Chas Wade wrote:

Darin Minor wrote:

Chums will actually start to darken up faster than pinks, they'll
start in the
salt water. As far as I'm concerned, the smoker isn't even good enough
for
chums. There is a reason they call 'em dog salmon.

Well, one side of me wants to leave this comment alone so there will be
more chums for me, but the other side just couldn't leave it at that.
I caught several bright chums last year on the Sky above Monroe. They
were tasty grilled, no need to smoke them.

As a biological note, the salt/fresh thing isn't involved in the timing
of the fish turning color. They turn in anticipation of spawning, at a
standard interval before the actual spawning starts. If they are
Hoodsport fish, they often change completely in the salt. If they are
Skagit, Sky, or Stilly fish, they change as much as a week or two after
heading up the river. Particularly in the case of chums, the color
alone doesn't tell you they aren't fresh any more. Alaskan fish that
spawn in small creeks that dump straight into the salt often only spend
the last few days of their lives in the fresh water.

I do wonder when the Yukon river kings change color. They have over
2000 miles of fresh water to navigate.

Chas
http://home.comcast.net/~chas.wade/w...ome.html-.html

I just wrote what I'd read at one time, not actual personal experience.
Thanks for clarifying for me.
Just because they'll darken early doesn't mean I won't fish for 'em, I've
heard that they'll take some line.

Darin