Is this an Atlantic Salmon? (Update- it is a brown trout)

[Rob]

I had a couple hours to spare on Sunday before the rain set in so I decided to check out the fishing now that the ice is off Lake Cocolalla (ID).

For the first time in my adult life I reeled in a fish and had no idea what I had caught.  My first thought was that it was a variety of Trout I was not familiar with.  I verified it was not a bull trout and decided to keep it. 

My next thought was that it was an oddly colored rainbow.  But as I looked closer it had a tail more like a salmon than a trout.  So then I thought Kokanee – I have never caught one of those and they are in the area but a look at photos showed they did not seem to have the spots.

In the dual fish photo I have a rainbow on the top.  You can see the mystery fish is shaped totally different (more snaky). 

A buddy of mine who fishes commercial from time to time in AK and has guided in his past looked at it and said definitely a salmonoid.  He is fairly certain it is an Atlantic salmon!  I tend to agree with that assessment.  If so, how on earth did an Atlantic salmon end up in Lake Cocolalla ID?

[duckmen1]

My thought is a strain of cutthroat. Nice looking fish.

[pianoman9701]

My thought is a strain of cutthroat. Nice looking fish.

Kind of looks like the black and white stock cutty.

[Rob]

They definitely stock cuts in Cocolalla.  but I would expect some kind of red mark below the gills if it was a cut.  Are there Cuts with no "cut" under the throat?

[Rob]

Also, cuts have very spotty tails.  This one might have a single spot (most of the "spots" on the tail in the photo are bit of debris from the floor of my boat), but I think it was totally spot free.

[X-Force]

Possibly a brown. They have sporadic spots, broad tails and can range from silver to brown in color.

[Rob]

closeup of the tail from the two photos.  The spots are not in the same place so I am thinking the tail is spot free.

Could be an oddball brown - there are supposed to be some big German browns in Cocolalla.

[pianoman9701]

They definitely stock cuts in Cocolalla.  but I would expect some kind of red mark below the gills if it was a cut.  Are there Cuts with no "cut" under the throat?

Yes, the black and white stocks have no cut.

[Rob]

I looked closer and there are a few spots on the tail (when comparing the photos).  The spots faded as time passed from catching it.  Red circles are spots I can see on both photos.

[Rob]

They definitely stock cuts in Cocolalla.  but I would expect some kind of red mark below the gills if it was a cut.  Are there Cuts with no "cut" under the throat?

Yes, the black and white stocks have no cut.

Interesting - I have never heard of a black and white Cut throat.  I did send the photo on to Fish and game.  I will see what they come back with and report back.

[Bullkllr]

This is interesting. I tend to agree with X-Force:

Possibly a brown. They have sporadic spots, broad tails and can range from silver to brown in color.

Either that oddball brown or an oddball cuttie. Not all cuttthroat have visible slashes.

It does look like an Atlantic, and I believe browns are the closest relatives.

I'd be almost inclined to take it to the state lab if there is one close.

[Rob]

I did send photos to IDFG so that may shed some light.

[X-Force]

I did send photos to IDFG so that may shed some light.

It will be interesting to hear what they come back with.

[Rob]

Verdict from IDFG:

It’s a brown trout. They were stocked in Cocolalla some time ago (90’s). They naturalized and now provide a unique component to the fishery based on all wild recruitment.

Good call X-force and Bullkllr!

I would have never called that out as a Brown Trout - I don't expect a bright sliver body on those guys

[pianoman9701]

Verdict from IDFG:

It’s a brown trout. They were stocked in Cocolalla some time ago (90’s). They naturalized and now provide a unique component to the fishery based on all wild recruitment.

Good call X-force and Bullkllr!

I would have never called that out as a Brown Trout - I don't expect a bright sliver body on those guys

Yeah, good call X!

[Boss .300 winmag]

I just want to know how it tasted.🤔

[Rob]

Further from IDFG

Color seems to very widely by location and time of year. In a lake environment, it’s not uncommon to see a very silvery appearance.

[Okanagan]

I'd say Atlantic salmon, but am curious as to what the game department will say.  I caught an Atlantic in the Fraser River several years ago and puzzled over it a bunch before IDing it. The sparse big spots on the cheek are like Atlantic salmon.  It may be an odd color and marking of some other fish of course, but looks like Atlantic to me and does not look like any cutthroat, etc. that I've caught.

Oops:  looks like it got ID'ed as a brown trout while  I was posting above.

[duckmen1]

Very unique color for a brown. Very cool.

[Rob]

I just want to know how it tasted.🤔

It is filleted and sitting in the fridge.  looks really good - much darker red than the rainbow.

[elkinrutdrivemenuts]

I caught some of those Browns last April in Cocolalla and they looked exactly the same.  I was thrown off at first as well.

How is the ice situation?

[Rob]

The ice is 100% gone. 

I am always amazed how fast it goes.  On April first it was probably 95% iced over.  By the 5th or 6th it was down to a 5% iceberg moving around with the prevailing winds.

[jackelope]

The easy way to differentiate between and a trout and a salmon is the tail. Salmon will always have a more pronounced V to the tail.  Top is a salmon. Bottom is a steelhead smolt.



Atlantic salmon on top.

[Bullkllr]

The easy way to differentiate between and a trout and a salmon is the tail. Salmon will always have a more pronounced V to the tail.  Top is a salmon. Bottom is a steelhead smolt.



Atlantic salmon on top.

Generally that works for differentiating Pacific salmon and trout.

It gets more complicated when you bring in Atlantics. The Atlantic is more closely related to brown trout (same genus) than to any Pacific salmon (different genus). Which would partially explain why the fish in the OP looked like an Atlantic salmon. The tail fork appears somewhere between I and II, maybe closer to I, and it is indeed a brown trout.

[metlhead]

One can tell very easy by looking inside to the roof of the mouth. Browns have a wide set of teeth. Atlantics will have one  straight row.