I enjoy both fish but prefer reds (silvers)over steelies. Awhile back we caught several Reds up in Alaska on the Russian River and the meat was an unreal red color- it melted in our mouths.
The copper river reds get alot of attention so they must be good!

With out crossing over to other species, I would have to say spring salmon. Over the barbie with alder chips for smoke. Jim Mrquis

My first choice would be,
#1 Sockeye
#2 Spring kings
#3 Coho
#4 Fall kings/Summer run steelhead
#5 Winter steelhead
I don't eat chum or pinks.
Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

Kevin the Reds your getting on the Russian I believe are Sockeye not Silvers and yes they are one of the best, but I think Sockeye caught closer to or in the salt on the Copper river are the best of all for table fare. It's the only fish I've ever bought. Spring kings are my second choice, then steelhead which I smoke all my steelhead, their my favorite to smoke.

I would definitly say salmon over steelhead. Steelies taste too much like trout which don't have very much flavor. I've had sockeye only twice. Once I bought copper river fish, and lake washington fish. Both were great. I'd say spring chinnok, then silver, then ocean kings, lastly pinks and chums.

#1 Spring chinook
#2 Sockeye
#3 Coho
#4 Summer steelhead (caught during the summer)
#5 winter steelhead
#6 Fall chinook
#7 Pinks (caught in the salt only)
Never eaten a chum

Any of the first 5, nice and bright, go well in the oven. Bright fall chinook are great, probably better than steelhead, but they color up quick, and so does their tablefare. Steelhead fare far better with color. Pinks make great fish cakes, but are pretty bland in the oven, even when caught in the salt. My 02.

[This message has been edited by obsessed (edited 01-09-2001).]

My personal favorite is a sockeye from Bristol Bay. I've been a commercial fisherman all my life and all salmon tastes good if prepared in the field and at home right. Hands down sockeye are the best followed by kings then coho then steelhead then humpies and last but not least the lowley chum who in my opinion along with blackmouth pound for pound are the best fighters. FISH ON !!!!!!!

The ones that taste the best are the monsters I worked hard to get and nobody else is hitting any.
Spring Chinook are my favorite because of the extra fat under the skin and the size of the steaks.

Love too catch both salmon and steelhead but don't really care to eat either, usually just c&r or give an occassional fish to family/friends. On the other hand, I hate fishing for halibut and lings but sure do enjoy eating them.

This is the "Hohwaiian Top twenty"

1)Spring Chinook
2)Blackmouth
3)Spring Chinook Jack
4)Sockeye
5)Spring Steelhead
6)Atlantic Salmon (Recent pen escapee.)
7)Summer Chinook Jack
8)Summer Coho
9)Summer Chinook
10)Summer Steelhead
11)Triploid Rainbow, "Farm-raised Steelhead"
12)Sea-run Cutthroat
13)Fall Coho
14)Lahontan Cutthroat
15)Summer Chum
16)Rainbow Trout
17)Winter Steelhead
18)Fall Chinook
19)Pink
20)Fall Chum

I'm kinda like AKKING- I do enjoy Salmon but love Halibut. Alot of die in the wool Steelhead fanatics have changed over to Wally Walleyes once they have tasted the wallys.

Without a doubt, Quinault blueback! We've already had one caught in the nets last week. These fish won't spawn for another 9 or 10 months and must rely on stored oils and fats.

I saw an evening news show documentary on the Copper River Sockeye and they contended that the Copper River fish aren't really any better than the other cold water sockeye. As I recall local markets/restaraunts tapped into the Copper River market some years ago when the fish were flown in quickly from the fishing grounds. Every year a big deal is made of the arrival of the Copper River Sockeye and thus created the high demand for the fish. No doubt... Sockeye's the best.

I prefer steelhead to salmon. Summer steelhead caught in May or June are best and have a lot of fat. Catch them, clean, fillet, skin, marinade or season, wrap in foil, and put them on the grill next to the river.

Hatchery steelhead are delicious. Wild Steelhead taste VERY VERY VERY bad.

Later

Paul

oooooh, forgot about the jacks. Was having a lousy day on the Salmon once a few seasons ago, so decided to keep a few of those bait stealers. Put them under the broiler for 3-5 minutes a side, like trout, and there was nothing better!

Fresh Alaskan sockeye is definetely #1 for me, but I've never tasted a Quinault blueback!

The best tasting, fat loaded fish, without any doubt, is South East troll caught Winter King!!! Honestly it is unbelievable.

Better is an entirely subjective value. The one you think is better is better. That being said, here are some guidelines. Trout, including steelhead, are usually milder than salmon. The richness in flavor is directly correlated to lipid, that is fat, content. Another fairly objective measure is flesh firmness, which is related to water temperature that the fish lived in.

The fish with the highest lipid content are the ones with the longest spawning migrations and the longest amount of time from river entry to actual spawning. This favors spring chinook from the upper Columbia and Snake Rivers and the early Stuart run of Fraser River sockeye.

Cold water favors the Copper River and other Cook Inlet area sockeyes (reds) and kings. The length of migration and time until spawning of these fish is relatively modest, but I find them to be absolutely prime table fare.

Beyond that, there are other variables that affect fish flavor and texture, like how fresh (we are talking fresh fish only here, of course!), how the fish has been handled since being caught, and how well it is prepared.

With that in mind, I rate spring and summer kings tops, sockeye second. After that, comes everything else, in no particular order for me. Although I rate silvers and steelhead above pinks. And chums, bright ones that is, smoke well, and they were OK the one time I had them barbequed. And for what it's worth, I'd rate farmed Atlantic salmon just below steelhead and resident rainbow trout. And I dearly miss the extremely delicate flavor and flaky texture of harvest trout. Alas, I release them all anymore.

And just to remind you how completely objective my evaluation is, I should mention that I make absolutely, to die for, the best barbequed salmon in the world. It must be; no one has ever indicated they've had better.

Oh, and I agree with a couple of the others that halibut and ling cod are mighty fine fare as well. And an interesting thing about halibut is that it freezes better than any other frozen fish I've had.

On that note, only four months until the first Copper River fish arrive!

Sincerely, with a little t.i.c.,

Salmo g.

You pose a very interesting question, I find it hard to answer cause I like both...salmon I think.
Is there a better part of the fish that is better for eating? I know a guy that likes the belly of the fish??? More oils???
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King Salmon belly strips from troll caught winter kings, 18 to 25 pound class are the perfect thickness. Bonked in the water to prevent bruising, bleed by cutting at least three gill arches and let drain for at least thirty minutes before dressing. Let the fish go through rigor and keep it at a maximum of 34 degrees don't eat sooner than 24 hours or older than 6 days.
I really enjoy all the fish that are fit to eat but this is the one.

I prefer a December caught Chum when the tiger stripes are very prominent and the teeth are an inch long. You know he'll be tasty when you can easily push your finger through his side and clear through the patte meat he's a packin'. Mmmmmmm, gives me the runs just thinking about it.

Hey Steve J-
That is Funny!! You the Man with the good humor!

I like Tuna. Tuna good.

If it smells like fish eat all you wish if smells like cologne leaveit alone!!!!!

Lake Washington Sockeye.... too bad we can catch then very often.