Chum Salmon Animal Information
Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) - A.K.A. Dog Salmon, Calico Salmon. As you drift your lure in front of the chum’s kype (nose), he opens his snaggle-tooth hooked jaw to give it a good chewing. You set the hook! Your rod creaks and complains for the next ten minutes, while your drag smokes and squeals. The aggravated chum zips back and forth, jumping and flipping through the air in an acrobatic display. Finally, the pugnacious chum surrenders and victory is at hand. The chum is nicknamed “dog salmon” due to its hooked snout and very large teeth. Chums are an age-old traditional source of both dried food in the winter for Alaskan natives and food for their sled dogs. This is the reason why most fishermen think of chum salmon as dog food. Their ocean diet consists mainly of fish, squid, copepods, crustaceans and mollusks. After 3 to 7 years out at sea, the chums start to enter the freshwater streams around mid-July. Once they enter freshwater they will quit eating and live off their body fat reserves. Their ocean color is a blue green back with small black speckles and silver sides. During spawning, they develop green and purple vertical bars on their sides. These colorful spawning streaks are why the chum is also referred to as the calico salmon. Adult chums average 8 to 12 pounds but can reach weights in excess of 20 pounds.
