Actually. I check the cheeks first to see meat color. I've caught dark chums (well, had bars, but bellies were whiter then white) that still were a nice dark pink inside. I've also caught bright chums that were tan inside. So go figure.

But here's something that most haven't tried out. Take a nice fresh chum. Fillet it out. Debone, then deskin it. Cut into small pieces. Roll in eggs/milk and then into batter. Then deep fry. They turn out delicious actually. Serve with tarter sauce. But, if you catch one that's mushy and dark bellied, best to release, i don't care how long you smoke, still gonna be YUCK. But I do smoke my fish as well. Just depends on if I'm in the mood for deep frying or not.

But if you have a chance, try deep frying. Turns out really good.