i knew that catfish was gunna ruine ya for all others... lol.. oily fish with more fat really shine on a smoker... we make a thing here called Squa Candy.. it is smoked salmon bellies.. most people throw the salmon bellies out when they fillet salmon, but the collars and belly mest have the most fat and are just to die for!!!!
try this next time... 4 parts Brown Sugar, to 1 part KOSHER salt.. yes you gotta go to the store.. get some good salt, and cut the fish into strips after you filet them..strips no wider then 1inch.. throw them into a glass dish and dump the mixture in with NO WATER added.. its a dry brine that makes its own juice.. make sure everything is coated real well and mix it around good... then throw in 2cups of Captain Morgan rum. DONT drink the rum, its for the fish,,. mix again, and put in the fridge for a good 24 hrs..stir it a few times.. making sure to mix it good.. when your ready to take it out, Dont dump out the brine.. take the fish out of the brine carefully and throw into the sink.. put the brine back in the fridge for the next batch of fish.. just keep adding to it. the fish in the sink need to be really washed off well, patted of to dry, once dry, then smoke with hickory..
trust me on this one trip... i have won ribbons here in the home of smoked salmon with this method.. folks around alaska are very serious about smoked fish... they smoke salmon, whitefish, herring, burbot, halibut, you name it they smoke it here... keep the ratio like I told ya.. you can mess around with it after you try it this way.. you will not be sorry. no substitutions first go round.. your just gunna have to trust me. i wont steer you wrong.
Marko