Aging Fish

[GLF]

I would like to know how to identify how old a Chinook is by looking at one. Who can tell the age class of Chinook by looking at them? Are you looking at the length or the weight?

I know fish will vary in size depending on what lake that are in. Whats the general rule?

I do not want to know how to identify a 5 yr old fish :D

[Sixshooter]

you can't. Unless you have a genetics lab in your boat or do some carbon dating.

People that say they are catching 2year olds or threes or fours...in reality they really have no idea.

The scientists are showing in their studies from fish surveys that the king salmon population in lake michigan is starting to mature and spawn at three years of age. That is one majore reason they are attributing our smaller sizes to.

SO really Mike there is no sure fire way to know.

[DIRTY DOG]

other than carbon dateinng i was told you can look at the scales under a mic. scope and count the rings like in a tree dont now if this is true or not

[GLF]

Thanks guys....I was wondering because I have heard people say "this is a 2 year old fish" or whatever.

[Sixshooter]

and usually people associate size with age. but it really isn't. It is only a guess...like the guys that swear they can tell the difference between a Skam and a Little manistee steelie.

[GLF]

Now then...I would tend to believe that some of the Lake Ontario fish that are 20 + lbs are 4 year old fish.

[CaptLevi]

Just chop 'em in half and count the rings!

[McFly]

I would venture to say a 2-3# King isn't a 2 year old fish, so you can sort out the smaller fish that way. A nice big king caught in 40' of water off a river mouth may not be 4 years old but it will probably run the river to spawn.

Lets just call all the big ones spawners.

[CaptLevi]

Or................let's just call 'em................lunch!

[Sixshooter]

Now then...I would tend to believe that some of the Lake Ontario fish that are 20 + lbs are 4 year old fish.

Maybe...But depending on availability of food. They could be 3, 4, or even 5 year old fish.

Yes a Salmon can go to the fith year.

[Lead_Lover]

you can't. Unless you have a genetics lab in your boat or do some carbon dating.

People that say they are catching 2year olds or threes or fours...in reality they really have no idea.

The scientists are showing in their studies from fish surveys that the king salmon population in lake michigan is starting to mature and spawn at three years of age. That is one majore reason they are attributing our smaller sizes to.

SO really Mike there is no sure fire way to know.

I work with trout and salmon on a daily basis and have nothing about great lakes salmon spawning three years old. A sure way to know you have a four yr old is when you can tell a male/female for sure ie: male with a pronounced hook jaw.

[Dv8oR]

Just chop 'em in half and count the rings!

LOL:D Too funny I was reading along and about fell out of my chair....Definate Coke out of the nose funny.....

You can't just do it by their teeth like a deer huh?....heheheh....

[Sixshooter]

I work with trout and salmon on a daily basis and have nothing about great lakes salmon spawning three years old. A sure way to know you have a four yr old is when you can tell a male/female for sure ie: male with a pronounced hook jaw.

http://dnr.wi.gov/org/water/fhp/fish/faq/troutsalmon.htm#q11

Also

http://dnr.wi.gov/org/water/fhp/fish/lakemich/SCW%20BAFF%20Report%20Fall%202000.pdf

If you read this report, there is a current study that will wrap up in 2009 that relates the size of planted fish to the earlier age of return.

http://www.dnr.state.mi.us/ftp/fish/Research%20Section/IFR/_current_projects/F-80/230692/2000-01%20New.doc

I'll have to do some more digging. I read several more reports that have stated as such the fish are returning at an earlier age than the standard 4 years that everybody uses.

Okay I found another one. Read the TITLE then read the rest of the report.

http://www.uwsp.edu/water/mhansen/2002_hansen_holey.pdf#search='Spawning%20Age%20of%20Great%20Lakes%20Chinook%20Salmon'

[Great Dayne]

I did some work with the DNR a few years back. The only way to really tell how old a fish is is to look at the rings on the scale sample from about the mid back, larteral line up or to remove a vertebra and count the rings. You would need a magnifying glass in both cases.

We had one fish that was a 17lb steelhead that was 17 years old and never reproduced , we also had a 15 lb steelhead that was 3 years old and had reproduced. I believe one of the state record steelhead was an 11 year old that was 27 lbs.

It's all a matter of forage. Higher energy forage = bigger fish. Salmon and trout that eat smelt, and bloater chubs tend to get bigger than salmon that eat only alewife. Availability of forage also plays a role as well. Lk Huron has no alewife population right now. The salmon ate them all. Lk Michigan has a alwife population but we're missing two year classes. So in Lake michigan, the alwifes are about 2.5-3 inch long (04-05) or 6-7 inches long (99-00 year class).

[CaptLevi]

I've seen numerous alwives in the 4"-5" this spring in the stomach contents of our catch. Is there possibly a number of a year classes that are alive and well in Southern Lake Michigan but not accounted for by the DNR and other biologists?