I don't have any photos of the event but sometime in the late 80's we were Fall fishing at the mouth of Oak Orchard Creek N.Y. at night for King Salmon. We were using egg sacs for bait and ended up landing 7 American Eels ! They were all silvery grey colored and fairly large adults most at least 3 ft. or better. Until you have handled an Eel that size you have no idea what slippery means ! Fortunately I had a pair of heavy duty work gloves in the boat that helped remove and release them. The slime on those Eels is amazing, also makes a real mess in your boat !  
 
Those Hornyhead Chubs look like the ones we caught back in the day.

Here's a pretty heavy quillback. Seem to be most aggressive during the pre-spawn. They'll eat little mr. twisters, and sometimes smack tiny wob-l-rite spoons. 
 

 

Double mudpups on the south pier. These guys can be very annoying, but they are undoubtedly cool. Dig the external gills!
 

 

 

DM,
That is a pink salmon you are holding, not a chinook.

Ironhed
DM,
That is a pink salmon you are holding, not a chinook.

Thought it didn't look right. Good eye! Personally I think that's cooler than a chinook since the only pinks left in the great lakes are wild

Ironhed
DM,
That is a pink salmon you are holding, not a chinook.

Seriously?! When I first caught it I thought it was a steelhead. Then I posted a picture of it online and I had tons of people tell me it was a Coho. I wasn't sure so I posted on a different forum asking for identification and everyone told me Chinook. And know you guys think it's a Pink. LOL

Are there any specific characteristics that indicate it being a Pink rather than the other species?

http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/salmon/pink.html
 
http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/salmon/chinook.html
 
http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/salmon/coho.html
 
http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/salmon/steelhead.html
 
 
 
Happy reading.

BeenThereDoneThat.
http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/salmon/pink.html http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/salmon/chinook.html http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/salmon/coho.html http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/salmon/steelhead.html   Happy reading.

I guess it does sound most like a Pink. That makes it all the more cooler since instead of being a small Chinook, it's a large Pink! Wish I would've gotten a decent fight out of it, didn't know I had it on until I raised the cannonball and checked the line, thing didn't even trip the release so who knows how long we were dragging it around. Even after unclipping it, it just sort of did the "walleye spiral of death" the whole way in. Maybe I'll get lucky and catch another one this year, or maybe I'll be even luckier and get a Chinook and Coho to add to my lifelist as well!

April 2011 - Clarion River at Portland Mills

caught this bad boy on a white jig