Quartz kind of weekend

[akjw7]

We had a good weekend at Quartz - several good char (three that went 21") but had a very hard time getting the rainbows to bite. Did hook 3 or 4 including one nice one that was probably 20" but I was fly fishing in waders and just as I was trying to grab it (forgot my fly fishing net) the fish rolled on me and out came the hook. Unintential c&r!!! 

Also got a good number of landlocked silvers, but only kept a couple of those to fill out the little cheif with the char. It turned out ok, but I think the brine had a hard time soaking into the larger fish. I probably should have brined it overnight or something...anyone with a better recipe for brining and smoking whole trout, char, etc please speak up - I'm still fine tuning this and am finding that it's quite a bit different than smoking the salmon fillets!

(try to post a pic later)

[travisj88]

What flies were working best?  Hopefully I can make it out there on Monday or Tuesday.  Did the fish hang out in the shallows or were they deeper?  I am asking this because I was wondering if it would be worth it to bring my canoe out there.  Thanks for any information you can give me.
Travis

[akjw7]

Rainbows were in the shallows - char were deep. Silvers were as normal...everywhere!

Like I said the rainbows were tough to get on the hook...tied on lots and lots of flies with no success. Nothing on dries. Hooked one on a nymph as I was wind drifting in the little boat. Hooked three or four on an olive wooly bugger, but I think that's larger than the normal flies for out there...

[DIRTBALL2]

akjw7, I'll tell you the way I make up the brine when I'm getting fish ready to be smoked. The method I've used has worked very well for me on all types of fish that tend to be quite oily. First of all, make sure you use a container that is not metallic. My recipe is very simple and the amount of salt you use will depend on the amount of fish you are preparing. Be sure that you use only Kosher or pickling salt. No salt with iodine added. To the amount of water I need to cover the fish I am preparing, add enough salt to float an uncooked egg. Immerse the fish and let brine for 24 hours. After 24 hours, remove the fish and rinse thoroughly with cold fresh water. Put the rinsed fish on paper towels or newspaper to drain and thoroughly dry the outside of the fish. Letting the fish dry first will allow the pellicle(the golden brown color)to form. Then proceed with your favorite smoking method. You can vary the flavor of the fish by doing things like adding brown sugar, onions, etc to your brine. Good luck! BTW. Many(50) years ago when I was a callow youth and a guest of Uncle Sam at Fort Greeley, I went fishing at Quartz Lake with some of my buddy's. It was completely wild back then. No road going in. Just a faint trail for us to follow. Hope my brine suggestion is of some use to you. DIRTBALL2