Fishing Forum

Some Friends and i are have a debate between the difference rainbows and kokes what are the differences between then.
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Main difference is that the Kokanee is a landlocked salmon and the Rainbow is a trout.

There are also differences in physical characteristics and eating habits.
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If you want a difference of physical traits I would take a look at the fish and game regs section that shows the various species of fish in Idaho. It has pics and points out specific details that are characteristic to those fish species. Otherwise I would need to know what specifically you and your friends are debating about before I could comment without blindly spewing out excess amounts of stuff. Other important details have already been stated.
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Kokanee are actually a form of land locked sockeye salmon. Both kokes and rainbow belong to the genus Oncorhychus
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[quote ductaped4runner]Some Friends and i are have a debate between the difference rainbows and kokes what are the differences between then.[/quote]

What's the debate? They're two completely different species of fish with different life habits. Kokanee are landlocked Sockeye. They grow to maturity, spawn and then die. Rainbow trout are, well, rainbow trout. They reach sexual maturity and spawn multiple times throughout their life cycle.
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i guess it is about the phyiscal charictristics. we were up to I.P. Res. and we got into a really good day couldnt keep the fish off our lines but we were catching some 6 lbs. and better fish with a average size of 20 in. i was sayin they were Rainbow Trout. my friends were convinsed they were Kokes.
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Kokes have no spots, a pointed nose and a deeply forked tail. rainbows have spots most have blunter noses and a very slight fork in their tail. a picture would set this straight if you have one post it up.
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Actually a lot of Kokes do have spots.
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When in doubt, look at the gills...The outsides can look so much like one another but not the insides!

Rainbows = meat eater and Koke (sockeye) = filter feeder



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Teeth.....put your thumb in the mouth. If your thumb is bloody or missing when you take it out, then it is a rainbow. [laugh][laugh] j/k


Kokanee have very small teeth. The males develop large teeth and a hooked jaw when they enter spawning mode, but they will also turn red then.
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[quote psanders71]When in doubt, look at the gills...The outsides can look so much like one another but not the insides!

Rainbows = meat eater and Koke (sockeye) = filter feeder


[.img]http://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/home/DesktopModules/WIFishID_Details/images/Large_Images/2606.jpg[/img][/quote]



But only if you are keeping them[cool]
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