What are the best ways to get chum in the salt around everette and edmonds area. I have only gotten one in the salt which was by mistake. I usually get them in the rivers but thought it would be fun to take the little sister out on the salt. thanks in advance!

We have been doing pretty good getting chum while fishing for coho 40 to 80 feet.2-9lb last thursday 2-7,1-9lb yesterday.

Tom Nelson touoched on this last night at the Sno-King PSA meeting.

Pink, Purple and Black small hootchies on big hooks, preferable with swivel. Upper 30 ft of water column, fish where you see fish jumping, troll slow, hang on for big hook ups.

Flasher or no flasher?

Flasher, but troll slow enough that it sways side-to-side, rather than rolling.

great info, thanks.

Do most of you keep the chums that you catch in salt or release them? I've heard some say that they're good smoked and others say that they're 'scrap fish' not worth eating.

Thanks,

Aaron

Chums are good eating. I keep all of them I catch in the salt. They tend to be a bit more bland than other salmon, but if you put them on a cedar plank, you'll never know the difference.

They're also good smoked.

Hooray , someone that doesn't listen to the mass hysteria about chum. Yes they are good, even in the river, even with a little color. And i don't mean the smoker. But don't tell anyone else or these big strong runs will take a beating like the rest of our runs.

"mass hysteria"??? No. "Chumps" are just crap, and yes I've eaten them before. Smoked and otherwise.

You guy's can have at 'er. I'll be eating chrome bright Coho instead. More "Chumps" for you I guess.

I'm no fish snob - but I won't eat anther chum again if I don't have to Same for pink salmon. In a pinch, I may consider taking one home to cook up fresh on the BBQ - if it was caught in the salt, chrome bright, bled quickly, and put immediately on ice.

A few notes - river chum\pinks are very hit and miss. About 50% or more I've tried end up being too mushy. Especially if you try to freeze them and thaw them out.

My advice if you are planning on keeping any:
Bring a cooler filled with ice before heading out
Bleed the fish right after you land it and put it on the ice ASAP. Eat the same day if you can unless you plan to smoke it.

Besides the hoochies, try the smallest fresh herring you can find and troll slowly - very slowly.

If you find a school of fish jumping near the surface, a float and herring setup can be killer. Float\Jigs and jigs tipped with prawn meat can be effective in this situation as well.

If I ever fish places like hoodsport, I much prefer to use the float\jig\bait method as opposed to the standard drift fishing with green yarn\corkies you'll find there. If the fish are biting, you'll have fast action. If they aren't, you may get frustrated -but at least you won't be snagging fish in the belly all day like the other guys around you...