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[Gooey]

there is a way to tell if a spring is red or white while it is still alive but I have been advised that telling the wrong people will only increase the mishandling of fish and increase the chance of the fish being injured upon release.

Like pin head said a white spring has white flesh (like a pale pink or chum) and the reds have a nice deep orangy red color like coho.

If you hook a spring on the veddr this fall it will be a whitey.  If you know whats running in the river when you fish it then you can decide before you even hook the fish whether or not you will kill it and thus minimise handling.

[BwiBwi]

Okay easier question. Has anyone encountered whites been sold in markets?

[ahans]

All the Spring Salmon I saw in Superstore, Safeway & IGA were always red. Never saw any whitey's being sold..........who knows..maybe some markets do sell them.

[DragonSpeed]

Okay easier question. Has anyone encountered whites been sold in markets?

http://www.wildsalmon.ca/products.htm

In New York, at one point they were selling as a specialty item - costing more than red Chinook.

[Fish Assassin]

Okay easier question. Has anyone encountered whites been sold in markets?

http://www.wildsalmon.ca/products.htm

In New York, at one point they were selling as a specialty item - costing more than red Chinook.

All about marketing.

[DragonSpeed]

Which reminds me of the "infamous" supposed marketing line for canned tuna, in an attempt to take on canned salmon  "Guaranteed not to turn pink in the can!"

Authenticity of this statement is uncertain: http://www.snopes.com/business/market/pinkcan.asp

[blaydRnr]

Wow...are people that sensative or what?!?  By no means was I labelling or riducluing anyone! 

My simple point is that when I started fishing the vedder,  I hooked more whites than coho.  Most of the time I came home with a spring and if I got lucky, a coho or 2.  Now with 14+ years on the vedder, I know the river well, I know the lies (especially coho), and have a refined presentation, etc.  Driving all the way fro north van, there is a urge to bring something back for the table to justify the gas and effort. I am saying  I don't need that fish to be a spring - I get plenty of coho for food. 

I may take one big white doe each year for bait (and smoke it up as not to waste the flesh) but that is it.

You are right, heck whites are a ton of fun to fish and offer great sport.  But if I want something for my table it wont be a stinky white!

If you serve white spring at your dinner table thats fine (I don't thik anything less of you for it), just don't invite me over for dinner that night 

cheers.

thanx for clarifying your post. you don't have to worry about my sensitivity. i was more concerned about any newbie members out there who may not know where you're coming from.

i agree. cohos are great, but i will target a whitey to give to my neighbour.  she's on a fixed income and appreciates the gesture... i like the white springs for their fight.

[rln]

In fact FishinMagician, a white and a red will more than likely have an very similiar or even identical diet.


In terms of their table fair, I killed them the first 2-3 years I fished the vedder.  Once my fishing skills improved and I was getting consistant coho results,  I found whites unworthy at that time.  I think they turn fast, loose flesh quality quickly , and are just way to slimy and stincky. 

Once a fisherman figures out how to catch enuff coho to keep his family fed, he will be pretty hard pressed to kill a white spring unless he is hard up for bait!

Gooey....... if you are killing fall run salmon of any type , they taste like crap compared to any early run fish. Fall salmon in general (chinook,coho,chum , etc.) have a very short period of time before spawning. Fish the have just entered freahwater and have a long distance to travel or a long time to live before spawning have large reserves of fat to live off of and this is what tastes good when you cook fish. A summer run steelhead tastes way better than any march/april winter steelhead. Early december/january steelhead in the vedder taste much better than march/ april fish. Try catching may/june chinooks headed to upper fraser systems and compare them to any fall salmon you catch and the eating quality is much better. One thing to always remember is early season fish are the best eating and late run fish almost always taste poor.
 Try a cacthing and eating a june white chinook from a place like Bella Coola where they are full of fatty reserves and you would change your opinion on them.

[IronNoggin]

Gooy had it with the difference between reds and whites. The item that whites cannot absorb is carotin, produced by krill and other such fish munchies.

The whites from the chuck are by far my preference. The flesh is rich, but very mild compared to reds. I get tired of the reds much quicker than I ever do with the whites. I DO feel for those who only fish the flow for springs. Nothing from any river tastes as good as those taken in the chuck, BEFORE they start their migration up the fresh. Once you've tasted the difference, you WILL be amazed!

Cheers,
Nog, Slayer of Whites and Lovin' It 

[Gooey]

BwiBwi - white spring is sold in many specialty seafood shops locally...they market it as "ivory spring" HA! 

It respresents a small percentage of the overall chinook harvest and its presence in any catch is hit and miss so it can be hard to find due to its irregular availability.

In terms of a fish's freshness, about 6 weeks ago I BBQd my last 2004 coho.  It was frozen whole in late NOVEMBER and was an awesome table fish! 

A fish's flesh quality is highly dependant on the species and the amount of time they have been in the fresh water but after many years of fishing, by looking at a fish and gently feeling it, I have a pretty good idea of what the flesh is like on the inside. 

So sure fresh or even ocean fish will be better quality than one that been in the river but if you know what to look at, I think you can minimise your harvesting of sub par fish...I just find that no matter what, whites turn WAY to quick and when most of us access them in the vedder, they are well past their prime.

I will admit I harvested a white on the fraser last year and it was a very nice table fish...woulda traded it for a red in a heart beat tho 

[pepsitrev]

try china town for white spring its done many different ways