Fish ID - Sonoma County

Annual visit to West Dry Creek during first week of November.  Pleased and surprised to find a FISH staging in the creek behind Truett Hurst Winery.  Doesn't come out as clearly in pix, looking at it could easily perceive by movement and contrast.  Estimate around 5 to 7 lbs, ~ 24 inches. 

slender dark object just to the left of the green patch.  Mesmerizing, a thing of beauty



Upriver shot shows surrounding terrain.



Any ID suggestions?

Probably a steelie heading to the hatchery upstream of you.

-Allen

Probably a steelie heading to the hatchery upstream of you.

-Allen

also possibly a wild chinook?  Dry Creek apparently still viable natural spawn site from Nov to Jan.  http://www.scwa.ca.gov/chinook/  From that site, the Water Agency counted nearly 6,700 fish in 2012.  Pretty "wild" if it was a native nookie, piscine equivalent of spotting a white rhino at african nature preserve!

My guess is Chinook.

Beautiful scenery

Probably a steelie heading to the hatchery upstream of you.

-Allen

also possibly a wild chinook?  Dry Creek apparently still viable natural spawn site from Nov to Jan.  http://www.scwa.ca.gov/chinook/  From that site, the Water Agency counted nearly 6,700 fish in 2012.  Pretty "wild" if it was a native nookie, piscine equivalent of spotting a white rhino at african nature preserve!

Sure, it could have been.  Or even a coho.  If it was dark and brown, likely a nookie.  If it was blush red, likely a coho.  If it was silvery fresh, likely a steelie.

-Allen

Pretty sure that's a catatafish.
http://southpark.cc.com/clips/399976/i-am-catatafish

oh catatafish, where do they come up with that stuff?!  cray cray!!

Chinook. Lots of them up in the hatchery now. They are the early arrivals.