Parker -
Sounds awesome; I may have to try that sauce this summer!

Thanks to an unsual set of circumstances and a generous friend I was able to make a direct comparison between a Columbia springer (chrome with sea-lice) and a Skagit spring (caught in the salt) when both fish are their absolute fresh peak.

I passed chunks to the fresh Skagit fish to two neighbors and both raved about it being the best salmon they ever had. I didn't have the heart to tell them I kept the better fish for myself (and yes fresh the Columbia fish was clearly superior).

However the story here is that I took the opportunity to smoke generous amounts of both springs - yes I know given the table quality of those springs it is a travesty to smoke them but I want to make the comparison.

Now I think I do a good job with my smoke fish and consider my May/June kokanee to be the gold standard of smoke fish. I shared the results of my littel test with 3 fellow fish snobs. We all agreed that the smoked Skagit spring was very good though it was a notch below the kokanee. They all agreed that the Columbia fish was superior to the gold standard kokanee.

Just once again confirming if you want good smoked fish start with the best fish you can get your hands on. The smoked Columbia fish was so good that if I should ever find myself with an extra fillet it will go into the smoker rather than into the freezer fresh.

Tight lines
Curt