seen this on another board and have always wondered my self, just what makes a white king, are they springers, cause minter creek gets some I think. is it what they eat or just some native breed on certain rivers? any body that knows throw it on the table for me, Ben

The fish guy at Larrys market told me that white kings are kings that feed on mostly herring their whole ocean life. He also said that these fish come from certain rivers in Alaska and do not change their eating habits generation after generation. Don't know if what he said was bull or not but I know it was good looking Salmon and expensive.

I've heard their primary diet is squid, and this makes them white, just here-say though, don't know for sure.

Are White Kings just Tule's-cause they are always real pale too?

There's a definite run of white kings that go up the Frazier River in BC. They tend to go up in late September/early October whereas the pinks (as they're called) go up in late October through December. I don't know if the Frazier is the destination of all white kings. I've caught a few in Puget Sound but I don't know of defined runs of white kings in Washington rivers. Has anyone ever caught a coho with white meat?

Actually Jacob, the "Red springs" travel up the Fraser June/July/August. The "Whites" are the fall fish, and are of Harrison river origin. They are planted heavily in the Vedder river, and are the fish that most Canadians despise because of the color of their flesh. I've never presonally eaten one, but from what I've heard they are on par with the Tules of the Columbia. They do get pretty big though, are very numerous in early October, and are fun to C&R.

A buddy of mine caught a 7lb. Blackmouth recently that had pale white meat. Apparently from somewhere around Elliot Bay. This was an immature or "feeder" king so I don't think it was of a particular B.C. strain, but a resident that was feeding on ????????? I caught a larger blackmouth years ago at Possession that had pale white meat too. Some people rave over the white kings but I don't like them nearly as much as a red-meated ocean fresh beatuy! Mmmmmm....now I have to get out and get some springers because I started thinking about good-eating kings

I caught a White King out of Sooke last year. It was the best eating Salmon I have had. It is prized in Restraunts and by chefs because of this. There was a time in the early part of the century when they were despised because of the color (heck, how weird a white salmon ooooh yuck!)but most people now recognize and appreciate them. I have heard that the white flesh is a genetic trait .. cannot remember the details.

We picked up a area 10 blackmouth yeaterday that sure has light flesh. Will know if it is "white" or just "pale pink" when it is cooked up tonight. Just wondering if anyone else has run into "whites" in the sound.

-rbf

Rock n Row... I wonder if the "white kings" down here are just "pale pinks" because of what they feed on or something. At least not the same as the Canadian fish. That Canadian white King I had last year was the best tasting fish I have ever had. I will know if my little "white" blackmouth is anything like that or not when I eat dinner tonight.

-rbf

I have caught these white kings all the way from the Tillamook system in Oregon all the way into SE Alaska and Northern British Columbia and the Yacoon on the Charlottes and have never had any problem with the flavor. To each their own.

We used to get white kings in SE also, for some reason they seemed to allways be pigs. I thought they were less "fishy" tasting then red meat salmon. While I was there I also saw one or two white coho, they are extremely rare, like one in 100,000. The guys up there told me it was an albino thing.

The difference in flesh color is not due to diet, but is genetic. The fish lack the ability to store beta kerotene in their flesh, thus the lack of the orange/pink color. Now fish with marbled flesh is a different story. I don't know of anyone that has info on those nasty things.

I fished the winter and spring kings in se alaska
Most of all are larger kings 40lbs and bigger were white kings most were chrome bright. When we took them to market we got 5cents less a pound. most people think white meat is a lower grade meat there for the market reflects that. But those of us that have eaten white kings know that they are a by far more better tasting piece of fish. And yes there are true white kings on the columbia river system, last fall I caught 43lb buck at the CR bouy meat was firm and white flesh also fish was very chrome bright lots of fat on belly and sides.I wish they were all white but Ill take I can get.

Used to see alot of them around Tacoma when I was a kid

I also have caught a lot of white kings, in south sound when I was younger and more recently out in the straits. Most of these fish were pigs and fought like hell I always understood it was diet - they eat baitfish exclusively rather than crab spawn, which is what gives the coho their brilliant red color. I don't like white kings myself - they taste metallic to me

Now the Colunbia springer - that is a good eatin' fish - melts in your mouth like butter

Once you get over the fact your eating a white king instead of that nice red meat their actually quite good. I've caught a number of them on the Fraser, late run during August and September, and they taste great! Funny thing is the Canadian's think there crap and will actually look to see if there red or white before they consider killing them. They look behind the gile plate to see if the skin fold is red or white. Some of the red up their in June and July are so rich if you eat too much you actually feel sick after you eat them. It's like eating too much dessert!

We've gone to the Vedder for white kings for several years and always look forward to getting up there.
Those whites are very big fish! and you need pretty stout gear to handle them. One of my sons got a 40lb white last time he was there.
I don't know if it was just that fish or what, but it really didn't taste all that great to me, it seemed to be less moist. Then again the only regular kings I've eaten before were from the salt, not fresh water.
They are great to C&R though!
I did get one on a fly once, cleaned my reel to the spool in about 10 seconds!
I will be on the Vedder every year, the fishing is fast and furious, when the kings, chum, pinks and silvers all all in there at the same time.

The stellhead'n is pretty good there right now, went three for three, weekend before last, biggest was around 12lbs.

Most salmon flesh, especially fall chinook, will lose their bright red/orange color due to the fact all those nutriets and fats and such that gave the flesh that color have in fact been used up or transfered to sex cell production.

White kings that you catch in spring/early summer are white due to genetic trait mentioned above.

Shrimp, kill, etc is usually the source for the coloring found in salmon. Ever notice that sockeye are bright red??...they have a diet that consists almost soley on krill and shrimp and such. This genetic trait does not allow the protien in shrimp to be processed into pigment into the flesh.

There are certain runs like those on the Fraser that are genetically white kings and are highly prized for their flesh because many believe it to be fattier then your standard chinook.

I caught a 36lb white king in Barkley Sound a couple of years ago, I loved the flavor. It was similar to most kings, but a bit milder and sweeter.

I'm facinated that alot of people are saying that the whites they have caught were hogs. Could it be that the same genetics that make them white also make them hold over in the streams an extra year?

A hatchery guy once explained to me that for fall Chinook, normally the parents spawn in the fall, then the smolts come out in the spring and work their way downriver. Some smolts, especially the really small ones (hatchery guys call them dinks) actually stay in the river for another season, eating and developing there, then go to sea. When those holdovers return to the river three or four years later, they are almost always hogs... interesting.

-N.

Dear Ramstrong, The question of white kings verses red meated kings (ocean fish)has been an issue amongst the commmercial boyz (due to price differences paid on the dock), recreational fishers(w ?'s re:the origin of the fish) and fish biologist(diet, i.e. beta-keratene from krill verses bait fish verses genetics)for decades! You have provided insight on this issue that I would appreciate some written documentation on. In the past, I knew of selected runs from California to SE Alaska that exhibited the "atypical" white meat, again, I'm talking ocean fish here and not returning in-river chinook. The Fall component of some Frasier River fish is well known. Again, I would appreciate any written documentation to support your posted script.

On a different note, let me simply say how impressed I am w/the knowledge and insight people bring to the Piscatorial Pursuits Forum.

Say Spawnout, I remember that white king you caught off the Sekui River in 1975. That was some of the best damn smoked king I've ever had!