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Identification of Salmon and Brown Trout

The most obvious difference between salmon and brown trout may be found in the head and tail areas. Knowing them may help the angler release a fish more quickly when certain creel and size restrictions apply. On salmon, the vomerine teeth are small and arranged in single row on shaft, few to none on vomerine head. On the Brown Trout, the vomerine teeth are well-developed on both vomerine head and shaft, arranged in a zig-zag row on shaft. On salmon, the caudal fin may be slightly forked and on the brown trout, the caudal fin is square and unforked.