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Legendary Species · Salmon, steelhead and sea trout

Chinook salmon

Oncorhynchus tshawytscha[1] · also King

Chinook have black spots on the upper body and on both lobes of the tail, and black pigment along the gum line, which is why they are called "blackmouth."[1]

  • 145waters list it
  • 17states and regions
  • 5agency sources
Several red-backed Chinook salmon splashing upstream through shallow, fast water
Chinook salmon moving upstream in the lower Tuolumne River, California (Dan Cook, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). Photo: Dan Cook (USFWS), public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Identification

  • Chinook have black spots on the upper body and on both lobes of the tail, and black pigment along the gum line, which is why they are called "blackmouth."[1]
    What the source says
    “They have black spots on the upper half of the body and on both lobes of the tail fin. Chinook salmon also have a black pigment along the gum line, thus the nickname "blackmouth."”
  • Alaska's angler tip: kings have spots on both tail lobes, while coho have spots only on the upper lobe. Kings have a black mouth with a black gum line in both ocean and spawning phases.[2]
    What the source says
    “Ocean-phase and spawning chinook (king) salmon have a black mouth with a black gum-line. They have black spots on their back and on both lobes of the tail. Kings are different from coho in that their tail spots cover both lobes, whereas a coho has spots only on the upper lobe of its tail.”
  • Spawning colour: as they near spawning in fresh water, Chinook turn olive brown, red or purplish, most clearly in males. Spawning males have a hooked upper jaw.[1]
    What the source says
    “In fresh water, when they are about to spawn, Chinook change to olive brown, red, or purplish. This color change is particularly evident in males. Spawning adult males can be distinguished by their hooked upper jaw.”
  • In Alaska, spawning Chinook range from red to copper to deep gray depending on location and maturity; males are usually redder and females usually gray.[3]
    What the source says
    “Colors of spawning Chinook salmon in fresh water range from red to copper to deep gray, depending on location and degree of maturation. Males typically have more red coloration than females, which are typically gray.”

Habitat and range

  • In North America, Chinook range from the Monterey Bay area of California to the Chukchi Sea in Alaska.[1]
    What the source says
    “In North America, Chinook salmon range from the Monterey Bay area of California to the Chukchi Sea area of Alaska.”
  • In Alaska, major Chinook runs return to the Yukon, Kuskokwim, Nushagak, Susitna, Kenai, Copper, Alsek, Taku and Stikine rivers.[3]
    What the source says
    “In Alaska, they are abundant from the southeastern panhandle to the Yukon River. Major populations return to the Yukon, Kuskokwim, Nushagak, Susitna, Kenai, Copper, Alsek, Taku, and Stikine rivers.”

Life history

  • Chinook mature at ages 2 to 7, usually returning to spawn at 3 or 4, generally in summer or early fall. All Chinook die after spawning.[1]
    What the source says
    “They spend a few years feeding in the ocean, then return to their natal streams or rivers to spawn, generally in summer or early fall. Chinook salmon sexually mature between the ages of 2 and 7 but are typically 3 or 4 years old when they return to spawn. Chinook dig out gravel nests (redds) on stream bottoms where they lay their eggs. All Chinook salmon die after spawning.”
  • Alaska streams normally get a single Chinook run between May and July.[3]
    What the source says
    “Alaska streams normally receive a single run of Chinook salmon in the period from May through July.”

Status, protections and rules

Legal status and rules as the agency stated them on the date read. Rules change: check the current regulations for the water.

  • NOAA Fisheries lists two Chinook units as endangered under the ESA: Sacramento River winter-run and Upper Columbia River spring-run.[4]
    What the source says
    “ESA Endangered Sacramento River winter-run Upper Columbia River spring-run”
  • NOAA lists seven Chinook units as threatened: California coastal, Central Valley spring-run, Lower Columbia River, Puget Sound, Snake River fall-run, Snake River spring/summer-run and Upper Willamette River.[4]
    What the source says
    “ESA Threatened California coastal Central Valley spring-run Lower Columbia River Puget Sound Snake River fall-run Snake River spring/summer-run Upper Willamette River”

Fishing for it: what the agencies say

What agencies and extension services say about catching it, with the source for each line.

  • In Alaska, salt-water anglers mostly troll rigged herring for Chinook, while freshwater anglers use lures and salmon eggs.[5]
    What the source says
    “Trolling with rigged herring is the favored method of angling in salt water, while lures and salmon eggs are used by freshwater anglers.”
General advice (ours, not an agency's)
  • Check the agency's run timing, emergency orders and in-season changes before you travel: openings are set by water, section and date.
  • Confirm which fish you may keep and how to tell wild from hatchery fish on that water.
  • A local guide or shop will know where the fish are in the run this week.
Hatch & season chartsIdentify an insect or fly

Water temperature

Warm water stresses trout, char and salmon. These are the published temperature lines we show on every gauge, chosen state first: the state agency's own where it publishes one, otherwise federal guidance (said so). Each water page applies them to the gauge's live reading; the flow and temperature checker does the same for any gauge.

Whose temperature guidance applies in each state
StateWhose linesSources
OregonODFW (the state's own)Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife · Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
AlaskaFederal guidance (the National Park Service); no Alaska line foundNational Park Service · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
New YorkNew York DEC (the state's own)New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
IdahoIdaho Fish and Game (the state's own)Idaho Department of Fish and Game · Idaho Department of Fish and Game
MichiganFederal guidance (the National Park Service); no Michigan line foundNational Park Service · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
CaliforniaCDFW (the state's own)California Department of Fish and Wildlife
North DakotaFederal guidance (the National Park Service); no North Dakota line foundNational Park Service · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
WisconsinFederal guidance (the National Park Service); no Wisconsin line foundNational Park Service · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Where to fish for chinook salmon

Our 145 water pages whose agency species list names chinook salmon (each list links to the agency page it comes from). A species missing from a list does not mean it is absent: many agencies publish no list for a water.

United States 99 waters

Chile 29 waters

New Zealand 14 waters

Argentina 3 waters

Destination hubs

Hubs that list one of these waters, or that a water page is near: each has guides, shops, licences and trip planning for the area.

Sources

Every fact on this page is our paraphrase of the page cited beside it, read on the date shown. Rules and seasons change: check the agency's current regulations before you fish.

  1. Chinook Salmon | NOAA Fisheries NOAA Fisheries, read Oct 24, 2026.
  2. Alaska's Five Species of Pacific Salmon, Alaska Department of Fish and Game Alaska Department of Fish and Game, read Oct 24, 2026.
  3. Chinook Salmon Species Profile, Alaska Department of Fish and Game Alaska Department of Fish and Game, read Oct 24, 2026.
  4. Chinook Salmon (Protected) | NOAA Fisheries NOAA Fisheries, read Oct 24, 2026.
  5. Chinook Salmon Uses, Alaska Department of Fish and Game Alaska Department of Fish and Game, read Oct 24, 2026.

9 states and regions have a page of chinook salmon waters of its own (five or more waters).