While fishing the River Leven (Fife) We were catching very silvery fish from about 16cm to 20cm. Can't decide if they were salmon parr/smolt or Sea Trout parr /smolt. Any Ideas?
I know it is hard without pictures,I am going today so will try get a photo.
The bigger fish were stunning looking fish, very silver.

Brian

The only real way to tell is to see whether the maxillary extends beyond the eye, if it does then they are sea trout smolts, if it doesn't they are salmon smolts. They should go to sea in the next few weeks.

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Probably a mixture of both species - sea trout smolts start a week or two sooner but by now they overlap.

Smolts can stay in the river for 2 or 3 years, sometimes longer in the far north. This would account for the larger than normal 20 cm smolts.

Bad form to be deliberately targeting smolts - even if they are returned. The EA have bye laws prohibiting fishing in the lower reaches of several salmon and sea trout rivers until end of May to ensure protection.
I'm unsure if Scotland enforces such protection.

As well as the mouth being larger in the Sea Trout Smolt (extending beyond the back of the eye as mentioned above), the Salmon Smolt also looks generally slimmer in appearance. The Salmon Smolt has more of a fork in the tail and usually more dark grey colouration in the fins.
The Sea Trout Smolt looks more like a silver Brown Trout (because it is) - relatively stocky in appearance. I've found that the spots on the Sea Trout smolt are normally larger and extend further down the sides, although the coloration is variable.
Catch them on their own and they could be confusing. Catch both in the same session (they sometimes swim together) and the differences will be obvious.
Parr are smaller, and the Salmon has pronounced "finger" marks down the side. The difference in the size of the mouth is even more pronounced in the Parr, the Salmon Parr having a very small mouth relative to the body size. Telling the difference between a Brown Trout and a Sea Trout Parr may be more challenging...

Who says we were targeting them?

Brian

As for the comment about targeting smolts i take it you are joking ,we are two miles upstream,and the man in question is an apgai instructor, what do we do when one of these fish takes our dry shout NO,ITS COMMENTS LIKE THESE THAT PUT GOOD PEOPLE OF THIS SITE,IDIOT

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Salmon parr/smolts have enormous pectoral fins. They look about two sizes too big for the fish. Also, as sea trout and brown trout are the same species they will have a reddish or orange tip to the adipose fin. Salmon are clear.

I trust you kept dry this time Stuart!
I might have joined you apart from the factthat my back has gone into spasm. This is probably as a result of me lugging my rig bags on and off trains and ferries. Feeling quite mellow at the moment.

Thanks for all the information guys it is just that these fish are so silver. In fact they are very much herring like.
Zeolite you would enjoy it just now. Had a few on olive emergers today. Some cracking browns to about a lb. Never seen another sole on the river.

Brian

You dont need to tell me about back spasms zeolite i get them every day whether i need them or not

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