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Your Argentine Patagonia Fishing Guide
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The word “salmon” seems to have gained its position in the popular terminology indifferently to talk about to trout's and salmons, as they are identified formally. Nevertheless, the industry of salmon production, strongly developed in Chile
in the last decades, has allowed that some species of true salmons, original of the North Hemisphere, have settled down freely in waters of the X and XI regions of Chile.
Between both great groups, the salmons of the Pacific group to two species introduced with commercial intentions,
adding to them the Salmon of the Atlantic, and some varieties of rainbow trout. Particularly in the zone of Lago Llanquihue, the Ranco, and the Rupanco, all in the Region of the Lakes, diverse producers have achieved success with
the well-known species like Salmon Coho, call Salmon also Silver plated, one of the 6 existing species of salmons of the Pacific.
Identifying Coho's
The Coho, Scientifically known as Oncorhynchus kisutch , in Alaska the name of
“Silver” was given to him ,by its silver-plated body during his staying in the sea and beginning from the return to the river, and "Hooknose”, or nose of hook
has even been called , due to the characteristic mutation of the jaw in the males when they enter state of sexual maturity and they are ready to the egg-laying.
It is identified of other species to present/display a mainly silver-plated body when they are in the sea, which stays the first days from his return to the birth river. It has a great diversity of black points, particularly on the
back - which normally is darker, in the tail, and the edges of the fin of great volume. Their teeth, being abundant, in individual in their maturity, are based on thicknesses.
Many people confuse this species with rainbow trout, specially since both share the tonality silver plated in their flanks, nevertheless, the Coho lacks rosaceous the red strip or of these trout's, and usually its back is darker,
particularly as it approaches the egg-laying.
In the distance, watching towards waters of the river, the Coho's are recognized like a dark shade that moves slowly, advancing river above.
As far as sizes, this species is not as great as its relatives the Chinook salmons, arriving at an average of 4 to 6 kilos in its maturity, and recognizing that exemplary by on the 8 kilos are really trophies. Even so, the registry of
greater the Coho salmon captured by a sport fisherman is located in the mark of the 33 pounds (near 15 kilos), that happened in 1970, in the River Little Manistee, in Michigan, the U.S.A.
Coho Salmon 
The Spawning
The salmons remain near a year in the river of their birth, soon to emigrate massively to the sea, where they grow to a very fast rate, product of the rich nutrients of its salt water feeding. In two or three years of permanence in the sea, and not traveling
the enormous distances known by other species, but that staying to not more than 200 km of their river of origin, these salmons massively return by fiords and estuaries, overcoming the rivers that gave origin him, or those whose waters are related to the salmons farms that lost years
before.
Differences of the Chinook, the Coho an only annual bullfight is recognized to them, which is begun to perceive in the sectors near the sea during the month of January, finishing with the egg-laying in tributary the superior ones, and the death of the
total of the units returned, which happens April of every year by the end of, in the South Hemisphere.
Salmon Eggs 
A particularity of this species, the one that has made it very successful is its high rate of return, since it can happen that until 90% of the units migrated originally, it returns to lay eggs. This can be explained indeed by the smaller
distances than the salmons cross in their years in salt water, even though numerous predators, like whales, marine dolphins, wolves and lions, give account of the units, even following the shoals of fish in their return by the estuaries of their rivers of origin.
Geographical distribution of the Coho Salmon
As a member of the salmons of the Pacific, the Coho is original of the Northwest Pacific of North America, like the other 4 of the 5 remaining species of the group (the fifth species, the Cherry is resident
of Asia). In this territory of origin, from California, to Alaska, passing by Oregon, Idaho, Washington and the western province of Canada, British Columbia, this fish is presents/displays almost in all the greater fluvial systems. Today one has
extended, indeed by artificial introduction, in waters of Japan, New Zealand, Chile, and in the coast This of America, successfully it has been managed to distribute by Michigan, New York, and Ontario, in Canada.
In several of these points, denominated varieties exist “landlocked”, or “locked up” (not to confuse with the variety of Salmon of the called Atlantic “locked up”, introduced in Argentine waters), that have muted of the migratory branch, product of geologic
movements of previous times, that blocked the exit to the sea to certain groups, that finally they adapted to a fresh water existence totally concentrated, growing to smaller rates, although maintaining the periods of its service life in 4 years in average.
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 Rodrigo Sandoval has admired the Chinook salmons from the first time that he saw an egg-laying of these giants in Salmon River, of Oregon. Since then he has seen with great detail the process of adaptation and
presence that this Chilean water species has experienced.
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