Is there a good website that has a good "field guide" for fish identification. There is large schools of baitfish in the marina. They are about 4" long. I am hoping they are anchovies or herring - so I can save some money on bait. I am afraid though that after I have a bucket full someone will walk up and give me a big fine for poaching undersized salmon. I know salmon smolts look quite diferent than their full grown counterparts.

I also would like to find a good online pacific northwest bird field guide.

Help Please

welcome to the bourd!!!

If the fish you are seeing are schooled up they are not salmon.My guess this time of the year in the puget sound are that they are candle fish.Candle fish make excellent bait but do not store for long at all,Like a day if kept cold.Candle fish look like the green pt. wilson darts you can find at the tackle stores.
good luck

Don't know where you are at but this time of year in the North Puget Sound area salmon juveniles (especially pinks and chums) can be found in large schools (sometimes 10,000 or more) along the various shorelines and in marinas. They are ususally pretty small (l to 3 inches). For identification keys for juvenile salmon you might try WDFW's web site www.wa.gov/wdfw/ go to fish and clink on the chum salmon section. Also might try http://www.nps.gov/olym/hand/current1.htm which has similar information.

Tight lines
Smalma

If they are in schools that aren't real tight,they may be Shiner Perch. You can tell them also because they kind of "hover" in one spot. Herring and Candlefish are usually in a tighter bunch,and are always on the move.