Preston Singletary swings his fly across the tailout of a run
on Washington's North Fork Stillaguamish River
The anadromous coastal cutthroat, better known as
"sea-run cutthroat" is a predator that holds its
own with all other salmonid species during its time
in parent rivers. Through its 8 to 12 year life span
the sea-run cutthroat can grow to a respectable 20-inchs
in length and weigh three pounds, with exceptional
specimens stretching the tape to 26-inches and six
pounds; a sizable trout by any standard. Reaching
such respectable dimensions that includes surviving
the rigors of several spawning runs is testimony to
its tenacity and lust for life in view of the dangerous
environment it shares with larger, faster flesh-eaters
like lingcod, seals and sea lions during its annual
meanderings in saltwater.
When the sea-run cutthroat descends its natal stream in
the spring after spawning, or on its inaugural journey
to saltwater, it begins patrolling the nearshore, on its
own or in small schools, seeking out young-of-the-year
sand lance, herring, krill, pill bugs and small sculpins.
The cutthroat's also hangs out in the tidal estuaries of
rivers to ambush tiny juvenile pink and chum salmon that
have wriggled up through the gravel of their spawning redds
in the spring to travel downstream on their journey to the
north Pacific. This high protein diet quickly rebuilds the
strength of cutthroat that have recently spawned and puts
girth and length on the youngsters that are testing marine
waters for the first time.
Bob Young with a nice coastal cutthroat (Preston Singletary photo)
Upon acclimating to saltwater the coastal cutthroat sheds
its freshwater gold and olive colors for a coat of bright
silver with a grayish back. While in salt water most
cutthroat will only rarely cross large expanses of deep
water and seldom range more than a dozen miles from their
parent rivers. Other coastal cutthroat are far-ranging
wanderers though. Oregon State University study teams
have seined sea-run cutthroat more than forty miles off
of the Columbia River plume in the Pacific Ocean and a
hundred feet deep.
During its time in salt water the sea-run cutthroat will
hit spoons, spinners and baitfish-imitating flies or
crustaceans with the speed and intensity of an NFL strong
safety. Conversely, late in the season when it has returned
to its natal river to spawn and winter over, the same
cutthroat can sip a size 18 Blue Winged Olive from the
surface with a delicate touch more commonly attributed
to a choosy spring creek brown trout.
A box of flies and a 5 or 6-weight rod with a floating
line is all you need to catch cutthroat in fresh or saltwater
(Les Johnson photo)
In Washington, anglers enjoy fishing for coastal cutthroat
trout year-around. From late summer through Thanksgiving
good fishing is available in nearly every river that is
open to saltwater. From spring through fall fishing emphasis
changes to Puget Sound and neighboring Hood Canal both of
which have long stretches of log-strewn public beaches and
parks that provide excellent opportunities to cast over good
cutthroat water.
Coastal cutthroat being released back into the salt near
Victoria, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia (Barry Stokes photo)
British Columbia's Georgia Basin and the Queen Charlotte
Islands also provide protected bays and pristine beaches
for cutthroat. For Canadians however it is the beaches
and rivers on Vancouver Island that are most popular;
particularly fly-fishing the streams and shorelines
around Campbell River which were so eloquently chronicled
in the works of Roderick Haig-Brown.
During the spring outmigration cutthroat moving into
the estuaries and bays join other cutthroat that spend
most of their lives in salt water. Coastal cutthroat
that spend extensive periods in saltwater were once
thought to winter-over for a year or more in their
marine environment. It has since been concluded that
they are unique members of the species born in small,
creeks that produce precious little forage rather than
larger rivers that provide a good source of food. It
doesn't take long for them to develop a preference
for the rich feed in marine waters over the meager
fare of their natal streams.
At spawning time these primarily marine-dwelling
cutthroat dart into their small, brush-canopied
creeks to complete the spawning ritual during high
water periods, usually from November through February
but sometimes as late as May. After spawning, they
quickly drop back into the salt to resume foraging
almost immediately.
Preston Singletary fishing the Fortson Hole on the
North Fork Stillaguamish River. (Les Johnson photo)
This phenomenon occurs among small-stream cutthroat
of the Georgia Basin and south Vancouver Island in
British Columbia. In Washington it is prevalent in
south Puget Sound from Vashon Island to the waters
around Shelton and Olympia. Marine waters close to
the many small streams that drain these lowland areas
not only provide anglers with a year-around fishery
but are known to grow some of the largest sea-run
cutthroat that anglers encounter every season.
I began fishing with a used Wright & McGill Granger cane
rod and a Hardy Perfect reel with which I caught a lot
of cutthroat. More than five decades later I still fish
for coastal cutthroat in all of its environs only with
a fly rod. I don't use the fly rod because I necessarily
believe that it represents a higher calling. I have become
wed to the fly rod because it is, in my opinion the simplest,
most personal form of fishing next to a hand line. Furthermore,
I can use the same trout outfit to fish coastal cutthroat
in fresh water or salt and need just one box to hold all
of the flies I need for either situation.
A typical saltwater beach on Washington's Puget Sound (Bob Young photo)
The simplicity of coastal cutthroat fishing does not mean
that it doesn't serve up its share of surprises and
challenges, as it did after I had released the husky
16-incher back to its den in the stick-ups. I began
working upstream and during the next hour was able to
hook one more mature cutthroat of about 13-inches and
an eager youngster that had not yet tasted salt water.
I continued wading as quietly as possible, watching the
far side of the river when a fish boiled at least six
feet back under a canopy of alder branches.
I stopped and watched it swirl again. There was probably
no more than three feet between the branches and the water.
A third roll to the surface beneath the foliage let me know
that the cutthroat had no interest in moving out into open
water where I would have a reasonable chance to drop my fly
in front of it. I lengthened my line a few feet and
side-armed the Reverse Spider, attempting to put it well
back under the branches. Close but no cigar.
My next cast was better, slipping under the branches,
almost miraculously turning the fly over without fouling.
The cutthroat hit the fly as it touched the water and
thrashed to the surface showing a hint of its broad
olive flank. It was a massive fish and when it turned
to pull further under the cover my reel clattered and
my arced rod went almost flat. The close-quarter battle
was short and violent and never in doubt, at least for
the cutthroat. It simply raised hell under the branches,
burrowing, thrashing and twisting until the hook came away.
"Big cutthroat." I muttered quietly to myself as I stripped
the line back with a trembling hand.
The cutthroat and I had done a number on each other and
it would not be easily enticed into latching onto another
fly anytime soon. I continued upstream for a hundred yards
or so and landed one more nice cutthroat. Then I secured
my fly in the hook keeper and headed back for my truck.
Although it does not receive much attention from anglers
outside of its range which conforms remarkably close to
the boundaries of the ancient rainforests of the Pacific
Coast, the coastal cutthroat, whether resident or sea-run,
is a magnificent trout in every respect. With a few
exceptions it has survived since the last ice age with
precious little assistance from man.
Author's wife Carol Ferrera with a 17-inch coastal
cutthroat. (Les Johnson photo)
The coastal cutthroat embraces its hardscrabble life
from the moment it comes out of the gravel, when it is
pushed from the best water by larger, earlier emerged
coho salmon. Its demanding beginnings of competing with
young coho for every morsel of food continue as it grows
to maturity. The coastal cutthroat thus develops an
appetite for a wide variety of feed, which includes clamping
down on bait or steel. Its aggressive nature combined with
overly generous bag limits had the coastal cutthroat on the
ropes in the 1970s. Then sportsman's groups rallied around
the cutthroat eventually having slot and bag limits imposed
that would allow at least one year of spawning before they
could be killed. Spring closures in rivers prevented the
taking of post-spawners and younger fish making their first
migration to salt water. Sportsmen again came to the aid of
the coastal cutthroat in 1997 when they pushed through rule
changes that protect it with catch-and-release regulations
in all Washington marine waters. These measures appear to
be working. While populations are listed as depressed or
unknown in some watersheds, the coastal cutthroat population,
according to anglers who pursue them, seems to be stabilizing
and even improving in places.
Preston Singletary, his cap garnished with Reversed Spiders and
a nice coastal cutthroat (Les Johnson photo)
I don't know of another place on Earth where an angler can
fish for a relatively abundant trout that is a more sporting
adversary than the coastal cutthroat but it does get
overlooked. Fishermen from all around the world lay down
substantial sums of money for airfare, accommodations and
guides to fish the rivers and marine waters of Oregon,
Washington, Alaska and British Columbia in pursuit salmon
and steelhead; places that also hold coastal cutthroat. And,
they make these trips without ever tossing a trout rod into
their duffel. I guess that those of us who live in coastal
cutthroat country should be happy about this oversight. If
sport fishers don't know about -- and celebrate -- a great
trout though, efforts to protect it from habitat degradation
and excessive bag limits are made more difficult.
To face off with the coastal cutthroat in fresh or salt water,
any month of the year, all that is required is a good pair of
waders, warm undergarments, a serviceable rain parka and your
trout tackle. It is ready and waiting at remote, fly-in
destinations, or within an hour's drive of metropolitan cities
like Portland, Seattle, Victoria and Vancouver. For my money
you cannot ask more of any trout, anywhere. ~ Les
About Les:
Les Johnson has been a flyfisher and writer for more
than forty years. He is former VP and content editor of
Greatlodge.com, was founding editor of Flyfishing & Tying
Journal, author of Fishing the Sea-Run Cutthroat
Trout and co-author of Fly Fishing for Pacific
Salmon and Tube Flies. His all new book, Fly-Fishing
Coastal Cutthroat Trout was released in September 2004.
Flyfishing for Pacific Salmon II is scheduled for
the fall of 2006. Les lives in Redmond, Washington with his wife,
Carol. He can be reached via e-mail at
les.johnson5@verizon.net.
We're delighted to have Les as a regular contributor!
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Photo right, Author with a coastal cutthroat. The silvery
sheen indicated that it has recently returned from
the salt (Preston Singletary photo)