The Best of Times

[wyfbane]

I took my son to see his Trombone teacher's band. It was at a fundraiser for a local high school music program. There was a silent auction where I won a fishing trip with a nice guy. We finally were able to pull the trigger on that trip today. Salmon fishing on the Columbia River is really, really nice.

^My son with the biggest Chinook. He caught it.

^His two Chinook for the day

Oh what fillets!
The guy who provided the trip had a most gorgeous 22' North River boat and it was all luxury, all the time.

 

[warren]

Nice! Below The Dalles?

 

[tuold]

Nice! You picked the perfect day for it too.

 

[jvnshr]

Wow, I'm jealous. I have to wait at least few more years so I can go fishing with my son, he is 2. But before doing that, I have to learn fishing.

 

[newbroom]

I remember the first fish I caught. I might have been 5?

Dad rigged me up and helped me get a line in the rapids of a spring thaw swollen brook, and I stood there, not knowing what I was doing, until Dad came back from his position on the banks, and checked my line.

Sure enough, I had about a 3" trout on there! Just my size!

Now, how long has it been? Years. I haven't been fishing for years. Yikes. Life has changed, a lot.

 

[mikeklumpp]

thanks for sharing - very cool

 

[wyfbane]

Warren, well below the Dalles. Not much was going on at Bonneville Dam, either. We put in at Ridgefield and ran the river along Sauvie Island. We were out from 0630-1400, hooked 7 landed 4. Stupid barbless hooks.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Lovely pictures....I really miss my fishing :crying:
I'm assuming a 'chinook' is a type of salmon?
Regards,
Jay.

 

[balkisobrains]

Pipesmagazine has been making me hungry lately!

 

[wyfbane]

Jay, yes Chinook is a type of salmon. Salmon names are confusing because there are at least two names for each species.
Kings are king. They are also known as Chinook. We got about 20lb of king/Chinook meat from the trip. I caught a silver, aka Coho. Just a bit shy of being as yummy as Chinook. Next comes Reds, or Sockeye. These are what I look to buy in the off-season because it has a great flavor to cost ratio.

Pinks/ humpbacks are better smoked imho. Atlantic/Salmo salar are all farmed, no thanks, and silverbite/chums are for the sled dogs or maybe the smoker.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Thanks Wyfbane, learn something new on here every day.
The smoked salmon I occasionally buy is farmed in either Scotland or Norway but not a clue what species it is though I do adore the stuff.
Regards,
Jay.