Fishing Forum

So this fall I would like to get into some chums over by puget sound, has anybody had any experience with that? Any advice will be much appreciated.
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I lived in the Olympia area for awhile and the chum runs can be crazy. I've even seen chums running up ditches on the side of the highway that dump into creeks. i've done the best just using bright green yarn and green corkie. It can be fun if you are there at the right time. As far as eating them goes i've heard they are horrible. I have tried it smoked and didn't think it was that bad. Do you know where abouts you would like to go? I know of a couple of places along highway 101 about 10-15 miles west of I-5. There are several creeks that dump into the inlets of the sound. There are also good runs just North of Dupont on I-5 but i've never fished them.
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Lol! maybe I should just pull over and start checking the ditches! I'm not worried about how good or bad they taste, ironically enough I really hate eating fish, and salmon is the worst!
But I've heard they fight pretty good, and I've never caught one. As far as where i want to go, I really don't care as long as there are fish there.
Were you sight fishing for them?
Thanks for the tips!
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[img]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/BRYANJ%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-3.png[/img]I looked some more on the internet, and now I see what you mean! That's pretty wild!
[inline "chum on road.png"]
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If I remember correctly, chums run in about Nov and Dec. You might try and contact or lookup some guides on places like the Skagit River or anywhere on the Peninsula. Even if you don't go with a guide they should be able to tell you some information that is more specific to the area. Washington's fish and game dept should also have information, and they are very helpful. At least they used to be when I lived there!

Be prepared for very wet and cold weather. The eastern side of the Peninsula is usually a bit drier.
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Here is a link to buddy of mine that guides on the peninsula:
[url "http://www.dreamdrifteradventures.com/index.htm"][/url]http://www.dreamdrifteradventures.com/index.htm[/url]

Any of you guys that fish for slime rockets should look him up too. It's a blast to fish with him. Tell him I sent you so I get some points for a free trip!!
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They are sold commercially as keta salmon. Guess 'chum' isn't a marketable name. [:p]

You can find recipes online for them under that name. I've never eaten one, but as mentioned earlier in the thread, I've heard they're good smoked. I'd imagine that the quality of the meat would drop off quickly in fresh water, though.
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Chums are a blast, I have fished for them in the skagit and stillaguamish plenty of times and if smoked right they taste great. Runs usually start mid october and can run into mid december but they start get soft by then. Which part of washington you headed to?
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yes i have alot of experiance on this... if you would like to catch them in the river, and are near the sound, head east to the town of Goldbar and Startup.... fish the wallace river, they are so thick in that little creek you could walk from shore to shore and not get your feet wet. beware, you will also be combat fishing. i would suggest if you stick to the sound, stay south towards tacoma, or near Shipwreck/Mucklteal (sp) up north. attached is a pic of me when i had a full head of hair and was so good looking, even the dudes are jealous.... notice the amount of people behinde me... this is the Snoqualimie river and the wallace river dumps into it. i am aprox. 150 yards east of the confluence of both rivers in this picture. i fly fished for them, and they fought like a tank! this day my dad hooked into a late run king and it took him to the confluence pool and fought like he had hooked a grey hound bus!
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Theres several rivers where you can actually catch chrome yes I said it chrome chums. PM me and I'll give you the scoop as I dont want to post the names of these rivers on the internet.
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and the above posters are correct, they taste like a pair of gym underware cooked, but smoked right they are amazing!
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oh trust me, i know that also. im just saying what was close to me when i was up there.
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I've eaten chums before, but not gym underware. They taste the same? How did you cook the underware? Smoked? [laugh][sly]
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Sorry to say I do not know anything about the area you plan to fish. I have however fished chums, dogs, keta, alligators, whatever you want to call them in Alaska.[sly] We had good luck trolling chartreuse squid skirts. I imagine a needlefish bucktail would work as well. Just my two cents. Hope that you have an awesome trip!
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