Poloroids ON! FOTW is a BRIGHT one!

This one and the Skykomish Sunrise are my two favorite sea run cutthroat patterns.

Pete: Am I missing something? I don't see anything. Although I have used the Skykomish Sunrise on cutt's and yes it is great. Have you tried a Purple Joe? Also Brad's brat. Both P.N. W. patterns fromt the 70's.
However, I have probably caught more cutt's over the years on plain old Royal Coachman Bucktail. Jonezee

Jonesee, it is on the home page as the Fly of the Week. I fish in the salt waters below the head of tide. If you fish the cutts upstream that have been in the river long enough to adapt to the local eats, then the regular trout nymphs become popular. However, in the salt water, bright is better. Unless you fish very early or very late in the day, then dark patterns are easier to see than light patterns.

Ah Hah...it bit me. The Santiam river in Oregon does not enter the sea. It of course enters in the Willamette that enters into the Columbia. Reminds me of a nice steelhead I caught on the Oak Grove fork of the Clackamas one year. That baby had a long hard voyage to make it to where I caught it. I have only fished the Santiam up near the hatchery just west of the summit. Yes, it is a dandy design for steelhead. Very nice photos too.

For those who don't know, there are HUNDREDS of different Steelie and Salmon flies with tying instructions on this site. Just go to the home page then to fly tying on the left then to Ronn Lucas' salmon flies...and enjoy. I've got about 60 of just mine alone there.