Also known as
- King Salmon US
- Tyee Salmon US
- Spring Salmon US
- Blackmouth US
- Quinnat Salmon US
Identification
The largest of all Pacific salmon — a barrel-chested anadromous predator built for punishing ocean endurance and powerful river ascents. Delivers bulldogging deep runs and hard dives. Fish over 40lb earn the 'tyee' tag in British Columbia.
- Ocean phase: deep blue-green back with silvery flanks and white belly
- Spawning phase: olive-brown, red, or purplish body colouration
- Black gums on lower jaw — the key field mark separating from coho
- Small dark irregular spots on head, back, and both lobes of tail
- Pronounced hooked lower jaw (kype) on spawning males
Where it holds
- Offshore
- Rivers
- Lakes
- Estuaries
Behaviour
A large anadromous predator. Juveniles spend months to 3 years in natal rivers on invertebrates before smolting seaward for 1-7 years of rapid ocean growth on herring, anchovies, sand eels, smelt, and squid. Returning adults largely stop feeding in freshwater but still strike lures, flies, and cured roe from aggression and territorial memory. Peak ocean feeding 7-14°C (45-57°F); fish follow baitfish schools and hold at depth bands that shift with temperature. All die after one spawn.
Diet: Herring, Anchovies, Sand Eels, Smelt, Squid
How it's caught
Line Fishing
Trolling
The globally dominant method. Troll spoons, plug-cut herring, hoochies, and whole anchovies at 1.5-2.5 knots behind downriggers set 15-45m deep, with 11-inch flashers 90-115cm ahead of the lure to draw fish in. Blue, purple, glow-white, and 'Herring Aid' (black/blue/chartreuse) dominate. Target bottom contours, bait balls on sonar, and current seams off headlands.
Drift Fishing
Mooching is the traditional Pacific Northwest approach — drop a plug-cut herring on a tandem-hook rig beneath a banana-sinker (3-5oz) to the marked depth and let the boat drift pull the bait in a slow spiral. Plug-cut herring spins naturally as it rises and falls — deadly on Chinook. Motor-mooch at 0.5-1 knot to cover water with the same presentation.
Jigging
Drop heavy herring-profile lead jigs to marked fish on sonar and work with long sweeping rod lifts and controlled falls. Most strikes come on the drop. Effective when fish are concentrated on humps, bait balls, or along specific depth bands where trolling is ineffective.
Spinning
Cast heavy spoons, spinners, and plugs to returning fish in river pools, tailouts, and estuarine staging water. Purple, blue, chartreuse, and brass dominate. Heavy-duty gear essential — fresh-run Chinook in current outpunch any other river salmon. Bounce-ball rigs with cured roe or spin-n-glos behind a drift sinker also highly productive.
Float Fishing
Centerpin or spinning-reel float setups drift cured roe, beads, or jig-and-bait combos through river slots and tailouts on a zero-drag presentation. The dominant tributary-fishing method on many Great Lakes and West Coast rivers during the peak run. Adjust float depth to keep the bait ticking just above bottom.
Fly Fishing
Streamer
Swing large bright streamers and egg-sucking leeches through holding water on sink-tip lines with 9-10wt single-hand rods or 7-8wt spey/switch rods. Most productive in the lower river early in the run before fish colour up. Chinook strike from territoriality, not hunger — slow deep swings through the bucket outperform fast retrieves.
Saltwater Fly
Cast large baitfish patterns on fast-sinking shooting heads to fish feeding on herring or anchovy schools in the salt — particularly Puget Sound and Alaska beach-fishing for resident 'blackmouth' Chinook. Strip-retrieve steady and fast enough to stay ahead of the fly sinking through the column.
