Print

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

[Hung]

A friend from California is visiting on the American Thanksgiving week (Nov 25).  He loves fishing and I wonder if it's too late for chum fishing on the Squamish then?  If so, are there other species to fish for around that time?

THANKS!

[Speychucker]

Just heading out for a day on the Squamish, with my friends sled. Let you know tonight how things went.

[Rodney]

Most fish will be coloured, but should still be good. I have caught nice ones in early December too.

[Speychucker]

Got back about a hour ago, Lots of chum in the river and lots of fresh fish moving in as the tide changed in the morning. We started at 7:30 and fished till 4:15, no coho seen. Did see some bear tracks on the west side of the river.

[Sam Salmon]

Iwaved when you guys roared by-I was wrasslin' a big Chum @ the time.
I figured the jet would stir 'em up and it did-the fish I had on freaked  and busted me off.
No matter I must have fought thirty or more anyway.
Judging from the age of many freshly arrived fish Hung's friend won't see many fish at all-they have stayed a long time in the Salt and are spawning/dying fast.

[Rodney]

Sam, you think that's due to low water level in the system (I don't know, haven't been there this season yet) so the fish have simply been holding out there? If anyone wants chrome or semi-chrome chum for smoking... Steveston fishing dock, $5 per fish is the price they are selling at right now. Roe is $7/lb unless they have sold out already.

[aquaboy24]

a chromer for $5! thats better for the BBQ isn't it?

[Rodney]

ok... I might be exaggerating a little bit... They're not totally chrome, stripes are there but the fish are shiny. To be honest, I've never really enjoyed eating a bbq chum. After smoking my own chum for the first time last year, I think I'll just be smoking all my chum from now on. Or deep fried in batter sometimes... I've also heard from many now that chum is the best salmon for cold smoked.... Any feedbacks on that?

[Fish Assassin]

I have a friend who is a commercial fisherman. He swears that chums is the best salmon for smoking.

[Dragnet]

Rodney:

I did over 60lbs of cold smoked chum last year, simply the best.

I also did spring but all the smoked salmon I gave away as gifts or house warming gifts, the most comments I got were over the chum smoked salmon.  Far better than the spring.

Smoked the chum for 14 hrs and the spring for 24.

[aquaboy24]

there is a recipe for white spring that i tried for chum tonight..it rocked Rod, you should try it.

Take a fillet...and whole bunch of chopped up onions and cilantro..pile it on. Then lay strips of bacon on top. Wrap and BBQ.....its delicious

[Rodney]

Rodney:

I did over 60lbs of cold smoked chum last year, simply the best.

I also did spring but all the smoked salmon I gave away as gifts or house warming gifts, the most comments I got were over the chum smoked salmon.  Far better than the spring.

Smoked the chum for 14 hrs and the spring for 24.

That's a lot of chum... So what is exactly involved with the entire cold smoking procedure? It's probably just easier for me to take it in to have it professionally smoked right?

[reach]

My dad has been cold smoking chum for decades and everyone likes it.

1. Split the chum (like filleting but cut from the dorsal side and leave the belly intact to hold the two sides together).
2. Put the fish in a simple brine - layer of fish, generous sprinkle of rock salt, layer of fish, layer of salt, etc.
3. Go cut down an alder tree and split it.  This takes a few hours, during which time the brine is doing its thing.
4. Hang the fish on split cedar sticks in the smokehouse (tall lean-to, like an outhouse, built from 2x4s and plywood, with a burlap flap for a "door") by threading the stick through a few times near the head end.
5. Light the fire and keep it small and smoky (obviously).  The green alder gives off really nice smoke.
6. Stoke every few hours for 3 days or so.

I know it's pretty old school and I don't know how you would adapt it for a commercial smoker.  But that's the way he does it and everybody raves about the fish.

[habzrule]

you lost me at 'split'.  Sounds tasty, though.  I have yet to even catch anything worth eating this year, that's keepbable...if keepable is a word that is.  I have only tried the Capilano I guess...but been there probably 15 times and didn't manage to land anything.  I have a new respect for the sport of fishing after this year.  Having come from the east, and growing up fishing in Northern Ontario, I have to admit this is far more challenging then throwing a bunch of treble hooks at a Pike that would try eat a pop can if ya used that instead   

[badboi]

how big is the coho run there?