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[Dave]

thanks for this   Sounds very promising; please keep us updated as this stuff could change a few minds, mine included.

[chris gadsden]

And so sad as endangered Thompson River steelhead in the Fraser right now.

[chris gadsden]

waterbearer, I am happy to hear the female chum carcasses harvested by FN are not being wasted.  Do you know of any local restaurants that are purchasing these fish or if not, where their final destination might be?  Please pm me if you prefer.

Chris, we both know chums are only retained by anglers when they can't catch enough coho, or they want the bait.  I know, I've done it and I agree, they are fine eating, especially smoked.  Let me guess, the 4 you killed were females, no?

No, 2 of the 4 were fresh run bucks and as most know when spawning salmon are in the river the males are the best table fare. Chum are very good if you know how to prepare them properly. We have been enjoying chum fillets on the BBQ lately.

Going for retaining #5 tomorrow as  coho are not biting my chum roe these days. As I, like to see the float going down and trying to hook the fish I like float fishing the best as does a number of us old timers, The Master, Ernie S etc..

Too bad you have given up angling as you now miss the sounds and sights of being out on the flow as you wade the river at daybreak.

I know you enjoy walking the trail each morning which is great but there is something to me about walking to the river with rod in hand, crisp fall leaves crunching under foot and the thoughts running through ones mind of your quarry somewhere in the cool clear water, it is something I plan to do as long as I can walk along the river banks.

[Animal Chin]

No, 2 of the 4 were fresh run bucks and as most know when spawning salmon are in the river the males are the best table fare. Chum are very good if you know how to prepare them properly. We have been enjoying chum fillets on the BBQ lately.

Going for retaining #5 tomorrow as  coho are not biting my chum roe these days. As I, like to see the float going down and trying to hook the fish I like float fishing the best as does a number of us old timers, The Master, Ernie S etc..

Like you Chris, I like seeing the float go down too.. sometimes I bring a spinning rod out to the Vedder but put it away after like 5 minutes.

I think chum is fine tablefare as well. A chum filet, skinned, baked for 350-400 for 20 minutes, covered with full fat mayo and French onion soup mix or dill is one of my favorite salmon dishes. Goes great with pasta or rice. It's not a very fishy fish, like mackerel, and the texture is denser flesh kinda like tuna steaks..so I'm really surprised so many think it's poor eating because I have a feeling those same people aren't really into fish or strong flavored protein.

[Dave]

Good on ya Chris   Sounds like I have offended you .. that was not my intention.

[RalphH]

I've eaten both bucks and does I've caught plus bought sea bright fish. I don't have the confidence to kill fish that are too dark as I think it's a crap shoot unless you know how to pick as some claim they do. My wife whose Grandad was a local angler from after WW1 until he passed away about 25 years ago would screw her face up in disgust if I brought one of those black things home.

I find chum vary in taste far more than any other salmon - most often very mild like pinks but sometimes kind of gamey. They do well when smoked and I've never found they need any special prep though go well with wasabi - it's the only native salmon available for consumption in Japan.

[chris gadsden]

Good on ya Chris   Sounds like I have offended you .. that was not my intention.

At 73 I am not offended one bit, being on the political scene both Federal, Provincial and Municipal in many ways and on many groups as president or director for over 40 years, here are some : Fraser Valley Salmon Society, Chilliwack River Action Committee, Chilliwack Vedder Cleanup Society, Chilliwack Minor Hockey, Chilliwack Minor Baseball, Chilliwack Rec Hockey League, Chilliwack Softball Association, Chilliwack Rec Softball League, Sportsfishing Defense Alliance, Chilliwack Motorsport Awareness, Wild Salmon Defenders, Fraser Valley Illegal Dumping Alliance, Freelance Global TV, Chilliwack Progress running racehorses at Hasting Park, working for 35 years and married for 51 and of course Fishing With Rod.

I have heard and seen a great deal over these years so a few remarks on FWR on a few subjects roll off me like water off a duck's back.

[Zackattack]

Pretty much the retail price .. Steveston wharf, Berry's Bait, that dude that sells frozen vacuum sealed roe out of his shop in Richmond.

 I get it myself but in the end with gas and being relatively selective about it, it pretty much costs about the same.

The retail guys figured out the maximum amount money they can extract from you based on how much it costs you to go get chum roe yourself .  Sure it sounds cheap to go get the roe on a river, but once you factor in the gas, and other expenses, you are probably not saving that much.

Ya I think that was precisely what he was saying...

[Knnn]

No, 2 of the 4 were fresh run bucks and as most know when spawning salmon are in the river the males are the best table fare. Chum are very good if you know how to prepare them properly. We have been enjoying chum fillets on the BBQ lately.

Glad to see folks speaking up as to how good Chum can be on the BBQ and not only good for the smoker or their dogs.  Sadly, I suspect some of this negativity this has come about because of the need to harvest for roe only .....  Sure they are excellent fare for the smoker, but as mentioned if you get a reasonably fresh fish with a white or light coloured belly, cook a nice thick fillet with a dill and mayo dressing on the BBQ and you will be surprised at how damn good it is.  Last year I asked diner guests to try Coho and Chum caught on the same day with the same dressing and was surprised to find that 4/5 preferred the thicker texture and less fishy flavour of the Chum, even when they knew what they were eating.

[chris gadsden]

Glad to see folks speaking up as to how good Chum can be on the BBQ and not only good for the smoker or their dogs.  Sadly, I suspect some of this negativity this has come about because of the need to harvest for roe only .....  Sure they are excellent fare for the smoker, but as mentioned if you get a reasonably fresh fish with a white or light coloured belly, cook a nice thick fillet with a dill and mayo dressing on the BBQ and you will be surprised at how damn good it is.  Last year I asked diner guests to try Coho and Chum caught on the same day with the same dressing and was surprised to find that 4/5 preferred the thicker texture and less fishy flavour of the Chum, even when they knew what they were eating.

Yep.

[243Pete]

Chum is awesome especially when it comes to marinades and such. Personally I like to cover it with miso paste and add a dash of vodka, let it sit over night in the fridge and then bake it in the over or grill it over the bbq. Pan fried I will sometimes just put dill, lemon and butter or something weird like zesty salad dressing. Maybe they get there bad rep cause some people have brought home some really old fish that most likely have spawned already and the meat was probably all soft. Gotta press down firmly on a fishes flesh to make sure it bounces straight back up, still got LOTS of slime and even a few sea lice are generally my indicators of a good table fish. Seen a couple guys get clean looking fish but when they opened them up all the eggs were singles and the meat was fairly pale.
Chum are awesome fighters especially when they are fresh from the ocean, like Chris and Animal Chin said that watching the float go down is fun especially when there is a big brute at the end of the line.

[RainbowMan]

Found this article on VancouverSun today:
http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/chum-salmon-beat-the-odds-return-to-metro-vancouver-streams

Definitely a banner year for Chum return to the south coast streams.

[Ambassador]

A buddy and I went out and fished Saturday morning in a nice secluded spot of Frog water in Richmond - until some really gross stench chased us off in favour of #3 and Garry Point. Had some nice sized risers around but nothing landed.

Took a stroll over to the docks and picked up 5 huge fresh Chums and some roe for the Cap. Spent the rest of the day Saturday cleaning, de-boning, filleting and prepping these beasts. $10 a fish - averaging around 12 lbs with about 7.5 lbs of meat per fish after prepping - comes out to less than $1.50 per pound, and that is pretty awesome for freshies. The nice lady gave me a good deal on roe as I bought some fish, so I'm happy. Cured up a whack of Pro-Cured and some plain Boraxed - ready to rock the Cap.

Battered, seasoned and fried a bunch of filets - then cooled and vacuum-sealed them for quick meals. Did up a good sized batch of Indian Candy and Chili-Lime jerky and sealed those up for later. Have plenty of fillets I can cook up whenever also. I'm a salmon fanatic and love to eat local and what is running whenever I can - but my luck fishing at "Meat" rivers is pretty slim, so don't mind buying fish when I need to. Chums - like Pinks - are amazing fish to eat if you get good ones and know how to prepare them.

[Noahs Arc]

Has anyone else noticed  the amount of chum this year that have a lesion between the adipose and dorsal fins? Usually if the fish is fresh it's got quite a few sea lice attached on the lesion as well. Can't be net marks because there is no damage ahead of the dorsal on the thickest spot of the fish, aswell it's usually partially healed with the lice on it. Have not noticed it on the Chinook or coho I have caught this year. I've noticed it on 3 different rivers.

[CohoJake]

Has anyone else noticed  the amount of chum this year that have a lesion between the adipose and dorsal fins? Usually if the fish is fresh it's got quite a few sea lice attached on the lesion as well. Can't be net marks because there is no damage ahead of the dorsal on the thickest spot of the fish, aswell it's usually partially healed with the lice on it. Have not noticed it on the Chinook or coho I have caught this year. I've noticed it on 3 different rivers.

I've noticed those on other fish in past years when the lamprey problem was bad.  They look like spots where the lampreys hang on and wear off the scales.  I think I read a few years ago about this causing a problem for the commercial sockeye fishery at the Fraser mouth because it made the fish less marketable.