Chum Salmon
Also known as Dog Salmon,
Blue-back Salmon
Onchorhynchus Keta
By Timothy Kusherets
The pronounced upper and lower jaw of this fish easily identifies it as a
Chum Salmon. The distinctive barbs on the side are almost always green,
burgundy, and dark brown. The top half of the fish is very dark while the
underbelly is very bright; this is so that it can hide better in turbid conditions
of the fall as rivers rapidly rise. These fish are notorious for running deep
without ever indicating that there in the area, so it's good advice to learn how to "read" water.
Chum salmon are outstanding battling fish. Their jaws the most dense of all
the Salmonids and be very hard to set the hook at any given time. In the open
ocean chum salmon are well known for making runs directly at the angler where
enough slack is created for it to jump and throw the hook. Due to its fighting
abilities, these fish are highly prized; however, in the absence of body fat
are considered to "not" be very good eating. The best condition a Chum salmon
can be is called a "blue-back" salmon, where the entire dorsal area of the fish
is bright blue. It is the freshest state these fish can be in and are almost
always found in the marine environment just prior to its inland migration. When
these fish are in this condition the meat is extremely palatable and worthy of consumption.
The mature chum shows maroon or burgundy barbs across the sides of the
body and some have blotches of gray. The males develop a sharply hooked
kype and large, dog-like teeth (hence the common name “dog salmon”).
The tail has no mottling at all, unlike Chinook or Coho. Chum feed primarily
on plankton. Once they enter a freshwater system, they will gravitate
to the deepest portions of the river and stay there giving no indication
of their presence. They will not jump out of water like other salmon that
enter freshwater to spawn. The only way to spot a chum is in gin-clear
water, as their bodies afford them nearly perfect camouflage; as a consequence,
they are difficult to see even on clear days.
Chum average in weight of nine to twelve-pounds, however it is not unusual
to see some that top twenty. Because their flesh is pale and low in fat
content, chum salmon are not considered prime fish. While chum are in
salt water there are some telltale signs that will help you identify them
from other species.
In saltwater they are metallic blue and silver, with occasional black
speckling on the back, but, if you hold them at just the right angle you
should be able to see the barbs that run the length of the lateral line
underneath the scales.
It has been speculated that all salmon jump in an effort to loosen the
skein that hold the eggs together, however there is no scientific data
to substantiate that claim; otheres theorize that the jumping is an attempt
to knock off parisites commonly known as sea-lice.
Chum prefer spoons as they are almost always at neutral strata or higher.
The fighting abilities of the chum salmon are not that dissimilar from the Chinook.
After the hit, they will run for a sustained period of time, but do not run
deep. Once the initial run is over, they will headshake and make smaller runs
with continually less frequent attempts at throwing the hook. Of all the salmon,
chum are by far the most difficult to set the hook. The kype and maxillary (jaw
bone) on the chum are remarkably dense which makes it very difficult for the
tine of any hook to penetrate the bone. Oftentimes, when racing chum do not
throw the hook, they will make a run towards the fisherman and jump out of the
water causing enough slack to throw the hook. The best way to counter this kind
of run is to buy a reel that has a high reel to spool spin ratio. The spin ratio
can be found on the side panel of any reel box. The ratio will look like 5.0:1.
It translates that the carriage of the reel will spin five times for every one
turn of the handle.
In the photograph notice that the female does not have the same pronounced
kype that is found in males, however, the markings on the body remain similar.
© Timothy Kusherets 2004/08
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