Features: When in the ocean chum salmon are bluish green on their backs. Their tails lack spots but tend to have silver streaks like the coho. Their lower jaw will be dark at the gum line and white or pink both inside and outside of the gum line. Once in freshwater, chums become dark green to brown with red to purple marks going vertically down their sides.

Habitat: Like other salmon species, chum spend most of their lives at sea and return to their natal streams to spawn. Most spawning runs are over a short distance. Adults are strong swimmers, but poor jumpers and are restricted to spawning areas below barriers, including minor barriers that are easily passed by other kinds of salmon. Juveniles are intolerant of prolonged exposure to fresh water and migrate to estuarine waters promptly after emergence.

Techniques: Good chum fishing techniques include drift fishing, spoon fishing and bobber/jig fishing. The Kilchis and Miami rivers are open to catch-and-release chum fishing from Sept. 16 to Nov. 15. Chum salmon are rarely encountered by ocean anglers.