Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[bentrod]

From everything I've read (other than threads) it is impossible to tell the difference between red and white springs until you cut into them.  How come I keep reading threads whrere someone claims to be able to tell the difference between white, red and marbles without cutting into them?  Am I missing something here?  Is there actually a secret, and consistent method of identifying these fish without killing them? 

[iblly]

no secret, quck peek under the gill plate.

[BCfisherman97]

If you lift up the gill plate and on the very bottom of all the gills, it may be red or white.

[HOOK]

just be fricking careful doing this because i have seen people damage the gills checking then put the fish back because it was white only to watch the fish slowly bleed out and float down river after awhile  I say if you plan to keep a fish why does it matter if its red or white, I mean if you marinade your fish they will taste the same no matter the meat colour 

[fishnjim]

both taste good.  is it true you can tell without bonkong them?

[Eagleye]

I agree that this is not a good thing to be doing to a fish before bonking it to decide whether or not to release it especially because it is not overly obvious to differentiate the two so it definately would stress the fish too much.  Whether or not the fish is in good shape should be the deciding factor.  I have known about this for awhile and I have always checked it after I have bonked the fish just to satisfy my curiosity.  I wish people would stop posting about this but it happens every year.  Now that you and others know the "secret" I hope you will consider how it affects the fish as stated.  One of the best salmon I have had was a samller 8lb white I cooked up a few weeks ago 3 hours after killing it.  It was super fresh and cooked to perfection.  Definately not something I would release as it was as good or better than any red I have ever eaten.  Again the condition of the fish should always be the deciding factor (along with how many you have in the freezer and plan to eat, abundance of the stock, etc.)

[dereke]

Both eagleye and HOOK are right. It is not a good practice to undertake as it puts the fish at high risk if any mistakes are made.

[iblly]

Stress the fish too much ! Put the fish at high risk !  You guys are willing to cover a laser sharpened hook with a gob of roe in order to get said fish to bite the laser sharpened hook.  Then when it bites the laser sharp hook you rear back as hard as you can, driving the hook hard into it's head.  Then you apply as much force as your gear will allow in order to turn that fish around in current and force it to the beach where it does not want to go ! Then you may or may not hoist it out of the water for a photo...............After all this you draw the line at peeking under the gill plate for fear of stressing the fish or putting it at high risk.  What a f@#$%^g joke that is !  How is it YOU get to decide when this fish has reached it's maximum stress level after what YOU have already put it through.

Further more there's no way on earth anyone can say that a stinky Vedder white tastes as good as a red spring.  So take a quick peek and find out if you want the thing or not.  It can be done without ripping it's gills apart.  Sometimes the ethics department on this forum goes a little overboard.

[Terry D]

iblly, I know you're making a good point, but to put it in print is just giving all the "anti-anglers" more ammunition against us. We should really try to curb putting up comments like these. No offense intended by the way.

[bmj9]

It is interesting, because having grown up and fished the Chilliwack/Vedder for 40 yrs., white springs were kinda frowned on. I used to keep one a year for smoking. But, once I caught a beaut up by Tamahi, and it seemed to be a mixture between red and white- kinda pink. It was very good on the barbeque. Anyway, I now live in Port Edward up by Prince Rupert, and primarily ocean fish. The folks up here prefer the whites ( out of the ocean ). It seems the whites only take ( how I identify them ) stink when they hit the river.

I miss the river down there, but not the masses.

Hope everybody has a great fishing fall/winter

[Eagleye]

Stress the fish too much ! Put the fish at high risk !  You guys are willing to cover a laser sharpened hook with a gob of roe in order to get said fish to bite the laser sharpened hook.  Then when it bites the laser sharp hook you rear back as hard as you can, driving the hook hard into it's head.  Then you apply as much force as your gear will allow in order to turn that fish around in current and force it to the beach where it does not want to go ! Then you may or may not hoist it out of the water for a photo...............After all this you draw the line at peeking under the gill plate for fear of stressing the fish or putting it at high risk.  What a f@#$%^g joke that is !  How is it YOU get to decide when this fish has reached it's maximum stress level after what YOU have already put it through.

just be fricking careful doing this because i have seen people damage the gills checking then put the fish back because it was white only to watch the fish slowly bleed out and float down river after awhile 

Having the fish die could be considered a deciding factor IMO!  This happens frequently when the gill plate is damaged because it is a sensitive area of the fish and the reason that it should be left alone.

Further more there's no way on earth anyone can say that a stinky Vedder white tastes as good as a red spring.  So take a quick peek and find out if you want the thing or not.  It can be done without ripping it's gills apart.  Sometimes the ethics department on this forum goes a little overboard.

If you are fishing for "Stinky Vedder Whites"than there would be no reason to check the gill plate because when the whites are in there are practically no reds.  On the other hand when fishing the Fraser for Springs both whites and reds can be caught at the same time but Fraser whites are superior to the Vedder ones because they are in better shape (especially the ones that travel further). That said nice whites can still be caught on the Vedder but lots of them are past their prime.

[koko]

If it is a ocean fish is very hard to tell, once it  reach the river red has a little bronze tone, and white has a greenish tone.  When they are fresh are both very good eating, if you have to freeze it, save it for the smoker.

[hue-nut]

If you are fishing for "Stinky Vedder Whites"than there would be no reason to check the gill plate because when the whites are in there are no reds.  On the other hand when fishing the Fraser for Springs both whites and reds can be caught at the same time but Fraser whites are superior to the Vedder ones because they are in better shape (especially the ones that travel further). That said nice whites can still be caught on the Vedder but lots of them are past their prime.

Buddy last year this time caught 3 twenty plus reds, I released a high teens red two weeks ago and 30% of my jacks have been reds or marbled. So there are a few in there, and I for the most part (with the exception of the large red) I just decide on keeping the fish if it is in mint shape or not, the red or marbled part is just a bonus that you find out when you are gutting it.

[dereke]

Stress the fish too much ! Put the fish at high risk !  You guys are willing to cover a laser sharpened hook with a gob of roe in order to get said fish to bite the laser sharpened hook.  Then when it bites the laser sharp hook you rear back as hard as you can, driving the hook hard into it's head.  Then you apply as much force as your gear will allow in order to turn that fish around in current and force it to the beach where it does not want to go ! Then you may or may not hoist it out of the water for a photo...............After all this you draw the line at peeking under the gill plate for fear of stressing the fish or putting it at high risk.  What a f@#$%^g joke that is !  How is it YOU get to decide when this fish has reached it's maximum stress level after what YOU have already put it through.

Further more there's no way on earth anyone can say that a stinky Vedder white tastes as good as a red spring.  So take a quick peek and find out if you want the thing or not.  It can be done without ripping it's gills apart.  Sometimes the ethics department on this forum goes a little overboard.

  Iblly I think you need to relax a bit there bud, I'm just saying if you want to retain a spring get the fish in and bonk it. To check under the gill plate you would have to get the fish up on the shore or close to do you not? Reaching under the gills can be very damaging if a large fish which springs usually are starts wiggling around on shore with your mitts near the gill rakers. Damage can easily be done. For me if I do not want to keep the fish all the things you said in your post happen for sure (laser sharp hook, gob of roe, photo op etc etc) but the difference is I am NOT bringing the fish on shore it stays in the water, is revived and sent on it's way. You cannot tell me checking under the gill plate does not add risk to the fish, especially with a fish that is as large as the white nookies can be. I am not saying this can't be done properly but to say that it isn't pretty risky to the fishes health is wrong, especially for people who haven't handled many large fish before.

  It is just added risk is all I am saying.

[iblly]

 Iblly I think you need to relax a bit there bud, I'm just saying if you want to retain a spring get the fish in and bonk it. To check under the gill plate you would have to get the fish up on the shore or close to do you not? Reaching under the gills can be very damaging if a large fish which springs usually are starts wiggling around on shore with your mitts near the gill rakers. Damage can easily be done. For me if I do not want to keep the fish all the things you said in your post happen for sure (laser sharp hook, gob of roe, photo op etc etc) but the difference is I am NOT bringing the fish on shore it stays in the water, is revived and sent on it's way. You cannot tell me checking under the gill plate does not add risk to the fish, especially with a fish that is as large as the white nookies can be. I am not saying this can't be done properly but to say that it isn't pretty risky to the fishes health is wrong, especially for people who haven't handled many large fish before.

  It is just added risk is all I am saying.

If you are that concerned about putting the health of a fish at risk,  don't fish.  Simple. You cannot decide on what's too risky when you have already put it's health in jeopardy by subjecting it to being hooked, played and released.