Pink Salmon

[scott craven]

With the huge Pink salmon run this year there's lot's of talk about targeting them.
The few times we've done that was when we had kids on board that wanted
some quick action.
Other than that, i don't like dealing with the blood and slime.
I've smoked some, which turned out ok.

So, what do you do with your pinks ?

 

[Jencourt]

I like em for the smoker!

 

[spring fever]

Release them or eat it fresh on board.

 

[wolf]

AWSOME Smoked love em the problem with most fisherman is they are too fussy we are so blessed with what we have here on the coast, GREAT fishing enjoy them they are great for smoking and fresh on the BBQ that day with a brownsugar maple syrup glaze. or save em and feeze them up vaccumed sealed and give them to your praire friends they think you are the best....
LOL
Wolf

 

[Striper Sniper]

Hali bait................

SS

 

[Dave S]

I just picked up a smoker last month for these pinks. Mmmmm. Also good fresh on BBQ with some brown sugar and BBQ sauce. It blows my mind that so many fisherman hate em. Enjoy the action and go get some.

 

[Dave S]

Also haven't found these fish to be slimy at all. Nice clean feisty salmon.

 

[trendsetter]

I like to BBQ a fresh pink if it's caught that day. The rest are smoked or canned or made into salmon chowder.

I also give some away and feed some to my dog. I don't mind the pinks at all.

 

[greenhornet]

I just came back from Bamfield and we caught a pink I told my buddy that there only good for fertilizer so we kept it and he cooked it on the barbie and it was amazing so im sold on fresh on the barbeque... just my 2cents

Tight lines
Billydoo

 

[Englishman]

Smoking is the way to do it. There is an infinite variety of tastes you can come up with if you experiment with the brining process (adding garlic of other flavours...or none at all!) and the wood chips (alder, apple, maple etc.) plus the length of the smoke to vary the moisture content. Hours of fun and great eating!!

 

[Time]

Take care of the fish after catching, bleed and keep cool, don't let it sit is a pool of bloody water or slurry, and prepare like any other salmon. BBQ, smoke, freeze etc.
Not as strong a flavour as other salmon maybe, but texture is fine if handled properly.
Just got to be a bit more caring than if handling springs or coho.
I think pinks got their bad reputation from the seine caught fish that aren't always handled as well as might be desired for a fish if it is to be sold as a fresh product.

 

[TenMile]

In the past, I've not had much luck targeting them off the Victoria waterfront, however, this year I headed out twice to Border Bank and we've had great success. First day, hooked into about a dozen or so with 5 landed. Last Friday very similar results. Seems like there are lots around...

Both days however it was sloppy and hell out there and we got quite the ride!!!

 

[Peahead]

Especially fun if you can find large schools and cast into the school using light spinning gear - retrieve s-l-o-w and can be awesome action . With no barb you lose tons but lots of fun. If you decide to keep any then eat fresh ( bleed and on ice right away) or freeze only for smoking later. They hot smoke up very well with my brine recipe but if you freeze em you gotta smoke em as they just don't do well after freezing unless smoked

 

[Bassblaster]

Had my first pinks last year. Fresh that day done in the oven with a dill and lemon cream sauce. Awesome. This year I plan on BBQ, Smoker, and going to try some other "Fresh the same day" experiments. Nice thing about pinks, if it tastes like hell you just chalk it up to experience, drop it in the bag marked "crab bait", and go catch a bunch more. For a newbie to smoking salmon that's worth it for me. I'd way rather make a mess on a pink than ruin a nice slab of chinook.

 

[Cuba Libre]

There is no such thing as a "bad" wild pacific salmon. They are all good. You just have to respect the characteristics of the fish and cook accordingly...

 

[Falcon]

Did a bunch in my smoker last week, turned out excellent!!!

 

[muttley]

I too threw back almost every pink I have ever caught. A couple of weeks ago a guy I was fishing with wanted some for smoking so I kept a couple as well. They turned out great and I will never talk bad of them again...!

 

[MILLERTIME]

There is no such thing as a "bad" wild pacific salmon. They are all good. You just have to respect the characteristics of the fish and cook accordingly...

X2
They are great smokers and great on the barbie and they put up a hell of a fight for their size. Great fish all around especially for the kids.

 

[scott craven]

Hali bait................

SS

yep,. the heads work good on a circle hook !

 

[Englishman]

I totally agree with Smiley66 and Millertime. The whole idea of allocating salmon into some sort of class system, with only certain "aristocrats" worthy of keeping and the rest treated like dirt like some weird old time English social system, is absurd.