Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum

Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: dennisK on July 12, 2007, 11:14:09 AM

Title: Anyone ever catch a "ChoHo"?
Post by: dennisK on July 12, 2007, 11:14:09 AM
Anyone ever catch a "ChoHo" (my wife made up the name)? 

A chum with red flesh like a coho.

Title: Re: Anyone ever catch a "ChoHo"?
Post by: milo on July 12, 2007, 11:29:04 AM
Anyone ever catch a "ChoHo" (my wife made up the name)? 

A chum with red flesh like a coho.

Many times. In fact, many of the early chum in the Squam are blessed with red flesh. It has something to do with their diet when they are in the ocean. Just like red and white springs.
Title: Re: Anyone ever catch a "ChoHo"?
Post by: dennisK on July 12, 2007, 11:32:14 AM
Whew, I thought we wiped them out when the 4 of us caught four of them.

(http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa37/fishmanyvr/1chohosinthetub2542.jpg)

(http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa37/fishmanyvr/2chohohead2547.jpg)

(http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa37/fishmanyvr/3chohofirstcut3.jpg)

(http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa37/fishmanyvr/4chohofillets2546.jpg)

(http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa37/fishmanyvr/5chohofrying2553.jpg)

(http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa37/fishmanyvr/6chohoplate2557.jpg)

(http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa37/fishmanyvr/7chohobite2560.jpg)

(http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa37/fishmanyvr/8chohopackaged2552.jpg)
Title: Re: Anyone ever catch a "ChoHo"?
Post by: TrophyHunter on July 12, 2007, 11:38:52 AM
Pretty much every male Chum I have kept in the Squamish system has had that same beauty red flesh, the females seem to have pasty white flesh and usually it is softer
TH
Title: Re: Anyone ever catch a "ChoHo"?
Post by: Nicole on July 12, 2007, 12:07:52 PM
The general rule is the longer a salmon is out of salt water, the more pale the flesh seems to become...

The texture of the flesh is also affected, due to the metabolism changes with the onset of spawning.

Carotenoids are the source of the pigments (Krill and other tiny shellfish)...

White spring are mainly herring eaters, and lack this pigment, not sure what to say about the marble ones...

Chum that we've killed in Barclay Sound have had flesh like this as well...

I've never killed a chum in fresh water, so I can't say much about these guys, other than YUMMY!

Cheers,
Nicole
Title: Re: Anyone ever catch a "ChoHo"?
Post by: derdywaders on July 12, 2007, 01:55:54 PM
nice post. thanks for the tasty pics and info.
Title: Re: Anyone ever catch a "ChoHo"?
Post by: troutbreath on July 12, 2007, 04:05:12 PM
Why did the fish in the 3rd pic get last rights? Just curious.
Title: Re: Anyone ever catch a "ChoHo"?
Post by: dennisK on July 12, 2007, 04:17:29 PM
Why did the fish in the 3rd pic get last rights? Just curious.

A complete fluke, I think that was a page of the newspaper that had some sort of advertisement and that was the tagline.
Title: Re: Anyone ever catch a "ChoHo"?
Post by: THE_ROE_SLINGER on July 12, 2007, 05:33:11 PM
That looks like some pretty red chum meat!..Were those takin in the squamish?
Title: Re: Anyone ever catch a "ChoHo"?
Post by: Sam Salmon on July 12, 2007, 06:22:16 PM
Carotenoids are the source of the pigments (Krill and other tiny shellfish)...

Correct!

White spring are mainly herring eaters, and lack this pigment,


White Springs eat everything Red Springs eat but don't absorb the pigments-the reason they don't is poorly understood.

Marbled Springs are a cross between the two.
Title: Re: Anyone ever catch a "ChoHo"?
Post by: adriaticum on November 12, 2008, 05:12:48 PM
The general rule is the longer a salmon is out of salt water, the more pale the flesh seems to become...

The texture of the flesh is also affected, due to the metabolism changes with the onset of spawning.

Carotenoids are the source of the pigments (Krill and other tiny shellfish)...

White spring are mainly herring eaters, and lack this pigment, not sure what to say about the marble ones...

Chum that we've killed in Barclay Sound have had flesh like this as well...

I've never killed a chum in fresh water, so I can't say much about these guys, other than YUMMY!

Cheers,
Nicole

I finally found the answer to the marbled spring question.

They are basically interbred fish. Late reds and early whites naturally.
Hatcheries that get both at the same time will mix the milt of white and red bucks and fertilize eggs from white and red females.
Title: Re: Anyone ever catch a "ChoHo"?
Post by: Nicole on November 12, 2008, 05:16:34 PM
Very interesting! Thanks for the update...

Cheers,
Nicole
Title: Re: Anyone ever catch a "ChoHo"?
Post by: bentrod on November 12, 2008, 06:32:10 PM
Nice looking fish.  I think I'd better inspect them before you eat too many more of them.  If you come by tomorrow night and cook me up some of those fish and chips with beer, (just like the ones shown), Ill provide my food tasting services for free.
Title: Re: Anyone ever catch a "ChoHo"?
Post by: fish_on on November 12, 2008, 09:07:25 PM
dennisK, are those Squamish chums?

salivating just by looking at those fillets!!

Tx
Title: Re: Anyone ever catch a "ChoHo"?
Post by: Tee on November 12, 2008, 09:11:41 PM
(http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa37/fishmanyvr/7chohobite2560.jpg)


[/quote]

dennisK,

Just curious how you liked eating chum meat. It sure looks really tasty!!
Title: Re: Anyone ever catch a "ChoHo"?
Post by: Britguy on November 12, 2008, 09:24:08 PM
Wow looks good
but what is the pale grey bit on the piece on the right ???
fries look mighty tasty are they Russets or Yukons ???
Title: Re: Anyone ever catch a "ChoHo"?
Post by: canso on November 12, 2008, 10:39:04 PM
Wow looks good
but what is the pale grey bit on the piece on the right ???
fries look mighty tasty are they Russets or Yukons ???
my guess would be the fat between the skin and meat.
Title: Re: Anyone ever catch a "ChoHo"?
Post by: gregcan on November 13, 2008, 01:42:05 AM
I have caught Chum w/red flesh and white flesh that were visually at the same stage of maturity (chrome w/sea lice) so I agree with the diet theory rather than degree of ripeness. As to ChoHos, I have caught fresh Nitinat river Coho late in the year that had none to maybe half a dozen spots on their whole body, and a slight pink barred cast to their sides. The flesh was decidedly Coho, although I hot smoked them so now I am unsure? Is it possible to have an actual Chum/Coho hybrid?
Title: Re: Anyone ever catch a "ChoHo"?
Post by: dereke on November 13, 2008, 06:46:35 AM
  I would say no on the chum coho hybrid, I have caught some hoes with slight barring on the sides of them on the stamp river and there is no doubt that they are coho.
Title: Re: Anyone ever catch a "ChoHo"?
Post by: Tadpole on November 13, 2008, 07:21:38 AM
Ocean caught chums are all super red meat. They just turn very fast, some of them even in brackish waters of Strait of Georgia. While participating numerous times in Browne's Bay Chum Derby I observed in salt even super mature fish, dark and almost dropping eggs.  I think it depends how long they hold before entering the river
Title: Re: Anyone ever catch a "ChoHo"?
Post by: bluenoser on November 13, 2008, 08:26:26 AM
Westcoast salmon are amazing!

Not only the variety but the incredible transformations they make in colour and appearance.

Title: Re: Anyone ever catch a "ChoHo"?
Post by: meatfisherman on November 13, 2008, 10:05:05 PM
aren't red and white springs different species
just wondering
Title: Re: Anyone ever catch a "ChoHo"?
Post by: firstlight on November 13, 2008, 10:19:59 PM
Yes they are and an explanation of it is back just a few posts. ;)
Title: Re: Anyone ever catch a "ChoHo"?
Post by: GoldHammeredCroc on November 17, 2008, 05:07:58 PM
Not a ChoHo, but I saw a Chockeye which is a Sockeye / Chum cross at Weaver Creek channel.  Was sampling a number of fish and came across this "female".  A usual sized female sockeye with massive chum sized eggs.  A little different spotting and was a touch more purple rather than the red.