Salmon was smoked and dried by the Gitksan in a wilpsihon or smokehouse. Each clan, or phratry, had its own territorial fishing spot along the river. As fish were removed from the net, they were strung by the gills on a strong piece of rope, k'okhl, and left in the stream overnight before 'dressing.' This was to prevent the smoked fish from turning brittle when dry.

This is a 'ha'niigohl, a high bench on which salmon are cut up or dressed. Another method of cleaning fish is to do it right on the riverside, piling up a bed of leaves at the edge of the water, on which to place the fish that is being cleaned.

In cutting open a fish, the head is first cut off, starting at the back of the neck. The belly is slit down the middle. The insides or entrails are removed and placed in a pail. If the fish are cleaned at the riverside the entrails are dropped into the river as they are removed.

After the entrails are removed, the thin line of jelly-like blood along the backbone is scraped out with a knife. Fish eggs, or salmon roe, can be separated from the entrails. They are used, fresh or dried in soups and a variety of other dishes. They are also used for bait in ice-fishing. One side of the backbone is cut leaving about one centimetre of flesh and skin to hold the left and right sides together.

The tail fin is cracked at the base but is not severed. All the parts of the salmon that are not used are returned to the river in pails that are kept alongside the 'ha'niigohl. Tubs of water are used to wash the dressed salmon. When salmon are cleaned by the riverside, small pools in which they are washed are made along the rocks at the river's edge. The poles or 'wit are cleaned before hanging the salmon. The 'wit stretch from one side of the smokehouse to the other, just above head height. Salmon are hung on the 'wit flesh down. These are smoked gently for one night. There should be very little heat and not too much smoke. Dried cottonwood is probably the best fuel. All flames should be smothered. The next day the partly smoked fish are ready to ts'al, to thin.

These are sawhorse-like apparatuses, called 'ha'nii ts'al, on which salmon are sliced thin. The salmon are placed flesh side up. Traces of ashes from the smoke are scraped off. The tail is thinned by slicing it in two, leaving the fin to hold the two pieces together. The salmon bellies, or ts'ok' are sliced off. These stripes may be about two centimetres in width. The ts'ok' is then removed. It is cut up the middle almost to the end. It too is smoked.

The thinning of the fish is crucial to the overall smoking and drying of the fish. This is like opening up a coat, then taking half of the lining from the back at the centre and opening it out. The two parts are held together by the skin, which is not cut through. Both sides are done in this way. More flesh is sliced off and these fish strips are called k'ay yuxws or huxws. Both sides will yield some huxws. The huxws are smoked and dried a few days longer than the ts'al. These strips may be about two to three centimetres wide.

To prevent the salmon from curling up and wrinkling and cracking during drying, the flesh is cut carefully in straight lines from front to back, so as not to pierce the skin. The salmon is now ready for drying.

The salmon are placed flesh up on the 'wit or poles. Some wilpsihon will have about a hundred fish smoking at once. The huxws are draped over poles, along the wall. The ts'ok' are skewered with thin cedar sticks and smoked. After a day or so, the 'ts'ok' are taken down and soaked in salt water overnight. They are then smoked a few days longer, not too long or they will lose the flavour and oiliness. The cedar sticks are smoothed to shape with a knife. They are saved and used year after year. Fish eggs may be dried also. Salmon heads, minus the gills, are also dried. First they are smoked with the flesh down.

After a few days, the salmon are turned flesh side up. Two days after thinning the ts'al, the salmon are ready. The half-smoked salmon are removed, ready for cooking, or they can be stored frozen. They are called ts'al. The rest of the fish may be left to smoke and dry. Dried salmon are strung with cedar bark strips and hung from the ceiling of the wilpsihon above the poles. The salmon should hang there for another two weeks. The salmon are then removed and stored in a root cellar or a cool dry place. When the summer's work is done, the smokehouse stands empty until the next year's catch.