White King / Chinook

T

tsturm

Active member
Here is a 21# White King I picked up fishing out of Homer Alaska 3-29-08. I believe this genetic strain originates in a tributary to the Fraiser River system in BC!! Thanks British Columbia :wink: They taste nothing like a regular King, more like Rock-fish!! :mrgreen: :beer

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I catch a lot of them in Seward too. They are extremely good eating. I remember, years ago, the first one I caught when I filleted it I thought there was something seriously wrong with it. Turns out, it was the best salmon I ever had....I have caught several since, I can't wait to catch another this year. I bet April I caught a couple (did I just jinx myself?).
 
There's some white kings that we catch in the Puget Sound too. Also, I've caught some at Neah Bay that are "marbled" e.g. a mixture of red and white flesh. Those look really weird but taste just fine.
 
rogerbum":14aspa7q said:
There's some white kings that we catch in the Puget Sound too. Also, I've caught some at Neah Bay that are "marbled" e.g. a mixture of red and white flesh. Those look really weird but taste just fine.
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Now that, I have never caught. I am intrigued.
 
We catch several every summer off the west coast Vancouver Island. A few years ago I asked one of the Canadian fish biologists about them. He advised the Fraser has the largest run but they occur naturally on many other river systems. During our trips we eat a lot of salmon and I have a lot of guests during our stay. I have tried blind tasting of the whites side by side with other kings and no one could consistently tell the difference. I don't think there is any difference in taste, fat content, etc.
 
CAVU":25gd9vul said:
We catch several every summer off the west coast Vancouver Island. A few years ago I asked one of the Canadian fish biologists about them. He advised the Fraser has the largest run but they occur naturally on many other river systems. During our trips we eat a lot of salmon and I have a lot of guests during our stay. I have tried blind tasting of the whites side by side with other kings and no one could consistently tell the difference. I don't think there is any difference in taste, fat content, etc.
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You have been drinking too much of that Spokane aquifer water,
(ruined your sense of taste?) :lol: After 11yrs in Alaska my tastes have finally been restored :lol:
Have a good one :mrgreen: :beer
 
I asked one of my friends in DFW about the white kings.... Here are his comments.

I'm a little fuzzy on the details, but believe white fleshed Chinook salmon
lack a gene to metabolize the carotenoids found in zooplankton. Somewhat
equivalent to a portion of the human population being color blind. Hard to
imagine that a pigment would have any real difference on taste or texture
on the dinner plate, but some claim they taste better. This genetic trait
is also not specific to any one specific stock as far as I know, just rare.
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From the Salmon Nation website..... It appears that there are many different opinions on this fish.

Actually, a tule is a Chinook salmon that returns to Northwest rivers in the autumn. Its flesh has a pale color, so it is typically considered a low-end fish that sells at a cheap price. But now, under a collaborative project among Ecotrust,
the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC), and the
Food Innovation Center (FIC ), the tule may soon enjoy a newfound
status. “We really do feel we are the best stewards for this land.”
Allen Foreman,
Chairman of the Klamath Tribes
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Wandering Sagebrush":ndp2stth said:
From the Salmon Nation website..... It appears that there are many different opinions on this fish.

Actually, a tule is a Chinook salmon that returns to Northwest rivers in the autumn. Its flesh has a pale color, so it is typically considered a low-end fish that sells at a cheap price. But now, under a collaborative project among Ecotrust,
the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC), and the
Food Innovation Center (FIC ), the tule may soon enjoy a newfound
status. “We really do feel we are the best stewards for this land.”
Allen Foreman,
Chairman of the Klamath Tribes
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& another http://www.wildlifenews.alaska.gov/inde ... les_id=244
 
Over the last 20 plus years, I have caught these fish on the beach N of Anchor Point on occassion but usually when trolling deeper water. My understanding from AFF&G is that there are no known spawing population of white kings in Alaska. For eating, I prefer a big red-fleshed male (as spawning run males seem to have higher fat reserves than the females).
 
I caught one last year in the Columbia. I prepared it exactly how I prepare other salmon. It was not as good, flesh was a little softer though it was apparently as "fresh" as the others are from the ocean. But remember, there is also variety of flavor between fish of the same run. C.W.
 
FYI: We used to catch quite a few white kings in Petersburg and Wrangel a few years ago (hmm, guess its been about 20 years!!). About 1 out of 8 would be a white. Pretty high numbers! Most of these fish were Stikine River fish. I did notice that the whites seemed to smoke up better than the reds but both were pretty darn good! Hope to try some king fishing this summer in PWS so maybe I'll get lucky and drag in a white! I know it isn't hot around the Valdez area but we plan on "exploring"!!

Anyone catching whites this summer should post here. It would be interesting to see what the numbers will be??

C-yalater

Don
 
Kena B":6cusomvh said:
FYI: We used to catch quite a few white kings in Petersburg and Wrangel a few years ago (hmm, guess its been about 20 years!!). About 1 out of 8 would be a white. Pretty high numbers! Most of these fish were Stikine River fish. I did notice that the whites seemed to smoke up better than the reds but both were pretty darn good! Hope to try some king fishing this summer in PWS so maybe I'll get lucky and drag in a white! I know it isn't hot around the Valdez area but we plan on "exploring"!!

Anyone catching whites this summer should post here. It would be interesting to see what the numbers will be??

C-yalater

Don
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Don, PM or email me when you are heading to PWS I have a couple of good king areas there that have produced Whites :wink:

Tim
 
I have caught white kings along the Homer spit, up along the bluffs and in the Happy Valley area.
They do not give one confidence that they are as good to eat as a normal king but if you put the appearance aside they actually are better tasting.

I am heading home from Az. next week and will get the HIGH TIDE out as soon as I get there.

Hopefully the salmon problem off Calif./Oregon will not continue up to Alaska.

Good fishing to all this season......... :D
 
Catch one or 2 every year in SouthEast Alaska, Any one around here will probably say the same thing, they are better eating than the reds. They are slightly milder tasting, but higher in fat. Excellent on the barbacue or broiled. They are the best of the best. I have also smoked, but I personally prefer the Reds for that. your probably can't go wrong with either one. I have noticed from my experience the white Kings fight harder when hooked. Another bonus.
 
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