Agreed Sparkey.
Though I'm more of a C&R fisherman myself when it comes to river fish. (Spoiled palette I guess)
I love the richness of ocean fatty salmon. Especially the coller and belly-meat sections. When portioning these parts, I like to keep them seperate for smoking.
Lately, the majority of the muscle gets canned, or distributed as gifts (vac-packed frozen or canned in masion jars). Family in Hawaii loves that.
What Sockeye I retain from the salt (very few)is a treat, and I relish the opportunity to eat fresh sockeye.
Spring, or early returning chinook is a close second.
My old man is kind of one of those old salts, and usually turns his nose up at steel and river salmon. A few years ago, I BBQed a fillet of a Hoh R June fish, and he stll thinks that that was the best salmon he's had to this day.
Don't get me wrong, I like steel. But to me, even summers, or even ocean coho, fall short when compared to spring chinook, and especially fresh sockeye.
(Haven't kept a pink in a long time but I understand that if immediately bled, dressed, and iced, that they're pretty good. Especially smoked.)
Salty chums are good smoked.
It's all good (usually), but sockeye's first, and springers are my fav's. (Feeder ocean Kings are third)

J.D.