g-man ,how you figure? the best smoked fish i ever had was done with hickory.is all i use for my own too.guess it's a matter of personal taste.I use brown suger and pickeling salt,take fillets and rub sugar in with hand then put in salt in a plastic container just about 1 cup of salt then let brine overnight,take out and rinse lightly with cool water.place on paper towels and let set for 1-2 hours,sprinkle some garlic pepper then into the smoker.3-4 pans of whatever chips you like