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Legendary Species · New York

Coho salmon in New York

Oncorhynchus kisutch[1]

11 New York waters whose agency species list names coho salmon. Each links to its water page (gauge, regulations, access map, guides and shops) and to the agency list it comes from.

  • 11waters list it
  • 1destination hub
Illustration of a silver coho salmon with a blue-green back and small dark spots on the back and upper tail
Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), illustration by Timothy Knepp for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Artwork: Timothy Knepp, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

New York waters

Most fished first. A species missing from an agency list does not mean it is absent; this page lists only waters whose list names it (at least 5 are needed for a page).

All New York watersCoho salmon: every state

Identification

  • Bright coho have small black spots on the back and on the upper lobe of the tail only, and white gums. Chinook have spots on both tail lobes and black gums.[2]
    What the source says
    “They can be distinguished from Chinook salmon by the lack of black spots on the lower lobe of the tail and by their white gums; Chinook have small black spots on both tail fin lobes and they have black gums.”
  • Alaska's angler tip: coho have a dark gray or blackish mouth with a white gum line, and spots on the back and upper tail lobe in both ocean and spawning phases.[3]
    What the source says
    “Ocean adults and spawning-phase coho have small black spots that run along the back and on the upper lobe of the tail. Coho also have a dark gray or blackish mouth with a white gum-line.”
  • Spawning colour: spawning coho turn a deep reddish or maroon over the whole body, head and tail included.[3]
    What the source says
    “Spawning coho (or silver) salmon develop a deep reddish or maroon coloration that covers their entire body – head and tail included.”

More on identifying coho salmon

Status, protections and rules

As each agency stated them on the date read; a rule applies only where its agency says so. Check the current regulations for the water before you fish.

  • Under the ESA, NOAA Fisheries lists the Central California Coast coho as endangered, and the Lower Columbia River, Oregon Coast, and Southern Oregon and Northern California Coasts units as threatened.[4]
    What the source says
    “We listed the Central California coast ESU of coho salmon as endangered and the Lower Columbia River ESU, Oregon coast ESU, Southern Oregon & Northern California coasts ESU as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.”
  • Alaska describes its coho populations as healthy.[2]
    What the source says
    “Coho salmon populations in Alaska are healthy.”

Water temperature in New York

  • Under New York DEC's 70°F lineThat is not over the 70°F above which New York DEC says “trout and salmon can experience physical stress”. “Fish early in the day. Stream temperatures are at their coolest in the early morning hours.”
  • Over 70°F: heat stressNew York DEC: trout and salmon “can experience physical stress whenever water temperatures climb above 70 degrees Fahrenheit.” “Avoid catch-and-release fishing for heat-stressed trout on hot days.” “Do not disturb trout where they have gathered in unusually high numbers.”

Sources: DEC Asks Anglers to Help Heat-Stressed Trout and Salmon (28 June 2019) (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation).

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.

Hatch & season charts

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