Northwest Fishing Reports

I had never caught a chum before and I've got some questions about what is a decent fish. I know some people don't think they're worth the trouble, but I've learned that a decent grade Pink can be smoked or cooked more like a whitefish and the results can be good for me (your mileage will vary). If you're somebody that is a Chum to chum, then I'd like your two cents about what is a keepable fish, since I'm learning.
I finally lucked into a nice batch of Chum that were holding on the Green. I nailed a big, heavy buck and decided to keep him because he didn't show any signs of wear, though he was definitely in camouflage mode as opposed to silver. I made the smart choice to keep my glove on and get it wet, because it had teeth like a dachsund and would have bit the crap out of my hand. Then, I hit a bit of confusion. I caught a doe that was in full chrome mode. However, she had a lot of blotches that seemed a bit fuzzy. I decided to let her go, especially since I couldn't get a very good look at her (standing in the middle of the water and trying to make a decision without breaking off my line or walking in to shore to really land her). I had a couple of fish get away, since I was hooking them across the river and pulling them across a fair amount of current to get them in. I finally got another doe in, and she had a really messed up face. Half of it looked like scar tissue, and she had a chunk of one fin missing. Still, she was really bright, and since she didn't seem to have actual deterioration I kept her. I've heard Chum are very aggressive, and I'm wondering if it is fairly common for them to have scars and wounds.
I got both fish home, and the big guy was pretty much what I expected, which was smokeable but a little light/soft meated. The hen was nice, pink and firm. I'm even going to try and cook her up instead of smoking. It makes me wonder how much of the first one was just surface damage.
I guess it is more clear to me when a Pink or Coho looks spawned or beat up, but these Chum area little tricky to figure out. Would the blemishes on the otherwise chrome hen I caught earlier have been from bites? Are most Chum damaged like this, or is it just getting late in the season for them? What are folks looking for in a keepable Chum?

Yep. Those chum are toothy bastards and they eat at each other for territory and spawning rights. When they bite they wipe away the slime and mucous glands that protect the fish from infection, and they get topical fungus and bacterial infections. It's not necessarily mold like a lot of guys think. If you've ever had a goldfish that jumped ship and flopped on the floor for a bit and got a white spot, that's what it is. Chum sit at the mouth for a while and as soon as they taste that fresh water they start to get into their spawning mode. You want 'em when they're shiny, still have scales and as little color as possible. The best you can hope for in fresh is to catch one with just a hint of the stripes, still scaled up and shiny. The teeth will be smaller and they won't be as tore up. Although I've caught a rare chromer that had bite marks on him. I guess the trick is if you're gonna keep 'em is you gotta keep 'em to find your tolerance for what meat is smokable and what meat is crab bait. Keep a few and you'll find it fast!

Thanks Nate,
I've kind of developed my own system of dealing with questionable salmon.
Good salmon = the grill.
Mid-range = Creative cooking/Smoking.
Sketchy = Fish tacos. I've got a really nice Adobo marinade, and if you treat crappy salmon as cheap whitefish it sort of works. Small strips of flesh, lots of spices, absolutely no skin in the process. I also do this with scraps that are too small to smoke, even if the fish is ok.

I honestly think the only way to figure out what makes each type of salmon fit this scale is taste testing. I've certainly gotten pickier about Pinks, and maybe less picky about Coho then some people would be. Chum are brand new, so I'll see how it goes. The female I caught seemed really nice, whereas the male was kind of a beast. What's weird is that the male had no bites/blemishes but was clearly further along in spawning, whereas the female looked like it had been through hell, but was chrome. In my experience, for whatever reason ,it seems like males often lead the fray inland, whereas females
are the later to arrive. Had a great time fighting these scrappy Chums, so I'm hoping they taste ok. The male was a mean looking bastard, but the female (scarred face aside) was really a beautiful fish with a pretty set of purples and silver scales.
I'm pretty sure I'll be on to Steelhead when I get the opportunity in the next month or two, but I'll be looking forward to a Chum fight next season if not again this year..