I have a Masterbuilt Electric smoker and did up some Rainbow trout, Coho, and Steelhead today. Overall it turned out pretty good. I smoked it at 140 degrees for about 7 hours using Hickory wood. I used a very simple dry brine that the fish sat over night in for about 10 hours before I took it out to dry. My question is this...Should I be soaking my chips or putting them in dry? I opted for the dry approach out of sheer apathy but the final product today was a very bold smokey flavor and not as sweet/smokey as I wanted. I'm guessing that maybe soaking the chips and using a bit colder of a temp may help? Also I dried the fish after the brine for about 2.5 hours before smoking. Should I dry longer? I've heard of people drying the fish out for almost a day until it is transparent before smoking.

Thank you,

Drew