[yarndog]

I caught two beautiful coho (brite) Saturday morning down on the Sandy River. When I got home to fillet the salmon, one had nice pink meat and I cut into the next and the meat was so off-color I wanted to cry. I was so ready to smoke three fish (caught a coho Friday too)and could only smoke two. Has anyone ever had this happen to them too. I mean the fish was brite!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[The Greek]

Yarndog...Was it a hen?

 

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I've heard of that happening. I remember one guy I fished next to in my early years used to make a slight cut above the fishes tail before keeping it. Now that I remember that, I can't believe it! I was very inexperienced then, and didn't think much of it. But, I think he did it for that very reason.
A fish could easily get fungus from that, couldn't it? But I guess they are headed up to die, anyhow... but still!
Anyhow, yes, it happens. Fish can look very bright and have poor meat. And, as Smily posted, the pus thing, too. Yuck!

Jen

 

[ampersat]

here are the three i tagged out with last friday.

i figured i would take the hen in the middle and the buck and smoke them, saving the chrome hen at the top for general table fare. the big hen turned out to have paler meat than the dusky buck. not bad but you could definitely tell a difference. i'd already cut some of the buck up for smoking but i swapped out some buck pieces for hen. wish i would have known before i cut up the buck because i cut smoking fish differently than table fare fish.

 

[yarndog]

yes it was a hen.

 

[Mrdorkfish]

Ampersat, Just from the belly exposure i see in that photo, That is great looking meat..no telling how long any of those fish sat at the mouth dodging Jack Glass' customers casts, They look great for coming a long way, You can't go wrong with Coho like that. :cheers:

MrDorkfish

Louis