salmon on a fly rod

[Okanagan]

One of those perfect times to stick in the mind for life.  A still calm evening on a big river, mild weather and lots of fish.  From sundown on I had my whole section of the river to myself, standing in water above my knees while hooking salmon one after another.  These are pink salmon, also called humpies, the smallest variety of Pacific salmon.

Each ripple mark in the scene photo below is caused by a fish on the surface.  There are lots more underneath.  In clear water I've seen the entire bottom of a river dark with solid salmon covering it.  The second photo is of the only one  I kept tonight, a male with his hump about halfway formed.   Caught him on spin gear that I fished with for a few minutes.  Hooked a fish nearly every cast with spin gear.  Every three or four casts with a fly rod.  Some were bright silver color and hadn't changed shape and others are like the one in the photo, starting to morph into a monster.

[FinsnFur]

The sweet humpback
Very nice

[coyote101]

Man, I've got to get up there and do that someday.  Thanks for the pictures and education on salmon.

Pat

[KySongDog]

Man, I've got to get up there and do that someday.   Thanks for the pictures and education on salmon.

Pat

+1   

[pitw]

Man, I've got to get up there and do that someday.   Thanks for the pictures and education on salmon.

Pat

+1   

+2 

[alscalls]

 

[pitw]

Do you eat that humpy part after they start to morph or does it change the meat?  Sorry but when you nothing and want to know you gotta ask

[Okanagan]

Do you eat that humpy part after they start to morph or does it change the meat?  Sorry but when you nothing and want to know you gotta ask

I prefer them before they change.  Everybody who answers you will give a different preference.  I've eaten them a little farther along than the one in this recent photo and considered them good.  (Compared to the carp they fed me Europe, they are fabulous!) .  My impression is that the meat gets a little softer and leaner as body fat goes into growing the hump.

Wish we could test it this evening.  Several of us could go to the river with a portable grill, cook some fish we catch that are at different stages of change, and taste compare them.   Doggone, my wife set up a supper with another couple this evening so I'll have to pass.  I'll be smiling across the table but my mind will be at the river.  Hope it isn't too noticeable when I twitch.  A day or two of this kind of fishing makes a man kind of twitchy.  It's an involuntary response when I set the hook on a fish in my mind.

[SCcoyotehunter]

Nice pics, looks like a nice place.