Catching Ocean Salmon on the Kayak - Depoe Bay, OR 

Hey man - congrats on your first salmon in the kayak! Just wanted to point out that the fish you kept was not a Chinook, but a Coho. It had white upper and lower outer gums, and hardly any spots on the body or tail, just to name a few traits. My experience comes from being an avid fisherman myself, and working for ODFW/WDFW as a fish checker (just one of many roles I did for them) for 8+ years. Glad it was a hatchery fish and thankfully its open for hatchery chinook and coho right now - but in the future you may want to take a closer look at your catch before bringing them in the boat. In the ocean they can be very hard to tell apart but once you see enough of them, you will know. Also, if you know you're going to be throwing back a lot of fish - like you tend to do in the ocean when its a mark-select fishery - you may want to invest in a net that is safer on the fish / a hook removal tool for removing the hook from the fish's mouth if you can tell its a wild fish. Those green nets are really harsh on them. Part of the reason why all the scales were flying everywhere when you brought them in the boat. Cheers, and good luck out there.

Looked like a coho to me !

Congrats my brother. I someday will catch a salmon from my Kayak.

Nice, Adam! Congrats! Can't wait to get my first salmon in my kayak ... although I'd have an accident in my dry suit when I do!

What were you using?