Spawning salmon are salmon that are spawning, or getting ready to spawn.

When the salmon swims from the sea into the river, it is silvery. After it has been in the river for a while, its appearance gradually begins to change. The silvery sheen gradually disappears, the skin darkens, and we can see the beginnings of a hook on the lower jaw of the male salmon. The male salmon develops sperm, and the female salmon develops eggs. This means that the salmon is getting ready to spawn.

The male salmon adorns itself the most

Late in the fall, before the ice settles, the salmon spawn in many schools. By then, the spawning salmon have really decorated themselves. The spawning costume of the male salmon is particularly colorful and beautiful. The male gets color and energy from the fish meat. The skin becomes reddish, and the lower jaw gets a real hook. The hook is well suited for fighting, and both the color and the hook are intended to impress the female salmon.

The female's skin is not as colorful as the male salmon's. She is more brownish. But the roe is a bright orange color.

The skin of the spawning salmon becomes thicker, and the fish scales are firmer. It is a good idea to be tough-skinned when you are going to fight and perhaps be in the river for an entire winter.

The spawning salmon spends a lot of time getting ready. After remaining relatively calm in the same place, perhaps for several weeks, it begins to look for the perfect spawning ground. There is a battle for the best spots. The strongest male is the boss.  

The female salmon is responsible for the digging work.

The eggs are laid in a spawning pit, which the female salmon digs. She uses her tail to dig and her anal fin to measure the correct depth. The toughest male salmon is immediately in place and fertilizes the eggs when the female releases the eggs. The female salmon quickly covers the eggs with a layer of gravel.

Sneak spawners

At the spawning grounds there are always some little tricksters that we call spawning pairs or sneak spawners. These little guys are sexually mature male salmon that have not been on a feeding migration in the sea. They sneak up on you and help fertilize the eggs. They live dangerously and can be killed if they get in your way and are discovered.

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