River produced in 2001 a real big fish of almost 99 lbs. This chinook was caught with 'heavy equipment' near Terrace. Just like the coho, chinook are also put in some of the great lakes of the USA. Chinook can travel large distances, up to 2000 miles, to reach their spawning grounds. It should be clear that a #8/9 flyrod is not the right equipment to catch those salmon! |
|