Caught 8 1/2 lb Coho yesterday (Pic added)

[Okanagan]

Warm sunny day here yesterday and a friend invited me to fish a local run of Coho salmon with him.  My second cast I caught a Coho that nudged 8 3/4 lb. on a scale.  Bright silver fish with sea lice still on it, some 60 miles upriver from saltwater.  Strong jumper, lots of flash and splash. My friend caught one almost as big and I released a foul hooked pink salmon that was in fine shape.  I can't find my camera so didn't get any pics.  My friend took one pic of my fish after it was in a clear plastic bag but the photo ain't much for art.  So it didn't happen.

We fished a slough that runs a couple of miles parallel to the main river and dead ends with a few creeks and a fish hatchery at the upper end.  Coho like slow water.  While we fished the water level rose two feet.  I am still amazed that the tide can effect river level that far from the ocean.  Black bear tracks along the sandy shore line when I got out to find a bush, in mostly farm land with strips of brush along creeks, etc. 

Think I'm going to cook it slowly in alder smoke, not a traditional smoked salmon but what they call hot smoked.

Found my camera, & added a couple of pics below.

[Hawks Feather]

Well, except for the sea lice, it sounds pretty good.

Jerry

[Okanagan]

Well, except for the sea lice, it sounds pretty good.

Jerry

  Sea lice are like little flat fleas that hold on to the salmon's belly or flank scales back near the tail and outside of the fish body, usually only two or three on one fish.  The little dark spot on the seam of belly and anal fin in the first pic below is one of them.  We notice them as an indicator of how long the salmon has been in fresh water.  They used to say that the sea lice would drop off within 24 hours of entering fresh water but I think it must be more like 48 hours.   Any fish in a freshwater river with sea lice on it has just come in from the ocean and are as good as they get in terms of how strong they fight and how good they taste.  I normally skin the salmon fillets anyway or you can brush off the sea lice with one easy swipe with the back or edge of a knife. 

Found my camera.  The cutting board is 30 inches corner to corner.  My favorite filleting knife.

[nastygunz]

 That is some rich looking meat!

[Dave]

Wow that looks incredible.  Nice job filleting also - nice clean cuts.

[Hawks Feather]

Thanks for the info on the sea lice.  I am glad you got some pics because that sure looks good.  Edit: That isn't your first time with a filet knife is it.

Jerry

[Okanagan]

Thanks for the info on the sea lice.  I am glad you got some pics because that sure looks good.  Edit: That isn't your first time with a filet knife is it.

Jerry

Yep, I've dissected a few.  That blade with the long curved belly makes it easier for me to make long smooth cuts.

[FinsnFur]

That reminds me of when I lived on Lake Michigan. Very nice catch.
Love the looks of that meat

[Hawks Feather]

Thanks for the info on the sea lice.  I am glad you got some pics because that sure looks good.  Edit: That isn't your first time with a filet knife is it.

Jerry

Yep, I've dissected a few.  That blade with the long curved belly makes it easier for me to make long smooth cuts.

While I agree that a good blade helps, I think it is more the experience of the blade holder than the blade.  While I haven't seem many recently, I remember seeing many that looked like they were removed with a chainsaw - chunks cut out everywhere.

Jerry

[Okanagan]

Thank you. 

Yep, experience shows in such things.  I have told the story of a Cree Indian teenage girl who put a friend of mine to shame when it came to filleting a pike but in my senility will retell it.  A friend went with me to northern Saskatchewan to fish with a Cree friend of mine.  I had learned to let our host fillet our fish even though it embarrassed me, because he was so fast that he would have them all done and better while I hacked at my first one.  It was efficient and he enjoyed it.

On this trip, my companion started sawing one side off of a big pike before our host got up to the fish cleaning table from our boat.  Our host's pretty teen daughter had come down from their house to see our fish, and we all stood around and watched this slow motion massacre.  When the fellow finished one ragged side, she asked brightly, "Do you want me to fix that for you?"  She nudged him aside, took the knife and whipped the other side off in a flash, perfectly clean with no bones in it.  Then she deboned the ragged side he had done and smiled, in pure innocence as to the social side of what she had done.  We all started laughing, including the inept fillet whacker.  He is a good man and hosted that family when they visited the States.  He took the girl and her dad salmon fishing.

[JohnP]

Nice fish, and nice story about the Cree teenage gal.

[Hawks Feather]

Love the story.

Jerry

[Okanagan]

Went fishing for Coho again yesterday.  Almost froze, landed three (4 ?) big chum salmon and broke off the only Coho due to an unseen nick in the line.

Ice on the boat ramp, ice in the rod guides on retrieve, and an icy deck/boat floor from water dripped off of boots when I pushed off and stepped in.  I wore long johns under jeans under Gore-Tex waders and was concerned that I would get too hot and sweat. Not a chance!   Feet and legs got cold, fingers painfully cold in spite of wearing fingerless gloves with a fold back mitten cover.   Brisk wind.  Four layers on torso, and on my head and neck had a neck gaiter, baseball cap, fleece stocking cap and insulated coat hood.  I never took off any of it till I got home about 3 PM.  It was sunny and man the sun felt good when it came up, even though it was well below freezing.  Just before we started home the deck ice melted, so it got above freezing. 

Lots of brute strong quite fresh chum salmon in the slough and I kept foul hooking them.  Man they are a strong fish.  All but one that the two of us landed were firm, lightly colored and had minimal changes from sleek silver ocean fish into the garish toothy green and purple monster they become.   I'd have kept the best one to smoke but they were all foul hooked and must be released.  We released them out of the net, no pics.  They averaged a good 12 lbs. maybe more.  Besides the ones we landed we each lost a few and each broke one off trying to pressure the fish into the net.

Link to pics of chum.  Also called dog salmon, they develop big teeth as they approach spawning.  Scroll down a few rows to see one with big sharp teeth showing.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=chum+salmon&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiwvr_59qzXAhVB3mMKHc33DnAQiR4IvAE&biw=1455&bih=719

If I wasn't planning to do some deer hunting I'd go back with my fly rod...  Bring your rod and grab a plane, Nasty, and then we'll check out a brook trout lake I know, if the snow isn't too deep to four wheel up there.

[JohnP]

I could send you my address and you could freeze that Coho, double wrap it in freezer paper, throw some dry ice in a box and send it to AZ. 

[nastygunz]

 I was just telling everyone I need to go on a good adventure!

[Okanagan]

I was just telling everyone I need to go on a good adventure!

In Google Earth go to
50 24" 20.04"N     119 27' 14.88"W

The upper lake that narrows on the top north end used to be loaded with brook trout.  We would pull by there at midday when hunting moose and catch a bunch to fry up for lunch.  The upper lake had lots of 8-9 inch brookies.  I haven't fished it in at least 20 years but am hankering to go back before I kick the bucket.  There were zero clearcuts or logging anywhere in that area then, and only an old crooked wagon road that twisted between trees.  It's a miserable swamp around the lake edge, muddy bog of a road the last bit and only one place with a firm enough shore to stand and fish.  I was never able to get close enough to the lower lake to cast a line into it, due to a wide expanse of deadfall filled swamp way back from open water.

There's another spot that had brookies to 20 inches long but I ain't saying anywhere near it on a public forum.

[Okanagan]

I could send you my address and you could freeze that Coho, double wrap it in freezer paper, throw some dry ice in a box and send it to AZ.

Mr. John, if you could send me some warm sunshine, I'd swap for salmon!  As cold as I was yesterday I thought of you and your warm patio in your back yard. 

[FinsnFur]

There's no way he can pass up that offer

[JohnP]

Boy you guys drive a hard bargain.