Re: Plan B Unicorn - 1/12/19
 

Now all you need is a source of brown and salmon eggs...and you'll figure it out...science!

Re: Plan B Unicorn - 1/12/19
 

Found this on line.

Landlocked salmon have brown, green or blue backs with many small black spots. The sides are silvery and the dorsal fin also has large black spots. During the spawning season, the colouring becomes more bronze and the males develop red spots on the body.

If I had to guess I would still say with the position of the mouth relative to the eye and dots above the lateral line, this is a young male LL in spawning colors. If you look close, there are some faint black markings and the tail looks slightly forked as opposed to square.

I'd still send it to F&G for their opinion.

Re: Plan B Unicorn - 1/12/19
 

Could be.. I have caught hundreds of LL, and never saw one with that much bronze coloration.. they are always silvery all year, at least here in cayuga lake.. The backs are typically greenish to almost black.. The tails always have a more forked appearance..

to be fair, local populations probably have differences I am unaware of, as the ones I catch all come from the same place, and are all hatched at the same facility.. they do not reproduce successfully here in NY state.... bob

Re: Plan B Unicorn - 1/12/19
 

Bob....there was another article I came across yesterday which did say habitat factors into coloration. Not sure if that meant water coloration, forage fish, bottom structure etc or all of the above but it did mention color can be effected by habitat. I'm planning on attending the F&G meeting this Saturday, will try showing the picture to some people with better knowledge than me and see what their thoughts are.

Re: Plan B Unicorn - 1/12/19
 

I would agree with you, based on the head and forward body shape my call would be definite LL. Coloration can be affected by a number of variables, body/head shape doesn't change except in the case of stunted fish which this clearly is not.

Re: Plan B Unicorn - 1/12/19
 

This is an enjoyable thread, and a great one for mid winter when we are sitting around thinking about fishing instead of fishing!


I still say brown, but I have seen too many weird salmon/ trout up here to be 100%.. Even DEC guys have had differing opinions on photos over the years.. they count fin rays and check the vomers in the mouth when these types of things come up.


I hope its ok for all involved that I got my friends from Lake Ontario United involved.. these guys are really adept fishermen and well versed in all types of salmonids and their various color quirks.. These guys troll the Finger Lakes year round and have seen every variation out there as it pertains to brown trout/Landlocked salmon.. The majority say its a brown, but I do think a few guys think it might be a salmon as well .. Its all in good fun anyway, and I think you all might enjoy the input of knowledgeable guys we don't normally converse with here...bob

https://www.lakeontariounited.com/fi...-or-ll-salmon/

Re: Plan B Unicorn - 1/12/19
 

Bob thanks for taking the time asking around and sharing responses. Great read. Seems like the best way to determine as one person pointed out and is part of the link I posted earlier is the inside roof of the mouth. LL has a single row what they call vomerine on the roof of their mouth, brown trout has two in a more zig zag pattern. Too late for that comparison unfortunately. Again I hope to attend the F&G meeting this Saturday, will see if any biologists are available and I'll post their opinions.

Re: Plan B Unicorn - 1/12/19
 

Tom.. If you look at the comparison photo of the 3 browns/3 salmon, that the guy on LOU posted, you will see the TYPICAL look of browns/salmon.. Deeper tail fork, less spotting on the LL that does not go as far down toward the stomach/ventral area, mostly all black specs instead of the colored round spots on the brown, and in general the LL are more "silvery" than the browns.. Thats why I put the word "typical" in caps.

However, there is always the genetic oddball here or there, and on LOU we see this type of thread regularly.. The answer is ALWAYS the same.. Check inside the mouth, its the most conclusive way to identify... Of course, no one ever does! bob

Re: Plan B Unicorn - 1/12/19
 

Take a look at this LL pic that was taken of one of those same fish while they were at the Hackettestown Hatchery. Looks damn near identical to me.
https://www.njfishandwildlife.com/im...ry_ruberto.jpg
I'm sticking with LL Salmon.

Re: Plan B Unicorn - 1/12/19
 

Congratulations dude! That is, without a doubt, 100 percent a landlocked salmon. No question about it. You're probably the first to catch one there as well. That's a huge achievement if you ask me.