Do you recognise the fish you have caught. Sian has asked me to put this information into our web site. The information is taken from the Atlantic Salmon Trust site, which is very useful to identify all the types of Salmon & Sea Trout. Clicking the link above will take you to their site.
Salmon (I) can be distinguished from large sea trout (II) by a more streamlined shape, concave tail, slimmer tail wrist, upper jaw reaching no further than rear of the eye, few if any black spots below lateral line, 10-15 (usually 11-13) scales counted obliquely forward from adipose fin to lateral line - trout have 13-16.
Salmon Sea Trout
General appearance Slender and streamlined More round and thickset
Head Pointed More Round
Position of the Eye Maxilla (bony plate usually alongside mouth)
does not extend beyond rear rear of eye Maxilla extends beyond eye
Colour Relatively few spots Often heavily spotted
Scale count (number from adipose fin to lateral line) 10-13 13-16
Fork of tail Usually forked Usually square or convex
Wrist of tail Slender Broader
Handling Easy to pick up by tail Tail slips through hand
Research has shown that exposing a salmon to air for even a short period, ( taking a photo )can significantly reduce its chance of survival. Keep the Salmon in the water at all times. Do not lift it by the tail, as this can damage the tendons in the body cavity which can kill the fish in extreme cases.
At all times support the belly whilst handling the fish in the water.
Always handle the fish with wet hands when removing the hook gently by hand or forceps. If the hook is deeply embedded and cannot be removed, the leader should be cut close to the hook, as fish released with the hook attached will generally survive.Try not to squeeze the fish too hard and never hold it by its Gills at all times.
