Chum Salmon?

I broke my 9 Wght over my head last year on Minter creek chum fishing. luckily it was 2 weeks from christmas so i got a new one .  it was epic, standing up on my yak casting to cruising schools, no crowds to deal with and no pb's cause it was too shallow for them. 

But If i retain, it has just been females. They seem to stay brighter longer. Decent smoked, and last year I cured alot of chum eggs. Damn good bait.

Too bad you aren't up here. I trade you any other salmon roe three pounds for one pound of chum roe...ok 1 to 1 for half my king roe. Chum roe make EXCELLENT ikura/caviar!!!

My parents hate me but king roe is like gold for king salmon fishing bait. But chum is the premiere salmon roe for caviar in my opinion.


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But If i retain, it has just been females. They seem to stay brighter longer. Decent smoked, and last year I cured alot of chum eggs. Damn good bait.

Too bad you aren't up here. I trade you any other salmon roe three pounds for one pound of chum roe...ok 1 to 1 for half my king roe. Chum roe make EXCELLENT ikura/caviar!!!

My parents hate me but king roe is like gold for king salmon fishing bait. But chum is the premiere salmon roe for caviar in my opinion.


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Not sure if I prepared it wrong, but I have found chum caviar to taste a bit muddy, I used roe from a bright one too. 

I tried salmon roe at a sushi place and I hated it. It just tastes like bait. Perhaps it is much better out of a fresh fish. I couldn't get it to stay down. I ended up spitting it into my napkin. I'm a fan of flying fish eggs. They are much smaller and less juicy. I like how they pop in your teeth. How do you prepare your salmon roe for consumption? I imagine you leave out the borax 

Evidently I'm a fish snob of sorts... Lol

I tried salmon roe at a sushi place and I hated it. It just tastes like bait. Perhaps it is much better out of a fresh fish. I couldn't get it to stay down. I ended up spitting it into my napkin. I'm a fan of flying fish eggs. They are much smaller and less juicy. I like how they pop in your teeth. How do you prepare your salmon roe for consumption? I imagine you leave out the borax 

Here's how I like mine ... http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=200.msg1352#msg1352

-Allen

Evidently I'm a fish snob of sorts... Lol

You just haven't had good chum yet ....

And yes Chum Ikura is considered the best. The highest grade roe actually comes from the ugly fish but not super ugly. You want the largest eggs before they become loose.
Last season we installed a roe processing line and produced about 70k of Ikura. It is an incredibly detailed process!


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I'm fully down to try that recipe. I tried some nigiri style roe and it was awful. I am open to trying new things and I thought it only made sense that I try the eggs of my favorite fish to target. I think jello and borax would have been better than what I had. Can't wait to try this recipe when I get my first fat hen of the season.

I'm fully down to try that recipe. I tried some nigiri style roe and it was awful. I am open to trying new things and I thought it only made sense that I try the eggs of my favorite fish to target. I think jello and borax would have been better than what I had. Can't wait to try this recipe when I get my first fat hen of the season.

A couple tips.  Use a lighter soy lest you overpower the roe.  And use a lighter sake (not overly dry and not overly sweet) lest you overpower the roe.

I like the nigiri style, in fact, I just had some tonight.   You really need to appreciate the gooey goodness inside.  I can see how it's not for everyone.  With the recipe I posted, I think the sake waters down the gooeyness and adds a complexity of its own, and the soy adds the salt.  To me, it's more balanced.  I really really like it that way.  And yes, chum roe is the way to go.

-Allen

Evidently I'm a fish snob of sorts... Lol

You just haven't had good chum yet ....

And yes Chum Ikura is considered the best. The highest grade roe actually comes from the ugly fish but not super ugly. You want the largest eggs before they become loose.
Last season we installed a roe processing line and produced about 70k of Ikura. It is an incredibly detailed process!


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The egg fairy brought me 30 frozen pounds of chum eggs. Thanks egg fairy!  Some will be used to catch springers and some will turn into Ikura!  To be honest I'm more jacked about the Ikura, seems almost a shame to waste such big berries on bait.

I sort of think it wasn't prepared in any way. It didn't smell or taste fresh. It smelled exactly like thawed out roe I fished with months ago. I'm willing to give it another shot.

I sort of think it wasn't prepared in any way. It didn't smell or taste fresh. It smelled exactly like thawed out roe I fished with months ago. I'm willing to give it another shot.

They're usually just plain salted.  But if they didn't smell or taste fresh, you likely just got a bad batch.  I'm guessing they looked a little dried out and old too.  It happens in sushi joints, especially those that don't have a clientele that eats much of them.  If they come that way, I just send them back.  Same goes for uni, nothing worse than old stale uni.  I'm sure that ruins it for a lot of people trying ikura or uni for the first time.

-Allen

You just haven't had good chum yet ....

My family did kings, reds, and silvers in the heyday of Alaska fishing for eating.   Humpies and dogs were for the tourists or the kids to play with, not for eating...  Yea... Fish snob I think.  We did alot of C&R before it was cool...

You just haven't had good chum yet ....

Are there any "good" chum runs in WA.  Maybe early season salt caught fish?  Or perhaps chums from the Nasty?  Or are we talking "long run" chums like the Yukon River fish caught in the salt or the lower river?

-Allen

You just haven't had good chum yet ....

Are there any "good" chum runs in WA.  Maybe early season salt caught fish?  Or perhaps chums from the Nasty?  Or are we talking "long run" chums like the Yukon River fish caught in the salt or the lower river?

-Allen

I'm talking the northern long runs. The Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers put out some amazing fish. It is understandable that one would avoid PWS chum as they are one of the worst, very low fat content and most are terminal fisheries.
The Yukon also has the best Kings in the world! Better than Copper River. In fact I place Copper Kings as only the third best salmon in the world.

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