[buzzcatcher]

We caught a salmon last week in the Vedder. It was still fairly clean and crome. When we got it home to smoke, the meat was white. Is this what is called a white spring? And was it ok for us to take home. I know if its not I am going to take a brow beating on here, so I will appolagize in advace. Could some body please tell me how to tell the difference between the different types of salmon.

thanks

Cheers

 

[fishhog]

Sounds like a white "king" to me. You can take them home alright. I prefer not too myself. They stink. I prefer the red kings.
Someone on the board posted a pic of a spot to look to tell if it's a red or white.

 

[Fishaholic]

White springs are great for smoking. Not sure if ive ever bbq'd one but i hear they taste great too?
You can tell the meat colour under the gill plates right at the bottom of the gills

 

[Rib]

We caught a salmon last week in the Vedder. It was still fairly clean and crome. When we got it home to smoke, the meat was white. Is this what is called a white spring? And was it ok for us to take home. I know if its not I am going to take a brow beating on here, so I will appolagize in advace. Could some body please tell me how to tell the difference between the different types of salmon.

thanks

Cheers

Yeah, must have been a white "spring", (Chinook Salmon). Buzzcatcher...you can tell by the meat first off, but you can't very well use that method out on the river to determine what species you have caught or whether you can kill it. Having said that, you can retain these fish so don't worry...you're fine I'm sure...

Check your regulations for each river you fish, I recheck mine before each trip, so that there is absolutely no doubt as to what I can keep, and what I can't keep...This is key, regulations vary from one body of water to the next, check the regs. You should definitely do this, and yes people will jump on you for taking home a fish that you cannot retain...they might in this case too, as I am about to tell you why...

It is disturbing in this case that you did not know if you could take the fish home and yet did so anyways...although no harm was done this time, I would hope you learn from this experience, and take the advice given here regarding the regulations...

You and you alone are responsible for your actions, the legal consequences for retention of a species that is designated catch and release only are very, very, severe. You could have had your vehicle and all your gear taken away for good. You likely would have paid hefty fines...etc, etc, etc...

I can't fathom "not knowing", in cases like these it is very easy to find out what you can and cannot do....

For anyone reading this that also does not know the regulations, or how to identify your catch, please make an effort to do so now. Get a copy of the regs, get a copy of the freshwater supplement...AND READ UP ON THE RIVER YOU ARE GOING TO FISH!!!!!!!!!!!
Make sure you know where you stand when it comes to this issue, you either know the regs or you do not. If you do not know the regs, then FIGURE IT OUT!!!
There is no excuse for endangering fish stocks that are in decline out of ignorance, or any other reason. You want to fish, take some responsibility and initiative and figure out what you need to do in order to fish without having to come up with an excuse...

There are no excuses, Only examples...you can either lead by example, or be made an example of. Be aware of the consequences of your actions and manage your risks accordingly.

rib :evil: 8)

Buzzcatcher...You seem like a sincere enough person and I'm sure you did not intend any harm, and thankfully no harm was done. There are fish in that system that are endangered, (ie: cultus lake sockeye), and your actions had the potential to contribute to the further decline of such stocks. I would hate to think that you would suffer the consequences for your actions just because you didn't know any better...if you enjoy fishing, as I am sure you do, take the iniative and educate yourself on the laws protecting the resource of the sport you are enjoying. Those laws are there for very good reasons. In my view an "apology" is not enough to rectify this situation. I would hope now you might make amends by taking the time to be better prepared the next time you go fishing with respect to identifying fish and keeping abreast of the regulations.

 

[fishhog]

Rib makes good points.

I always consult my attorney before venturing afield. Just kidding, but there is a little truth to my statement.
The way the regs are written, it's almost if the fishieries departments are just waiting to catch some unsuspecting soul.
I've had guys ask me: "is this a coho?" I just shake my head and inform them that in fact they just gave the wood shampoo to a boot king. :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

 

[buzzcatcher]

Thanks Rib...shame on me and point taken I am reviewing the regs I picked up today as I type. There is no excuse!!

 

[Rib]

The way the regs are written, it's almost if the fishieries departments are just waiting to catch some unsuspecting soul.
I've had guys ask me: "is this a coho?" I just shake my head and inform them that in fact they just gave the wood shampoo to a boot king. :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

This is true, they can be vague at times...the freshwater salmon supplement is actually thicker than the regs, believe it or not, and it has actual photos of each species and key characteristics to look for in identifying them...there are also several pages devoted to explaining the regs in that booklet, including the use of barbless hooks...not perfect but much better than nothing. Those regs are what everyone fishing the river should keep handy, not the crappy magazine sized style booklet printed on 8X11 size paper, but the supplement, printed on 3X8 size pages...check it out....

Buzzcatcher, that's the one you want...hopefully it's the one you are holding in your hand right now...
good luck,
rib

 

[young gun]

yah but still people should know what a coho and spring look like, i still carry the booklet though. this year u can tell whether is white or red pretty easy, just look inside all the fresh hooked marks, where all the guys have ripped their hooks into the fish and tore up their flesh! :x :evil:

 

[Mike]

A fresh ****** and red smell and taste exactly the same. They are genetically different resulting in different meat color. When they cross bread you get marble springs. The thing about white fleshed springs in the vedder is that they stink cause they are not fresh and they are rotting since all salmon rot as soon as they hit fresh water.

 

[IronNoggin]

Actually NO, red and white springs do not taste the same. Really.
The red's offer that traditional flavour, which many find appealing. White's are DEFINATELY milder in flavour, and in general, have a higher lipid (fat) content. I have tagged literally hundreds of both in the chuck (WCVI) and know this to be fact. BTW, I greatly prefer the whites for the Bar-Bee over the reds, when they are caught out in the briney. Both The Missuz and I prefer the milder flavour, and get sick of the red flesh rather quickly each season (so they get saved for the smoker).

The colour variation is indeed due to a genetic influence. White springs cannot ingest carotins found in such fodder species as krill and shrimp, whereas the more common red springs can. Even though they have the same diet.

The chief reason that folks on the LML vastly prefer the reds is due to where they fish - river situations. For some (as yet unknown) reason the oilier whites appear to deteriorate faster in fresh water than do the reds.

Cheers,
Nog

 

[Chalupa]

Bang on Ironnoggin. Whites have a different flavour than the reds, and any fish that has passed through the Fraser have diminished in table quality, particularly the whites. But an ocean caught white spring is a fine fish. Spacecadets comments about crossbreeding reds and whites producing "marbles" has no scientific merit. I have had the discussion with fisheries biologists and they seem to be at a loss as to what determines the eventual color of any given springs flesh color. Genetics obviously plays a part, as some rivers get returns of almost exclusivly Reds, and systems like the Harrison are predominantly Whites wheather they enter the system in March or April or in the fall. On the other hand, the elusive creature that Fishhog refers to as a "KING" may have polkadot or plaid colored flesh,........ I don't know. Chalupa

 

[Chalupa]

Is this a Coho?

Fishhog, I'm sure that if someone asked you if a fish was a Coho, your response would undoubtedly be " It's a silver,.....Y'all!!! ( Ever notice that ALL salmon are SILVER in the chuck?) You guys sure got some funny lingo. Chalupa

 

[Fish Finder]

Traditionally my river caught whites ended up in the smoker. However recently I BBQ'd up a white I retained out on the salt off Campbell river. Man was it good... :shock: :shock: I was hesitant, but what a a nice surprise. Baked in a nice cream dill sauce, it was fantastic!

Finder :wink:

 

[thatguy03]

yah if done right they can be tasty

 

[professori]

As far as the regs are concerned a chinook is a chinook. Red, white or marble they are all the same species.

 

[hotrod]

Whites are good eating just not as favorable to reds! Wow ! A little hard on the guy as far as I'm concerned. Take it easy buzz and enjoy your fish.Try not to overcook the white as they tend to dry up a little easier than the norm!


Hotrod

 

[Guest]

this post is in response to buzzcatcher's post of approximately 8 am this morning...for whatever reason it has been entered before his post due to technical difficulties...please read afformentioned post before this one...thx
Hey buzzcatcher...nice work picking up the regs and learning what you needed to know....as far as being able to tell the difference between a white spring and a red spring, you don't need to for all intents and purposes with regards to the regulations...a chinook is a chinook in the regs....and each variation of the species will still have the charcteristics described in the regulation booklet you picked up....black gums, heavily spotted tail, etc...so as long as you can tell it's a chinook that all you need....check some of the pictures in the vedder posts on the site, you should find a few pics of springs in varying stages of spawning and you will get a good feel for how much they can change in appearance...

As for what you cannot keep, if it isn't listed in the limits section of the table for the river you are fishing then you cannot keep it.

For example, for chilliwack/vedder it says 4 hatchery coho perday...not X number of wild coho per day...so you can only keep hatchery fish up to and including that number...

My rule of thumb is if you're in doubt, just take a picture and then release the fish...no harm done...

I'd also like to say kudo's to you buzzcatcher, instead of reacting negatively to my rather harsh post, you reacted positively and did something about it. It speaks volumes to your character that you went out and did something about it, rather than taking offense and doing nothing...I respect that very much...

Nice work,
rib

 

[Guest]

weird...I posted that after your thread buzzcatcher....what's goin on here?

 

[buzzcatcher]

Ok so heres another part to my question. I have the regs and now keep them in my vest. One problem, yes it tells me how many I can keep and what type I can keep. BUT, it just says chinook is that white and red? whats the diff? It also doesn't tell alot about what I can not keep. It says a little but no great detail. IS there any input someone would like to give to that??

I did smoke the white, it was great. Although I found it much oilier than the reds, is that the norm with these?


Cheers

 

[Rib]

Ok...I think things are working now... Awesome. Buzzcatcher, I posted a response to your last post, but it was entered above yours for whatever reason...some kind of glitch. Good to be back to normal around here.
Goodnight,
rib