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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 21,317
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 21,317 |
We drug anchor once in a big storm around Thanksgiving... out of a cove on Montague... We never thought... all were asleep, and it started to get really rougher than it should... talk about the Lord protecting his one... wind and current were correct and we shot right out of the protected cove, middle of the bay out into the "ocean". Lets just say land was no where near when we woke up and turned on the lights.... and then on the way back in, fuel ran out, lucky it was friend of a friend... he knew what happened and crawled down to switch tanks...
It didn't dawn on my until later how damn lucky we really were... and then to miss an almost sub surface 40ish foot power pole floating... or just a log I dunno... it was not small... on the way in
That would make for a memorable trip.
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 23,406
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 23,406 |
Been sportfishing for fun the last week or so. Having a blast right in front of town picking up kings and the occasional halibut. I literally don't even get the boat up on step and troll from the harbor. My foster kid and I were out the other night for an hour. Doubled up on a king and a 55lb halibut. Her first king (and fish). She handled the king like a pro and then I handed her the other rod and she got the halibut up and I gave him a good beating. Trolling with downriggers. A few more weeks and then I knock out 65 or so guide days, with some trolling mixed in.
Last edited by Calvin; 05/14/17.
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 23,406
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 23,406 |
Momma has been getting in on the action too..
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 25,090
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 25,090 |
Great looking family and very cool pics.
Is that your Almar you just rehabbed? How's those Merc 150's working out?
“Life is life and fun is fun, but it's all so quiet when the goldfish die.”
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 50,627
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 50,627 |
Not every hatchery king gets clipped up here, only the ones with coded wire tags. I think about 10% get the CWT if I remember correctly. Why are they still clipping adipose fins when there is a ton of evidence it compromises the fish? I don't know the answer to that one. It probably compromises the fish less than clipping other fins and they need to be identified somehow. What I have seen shows they are very compromised by losing the adipose... and just consider the rubric of the inferior hatchery fish... the only real difference is the highly enervated fatty tassel...
Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 20,554
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 20,554 |
Very cool. Some great pics. Thanks for taking the time! Do you keep track of your wild vs hatchery ratio? Looks like at least a couple missing adipose in that box pic. We were running about 5:1 (wild to hatchery) out of Homer this winter. It changes quickly. One bite I was on had a high hatchery/white component. They were paying a bit more for whites, so that was nice. Another bite had just 1 clip fin out of 34 I brought in. White king makes fantastic sushi but I've never had it cooked, how does it compare to regular king?
That's ok, I'll ass shoot a dink.
Steelhead
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 23,406
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 23,406 |
Yes it is. Mercs are working out well. Very efficient.
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Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 17,865
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 17,865 |
As to white king cooked; some will say it has a higher oil content and they can taste a difference. To my palate, if im being honest with myself, I couldn't tell a difference if blindfolded. And we eat a lot of king...
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 23,406
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 23,406 |
The light pink/orange with some white marbled in is the best for me. The darker red stuff is ok, but not as good, IMO. Straight white isn't as good.
When I pull fish out of the freezer, the lighter the color, the better it seems to be. Orange is definitely better than the more red kings. Probably what they are eating in the ocean.
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Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 4,347
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 4,347 |
White and red kings are the same species. The difference in flesh color comes from their genetically determined ability to metabolize pigments in their food. The pigments, called cartenoids, are found in their diet of shrimp, krill and crabs, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. White-fleshed kings don't have the genetic ability to break down their food and store the red-orange carotene in their muscles.
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 50,627
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 50,627 |
And the best thing about white kings is they are all Canadian, eh.
Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 4,347
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 4,347 |
And the best thing about white kings is they are all Canadian, eh. White kings are not strictly canadian. When I worked at whitman we had jacks that came back as white kings. They were tagged as whitman fish so unless there is a canadian hatchery using their same tags, its highly unlikely. Straight off F&G http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=244
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,359
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 12,359 |
The light pink/orange with some white marbled in is the best for me. The darker red stuff is ok, but not as good, IMO. Straight white isn't as good.
When I pull fish out of the freezer, the lighter the color, the better it seems to be. Orange is definitely better than the more red kings. Probably what they are eating in the ocean. Agree on this big-time. Man, I miss fresh fish!!!
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 50,627
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 50,627 |
Kings more than most will visit different rivers before heading up to spawn in their natal river. It is my understanding that all known white king spawners are from Canada's Fraser River. Talk of Chilkat River whites has not been proven, but that may have changed since I last saw a study write-up.
Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 4,347
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 4,347 |
Kings more than most will visit different rivers before heading up to spawn in their natal river. It is my understanding that all known white king spawners are from Canada's Fraser River. Talk of Chilkat River whites has not been proven, but that may have changed since I last saw a study write-up. Kinda hard to argue that when the tag data doesn't lie. :-) There are some kings coming out of Whitman that are white kings. Maybe not as many as out of the Frazier
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Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 17,865
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 17,865 |
Several years ago we boxed a white king on the Kenai during the July season - and it was not a tidewater fish, as it was up at Sunken.
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 23,406
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 23,406 |
We get white kings back to our hatchery here. I've caught them out of the creek. Lately most of the white kings are get are clipped fin. We do have a run of bigger white kings that show up here in late May that visit the same areas every year. Not sure where they are going, but they are some slugs.
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 50,627
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 50,627 |
So the hatcheries are the contamination source? They never used to get them. The early literature does not mention them.
Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 25,090
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 25,090 |
I've caught quite a few white kings on the Fraser. Some good sized ones. If it is a 20+ pound fish, seems more often to be a white. Folks I know up there call them Harrison lake kings.
Personally, I haven't had them side by side so can't comment on red/white/pink. Fresh still rules the taste factor in my world!
“Life is life and fun is fun, but it's all so quiet when the goldfish die.”
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 25,090
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 25,090 |
Yes it is. Mercs are working out well. Very efficient. What a great boat. Step down floor make standing room in the pilothouse? How much setback on the bracket? I'd love to lose the I/O and doghouse taking up room on my deck and hang a set of twin 150-200hp OBs on a bracket. Even a single 250-300 would be sweet, and likely make more sense for me. But alas, my boat is just a toy. Hard to justify the outlay if it ain't making money. Outboards are fuggin pricey!
“Life is life and fun is fun, but it's all so quiet when the goldfish die.”
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