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[bluenoser]

I bought a Little chief this year and have smoked several pink and a coho that was a bit dark but haven't smoked any chum.

A friend in Squamish gave me a standard for acceptable chum a few years back but I find it almost impossible to catch chum that meet that criteria any where but Squamish and chum has been closed the last couple years in Squamish.

His advice was only keep them if they have a pristine white belly, sea lice and silver appearance are a bonus.

In your experience what have you found acceptable for the smoker?

Thanks for any input.

[milo]

I learned not long ago that "It's good for the smoker" is a lousy excuse used by people to justify harvesting less than desirable fish.

Simply put, what goes in comes out. If you feed the smoker junk (dark fish, long past its prime) the end result will be junk. If you smoke bright fish, with firm flesh and no visible degradation, the final result will be superb.

This is my standard for excellence when it comes to chum:



That fish is obviously from the ocean, and some fish of that quality can be caught early in the season in the Squamish river (not this year, though - no retention for Chum is in place). In the Vedder it is very unlikely to get a chum that matches those caught in the ocean.

Another thing to consider: once salmon stop feeding, a male salmon is much better table fare than a female salmon. The female dispenses a lot more energy to nourish the eggs in its skeins - to the detriment of its flesh.

It baffles me to see some of the fish that people take home from the Vedder. Some of them I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole.

[Matt]

Interesting about the male fish vs. female fish Milo.  I guess I'll have to take some males home too sometime, just to try them out.  Wait, that sounds really wrong. 

[fishseeker]

I agree with this, I think, but I wouldn't completely dismiss a river caught chum as I learn t from my previous outing.  The one I got was definitely not as impressive as this beauty but it was only just starting to color - i.e still silver but starting to show those vertical blue bars.  In my opinion it was excellent. [...and it was a female too].  The texture was firm and flaky and the taste was mild - not stinky like a pink can get.  [Whenever I bring a pink home my wife douses it with a load of white wine just to eliminate the odor.  The chum did not require nearly as much].

I don't think I would ever keep one that has gone completely brown though.   I can only assume this one is even better than that.

...just my 2c.

[troutbreath]

An old native guy netting spawny Chum at the mouth of the Harrison told me that the spawnier they were the less body fat so they didn't get rancid as fast when stored after being smoked. So take that boot home to smoke.

[milo]

I agree with this, I think, but I wouldn't completely dismiss a river caught chum as I learn t from my previous outing.  The one I got was definitely not as impressive as this beauty but it was only just starting to color - i.e still silver but starting to show those vertical blue bars.  In my opinion it was excellent. [...and it was a female too].  The texture was firm and flaky and the taste was mild - not stinky like a pink can get.  

Agreed, fishseeker. As long as the fish is still silver, the vertical bars mean nothing. They are often caught in the ocean like that, too, just before they head to the river. I will never forget my first silver river chum (Squamish 2004):



But when the chum turn greenish and the bars turn purple, they should be left to spawn. A fish like this I would never keep (but they can sure put up quite a fight!):



But I've seen people take home even worse looking fish. To each their own I guess.

An old native guy netting spawny Chum at the mouth of the Harrison told me that the spawnier they were the less body fat so they didn't get rancid as fast when stored after being smoked. So take that boot home to smoke.

What he failed to tell you is that those chum are smoked for the dogs to eat during winter months.   
So leave that boot in the river unless you have a fish eating dog.

[fishseeker]

My thoughts exactly.  The first picture is exactly what I am talking about - got my first one like this last weekend with my nephew

..nice photos.

[bluenoser]

Milo thast ocean caught Chum is a beauty.

Thanks for the info on males vs females...another poster mentioned this to me as well....I'll keep looking for a clean male...now I sound like Matt.

I've never kept a chum caught in the Stave, seems that although they hit those purple and black jigs they have black bellies and purple sides to match. Caught a few over the years in the Vedder and the fraser which I've kept but the best has always been Squamish.

[dereke]

Squamish 2009, gently released....needless to say would have been good for the smoker. My cleanest to date.


Milo that ocean fresh chummy is a beauty!

[milo]

Dereke, that's an absolutely gorgeous doe.
So, the good ole Squamish seems to be picking up...maybe I should pay it a visit this weekend.
C&R only means no crowds...hmmm....I like it.

One quick pointer, if you don't mind.
Did you fish above or below the M.?

Interesting about the male fish vs. female fish Milo.  I guess I'll have to take some males home too sometime, just to try them out.  Wait, that sounds really wrong. 

LOL, Matt! 

[dennisK]

Squamish 2009, gently released....needless to say would have been good for the smoker. My cleanest to date.

hey derek..my old eyes deceiving me...but you have that fish as a stamp coho (not chum) on your photo jpg descriptors??

[dereke]

hey derek..my old eyes deceiving me...but you have that fish as a stamp coho (not chum) on your photo jpg descriptors??

Just the folder it went into when I dumped it to my computer. Im kind of lazy with that kind of stuff. As you can see by the fish it is obviously not a coho. So what does it matter? Not sure I understand what you are getting at Dennis.

One quick pointer, if you don't mind.
Did you fish above or below the M.?

Milo this fish was caught on the lower river. The upper part of the lower river is much more consistent right now above the Mamquam when visibility hasn't been blown right out.

[aquaboy24]

I remember my cousin catching a green one like that in the Stave. He went to release it, and as he picked it up out of the water, he recoiled in horror as hundreds of worms erupted from the gills slits and ran down his arms. It remains the most discusting thing I have seen while fishing............

[aquaboy24]

which reminds me.....watch your smoked fish carefully if you put it in right out of the river (ie, no freezing)....even ocean caught pink and chum can have ring worms that do the dance of death as they try to beat the heat. Disgusting.  As of last year, when I smoked two pinks I caught off the Sunshine Coast showed worms on smoking (1 each), I decided to freeze all my smoker fish first....even though they are clean, I would rather be ignorant of what is lurking inside them.

[bluenoser]

[I remember my cousin catching a green one like that in the Stave. He went to release it, and as he picked it up out of the water, he recoiled in horror as hundreds of worms erupted from the gills slits and ran down his arms.]

Yikes aquaboy...although I think I've seen a few of those bonked on the Stave....gak.

After several similar comments about the occasional worm I think I'll freeze all of the fish headed to the smoker.

Was out to the Stave last Sunday morning and caught and released several which did not seem smoker worthy...still trying for clean chum.