Originally Posted by
BlackandTan
Chinooks get dark because they stop eating, it has nothing to do with them coming in and out. The colour of the fish depends on how long its been since its stopped eating. Hence why some salmon are jet black in october and november. That's my point when they stop eating they enter the spawning stage and darken to me that fish that has entered the spawning stage is no longer fresh, it may be fresh from the lake but its been staging for a couple weeks at that point. Also to marksbellino I fish in the lake from early to late august and 90% of the fish we get on riggers are chrome. Also it takes me around a half hour to land a chrome salmon on 10 pound line unless its a coho. Almost all salmon jump when you are fighting them especially males if you are judging that they are fresh by the fact that they jump you are hugely mistaken.