How to ID your catch

	= 50%  chance to catch		= 80 % Good Chance		= 100% Chance
	but not the preferred time.		of catching desired fish.		of catching desired fish

In general, salmon have a blackish mouth, anal fin longer than high with 13 to 19 anal rays. Trout differ in having a whitish mouth, anal fin higher than long with 9 to 12 anal rays.

These fish can be distinguished from each other as follows:

Coho Salmon (Silver Salmon)
• Interior of mouth gray or black with teeth of lower jaw set in whitish gums.
• 45-83 intestinal appendixes.
• Anal fin usually has 12-15 rays.
• Black spots on back and upper lobe of tail.
• Three year life cycle.
• Average adult size 10-12 pounds.

Chinook Salmon (King Salmon)
• Interior of mouth gray or black with teeth of lower jaw set in blackish gums.
• 140-185 intestinal appendixes.
• Anal fin usually has 15-17 rays.
• Black spots on back, dorsal fin, and both lobes of tail.
• Three to seven year life cycle with an average of four years.
• Average adult size 20-25 pounds.

Brown Trout (German Trout, loch leven)
• Whitish mouth and gums.
• Body sides has orange or brown spots and large dark spots on the back with halos around spots except lake run brown trout have black spots all over the body, except belly, and the spots appear as modified X'es.
• No spots on tail.
• Anal fin normally with 9-12 rays and is higher than it is long.

Rainbow Trout (Steelhead, Kamloops)
• Interior of mouth is white and gums are white.
• Entire tail and dorsal fin, sides of body with blackish spots.
• Faint pink line along side of body with spots above and below line.

Lake Trout (Mackinaw, togue, laker)
• Head V-shaped as seen from above.
• Strongly forked tail.
• Most of body mottled with large light gray and whitish colored spots or vermiculations. Lower fins have a black stripe.
  Information from IDNR