No, not really.. That’s just a ‘jack’ king salmon in full spawning garb caught by our buddy Chandler Cook at Alaska West Lodge.
Many anglers are aware of the shocking transformation of our beloved king salmon as they transition from the chrome bright appearance from their years at sea, to the brilliant ‘fire-truck’ red as they approach the end of their journey to spawn.
However, many of our guests are surprised to learn that ‘jacks,’ younger king salmon (typically 1-3 years old) that have returned with their adult brethren, in our neck of the woods, actually take on a goldish/brown appearance more characteristic of the spawning colors of a brown trout or Atlantic salmon than that of a mature chinook.
We welcome the return of jacks each year to our home river, not only because we think they add to the awesome variety of our fishery, but also because they often round out the final species for a few anglers each season lucky enough to land the salmon grand slam, which we think is pretty darn cool.
Absolutely beautiful fish. Thanks for sharing the photo.