You probably know by now that I’m a fan of sea-run cutthroat trout, which in my opinion are one of the best fishes you can go after with a fly rod whether casting in fresh or saltwater. They are eager to take flies, fight like crazy, and can reach 25 inches long. Most range between 10 and 17 inches.
I just came back from a great trip to coastal British Columbia and was able to set up a three-weight and catch some great cutthroats on small flies. If I had the trip to do over, I might have spent less time casting for the larger coho salmon and more time in the faster water looking for a 20-plus inch sea-run cutthroat. We caught a few cutts to, say, 17 inches and I know we could have done better if we’d spent any time at it. Next time. Next time. Or maybe even this winter on Puget Sound in Washington. For the time being, I’ll get going on some flies for sea-runs so I’m ready the next time I get a chance. Here’s a video from The Caddis Fly in Oregon, showing how to tie a classic and improved sea-run fly.
I agree about sea-run cutts, and they are a beautiful fish. I used to fish for them on the North Fork Stillaguamish Aug-Oct, and my favorite fly was a Knudson’s Spider, in various body colors. A dark green body with a gold ribbing worked really well.
I never figured out the Stilli for sea-runs. I fished for them but never scored. And I fished that Knudson’s, too. Glad you got some. Neat river. Thanks for the comment.
greg
Don’t know how much you get over to that area, and it’s been a few years since I’ve fished for sea-runs on the Stilly. I had good success downstream from the I5 bridge, fishing against ledges and anywhere there’s cover for the fish. Another was maybe 4-5 miles upstream from Arlington, where the road first crosses the river. I’d fish both downstream about a mile, and also walk up the RR tracks and then to the river. Some great drifts and runs up there. The great thing about fishing the Stilly in Sept was it was possible to hook up with sea-runs, summer steelhead, silvers and even a king on the same day. I did that once.