Gyotaku

Printing your catch seems universally intriguing for people. I started with a store-bought tilapia in ~2004 and have made time mosts years ever since.

For anyone interested, I would say just try it and keep trying. To start, you need is water-based ink like Speedball and printing paper from the mulberry plant (Washi).

The process looks like this:

1. Wash the protective slime from your fish and dry with paper towels paying particular attend to gill plates and fin joints where excess moisture accumulates.

2. “Paint” slightly thinned ink on the fish with a broad brush paying attention to the detail you wish to bring forward like fins, head, and tail.

3. Working from head to tail, tail to head, or top down, apply the rice paper applying very little pressure other than to making contact. Remove the print slowly to avoid tearing and hang to dry with clothes pins.

When first looking at any print, I see the flaws. Something happens in short order, usually the next day. I see an image that is unique and perfect in it own right.

Salmon, lingcod, greenling, rockfish, and flounder are worthy subjects and can be eaten—simply wash off the ink with lots of water and process as usual. I am experimenting with shrimp and eager to try forage fish such as sand lance, herring, and smelt. I am holding a large sheet of paper destined for a halibut of 15lbs to 25lbs I hope to find later this summer.

Are There Secret Fishing Places?

July salmon are fun. Eight months of waiting for a three window creates a level of excitement and sense of urgency that, at least for me, needs to be managed.

I arrived at the ramp ~10:30 to find a boat of four people with four nice chinook taking out. While fishing for greenling the week before, I discovered sand lance schooling in flowing current near a sloping point and kelp bed in 25’ to 45’ deep. After catching two greenling, I got hit hard using 3” herring baited on #2 hooks. I was taken by surprise, new what it was and stopped fishing.

For this day, I was on the water by 1:00 and returned to the spot. The first drop with an anchovy resulted in release of a wild chinook. Four drops later I paid salmon tribute to a sea lion cow that seem to enjoy my attempts at getting her to let go. I had an amazing day in a place that hides in plain sight.

By the numbers:

days fished (2), salmon hooked (6), wild fish released (1) sea lion tribute paid (2 salmon), salmon harvested (2), greenling harvested (12), herring used (48), anchovy used (36), darts used (1), boats in spot (0), boats just south of spot (70), sea lions in spot (1), campers cheering from the bluff (~6)

Trip learnings:

1. Secret places do exist—be open when they reveal themselves

2. For chinook, look beyond 90’ to 120’ and what other boats are doing—watch the bait and birds

3. You won’t win a game of tag with a sea lion

Smoked Salmon

“Did you catch this…” is a limiting question when you consider home-smoked salmon is amazing and during the sockeye season, fresh salmon is bountiful in the round for $8.00 per pound.

Good smoked salmon is about freshness, fat content, preparation, and species in that order.

A brine of 6% kosher salt and 10% brown sugar for 10 hours and tempered 2 hours lets the flavors of smoke and salmon shine through. The only mistakes you can make are ’overcooked’ or ‘too salty’. Wiping fillets before tempering helps with the latter.

Chinook and sockeye taste different and provide the consistently best results. Coho is less fatty with a meatier bite. Pink is fine if properly cared for when caught. My curiosity with chum remains low. I have smoked white king several times and feel those rare fish are best reserved for other preparations like planking, parchment, or broiling.

Green or seasoned alder produces great results. I smoke poultry with wild cherry and venison with vine maple--I would not use these for salmon though curious to try cedar.

If freshness is the most important thing, bleed your fish, remove all protective slime, and never wash the fillets.  Frozen works great if you caught and cared for it. If purchased from the market, fresh is better and a simple matter of timing. Buying whole fish provides backbones and belies for stock and bait. Spending a little time making gift salmon pretty is worth it and keeps your knife skills sharp.

Let the portions cool, brush with neutral oil (avocado), pack freeze and enjoy. Once smoked, we have refrozen vacuum-sealed salmon two or three times with no noticeable effect. 

Everything mentioned here applies to sturgeon and might be even a little better.