[tag-a-long]

Here is my biggest so far. 41 inches. Nice Hatchery hen. Found a new spot closer to mill city to fish... :dance: :laugh: :dance:

 

[Mr. Carp]

How is the meat in those things???

 

[Fish-n-Fever]

Nice fish! :cheers:

Mr.Carp, Im sure that fish was just fine. Most springers can get pretty dark and in the river a long time before their meat turns white. My dad caught one a few years back on the North Santiam that was almost black but it had as red of meat as a coast springer. I was shocked to say the least but springers are nothing like most fall fish that the meat turn as the fish get a little color.

Jon :smile: :grin: :smile:

[ 07-01-2003, 11:08 PM: Message edited by: MasterCaster ]

 

[Mr. Carp]

Thanks for the info Master Caster :cheers:

 

[go fisch]

Tag-a-long,
I bet you were fishing the rock hole below mill city?

 

[Fish_N_Russ]

That is a nice fish :smile:

I have been trying last couple weeks on the North but no luck yet.

If anyone wants to go sometime next week, let me know.

 

[tag-a-long]

It was close to mill city. :grin: Keep at it. They are still coming up but the bite has really slowed and pressure from us is pretty high. The meat is still pretty good. Not the best, but still good and pink. We are still seeing a few nice bright-for-the-river fish. I lost a smaller one that was pretty bright. Had me hung across a rock..

 

[SteelieSteve]

I fished the N. Santiam today and it was slow! Only 2 fish hooked that I heard of. Saw 2 dead bright steelies in the bottom of the hole at Mehama. Tried jigs(first cast), and small corkie with a bait of good eggs but no takers. The bite is at sunrise or before. I've hooked quite a few salmon in the Santiam over the years and none of them are really fine quality after all that time in fresh water. Fun to fight on light line but not really anything I'd want to bbq. The bright ones are running up the CR.

 

[tag-a-long]

Steelie Steve, you must have never caught them up here this time of year. They are great on the BBQ. I had one tonight that was completely orange. It wasn't chrome at all, but the meat was firm and dark.

I caught a limit with several people tonight near mill city. Bite seemed good up there. The bite for me has been in the evening. My partner hasn't had much luck in the mornings. I have to work so I can't get out there to try it in the AM...

[ 07-02-2003, 10:50 PM: Message edited by: tag-a-long ]

 

[Mr. Carp]

That's been my experience SteelieSteve. I've seen people fileting some that look like halibut meat because they are soooo white and have sores all over them. Not something I'd take home for the BBQ. Just my $0.02. Sometimes they'll suprise you though.

 

[Sore Back]

Nice. Thanks for the picture.

:cheers:

 

[Fish-n-Fever]

I have never kept a sorehead and dont see any reason to. However that #30 hen I just caught on the coast was mint bright but yet her meat was a little pale <nothing wrong with it still nice and orange> compared to the buck my father landed on the Santiam that was almost black it was so dark. If the fish looks ok other than color most of them will be just that OK. Remember also that a buck that in is the same shape as a hen in the same place will most of the time be better meated. I have seen spawned out springers that the birds have been eating where the meat still had color and wasnt white.

Ill agree that most darker fish will not be the same as chromers but most will still be OK for eating. To each his own as long as they dont go to waiste.

Jon :smile: :grin: :smile:

 

[Fish Hawg]

Remember also that a buck that in is the same shape as a hen in the same place will most of the time be better meated.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">that is true,most of the time i will olny try and smoke the hens when i keep them for thier eggs. But if meat is not very nice it will make great crab bait.

 

[Mr. Carp]

Eggs???? Heck all your gonna make with an old black sea bass looking thing is Pautzky's (sp) Balls O' Fire because they are just singles..

 

[Sliderite]

tag-a-long,
That is a big nook!....great job!

[ 07-04-2003, 03:55 AM: Message edited by: Sliderite ]

 

[Grant Scheele]

Mr. Carp, with all due respect you obviously have never caught a Springer in June or early July before.

They are so immature(this is why their meat can still be very red and fatty) at this point that most people don't like using their eggs for salmon bait because they are so small.

I put all of mine up for Steelhead bait because they NEVER fall off.

As far as there meat goes. In July you have to start picking through them to get bar-b-que fish but most still are. Remember, they are still coming over Willamette Falls.

We catch fish with silver on them every year in July. Just not often.

Mastercaster, what time of the year did you see the spawned out Springer? Are you sure that it wasn't a Fall fish?

Grant

 

[Fish-n-Fever]

I have actually seen them multiple times on diffrent rivers. I usually see them in August when I start fishing for fall fish and do some summer steallhead fishing in the upper rivers.<like stoping at the bridge at 3 rivers on the way home from the coast just to look around> Dont get me wrong I havent seen a whole lot of them but probly 5 or 6 in the past couple years. All of the spawned out fish that Ive seen to have a little color still in their meat have been bucks. These fish were in bad enough condition that there is no way I would have kept them if I had caught them. My point is Springers are nothing like most fall fish that lose quality soon after they hit fresh water.

Jon :smile: :grin: :smile:

[ 07-04-2003, 09:13 AM: Message edited by: MasterCaster ]

 

[Fish Hawg]

i saw several white heads two weeks ago while i was steelhead fishing and a few old black boots they were springers