Marbled Chinook

Ramstrong · 10-21-2001, 06:27 PM

Saturday I was able to hike into a zipperlip and was able to hook and land a 28lb chinook. The fish was bright but not chrome, only had a touch of grey in the belly and had long tail sealice on it. I could hear the waves breaking on the beach from where I was at. This fish had in all probability been in fresh water for less than 12hrs. I bonked it and when I opened her up the Skeins were very tight and the flesh was firm but it had a marbled pink/white coloration. I know there are runs of white fleshed chinook in bc. And I know that Tule's have light flesh but it's moosh and the eggs are loose. Has anyone else encountered anything like this before here in oregon?

willierower · 10-21-2001, 07:46 PM

Two weeks ago I caught a bright male with sea lice. When I fillited the fish, I surprised to see that the meat was white. The meat had never had any color in it. The flesh was very firm, In fact it was firmer than the meat of the other fish I caught. The other fish ws just as bright. I smoked that white meat. And out of curiosty I baked some too. It turned out to be some of the best taseting fall chinook Ive ever eaten.
I read someplace that some salmon lack a gene the produces an enzyme that processes the pigment from the crusetaceans they eat. I also read that if a salmon feeds mainly on baitfish the meat will be paler.

Streetwalker · 10-21-2001, 07:50 PM

Ramstrong,
Last Fri while fishing for steelhead on the Deschutes I hooked and landed a chinook that had marbled looking vertical stripes on both sides. It was a hen & looked very much like a chum salmon. It was in faily good condition for how far up it was from the mouth (about 25 mi). The coloring of the stripes were similar to a chum also. It was released unharmed. Hooked & landed two nate steelhead & two hatchery also.
I have never seen a chinook like that before now.

smoky · 10-22-2001, 07:19 AM

Ryan:

How ya been? Ive caught chrome hatchery steelhead on the lower Wilson that were white inside.

It was late in the season for hatchery winters (April) so I was very suprised to see
chrome hatchery steelies.

Keith (formerly of the Guide Shop)said they sit in tide water for an extended period of time(keeping their outside color), but their meat is turning.
Could be the same for Chinook?

Ramstrong · 10-22-2001, 10:42 AM

Jeff,

Was the Steelie you caught empty of either eggs or milt? It was probablly a run back, I've made that boo boo before as well. That I can understand because steelhead live to spawn another day and are undergoing a second smoltification so to speak on their way back to the salt. That includes getting chrome again. This fish was not chrome, but it was bright. It did have long tails on it wich would indicate to me that it was a fresh arrival. The Skeins were tight but the berries were large. Also the flesh was firm. Just kind of unusual. So how's fatherhood treating you? I've got a month left until it's my turn, I'm getting pretty excited.

smoky · 10-22-2001, 12:13 PM

It was a sexually immature buck.

Do Steelhead actually get chrome again?

Thumper · 10-22-2001, 12:46 PM

Yep, they get shiny enough to fool you into bonking them. That happens pretty often on the Lewis, especially in late winter.

Ryan --- God is telling you that you have caught entirely too many fish this year.....it's time to quit fishing and concentrate on that new job (both new jobs, I guess).

[ 10-22-2001: Message edited by: Thumper ]