SEA-Rtla{ by Les,Jobnson L Illusffationsby Dan Berglund

SEA-RTlA{ By Les,Jobnson L Illusffationsby Dan Berglund

FrankAmato Publications P.O. Box 02L12Portland, Oregon 97202 Conten One: Life History of the Sea-RunCutthroat.

Two: Fishingthe Salt Chuck.

Three: Estuariesand Tide Flats 33

Four: Fresh-WaterSpinning 46

Five: The Fly in FreshWater. 53

Six: Fly Patternsfor Sea-RunCutthroat . Inuoduction

.? I t is difficult for me to undentand how a trout homing along the best twe'thou- I sandmiles of the splendidPacific drainage, blessed with strong,sometimes spec- tacular fighting qualities, canbe regardedwith relativeindifference by the angling majority. Evenconsidering the rather dramatic surgeof interest this small but spirited salmonidhas received during the past five or six years,it hasonly recently beenele- vated abovethe station of incidentalgamefish. Nowhereelse in the world would a trout - a true seatrout no less- quick to grab a lure and an aggressiveriser to the dry fly be delegatedto such subordinatestature. This is, unfortunately, the plight of the fiesty and beautiful sea-runcutthroat of the Pacific Coastof North Amorica. The most probableand unforgiveablereason for this blase'attitude toward a wild trout averagingone to three poundsis that there are too many larger,more glamor- ous fish to go after for the sameexpenditure of effort. There are five salmonspecies of tremendousimportance to the PacificCoast sport fishery. The hallowedsteelhead is availableyear-round thanks to extensivepropagation programs in Washington, Oregonand California. Sincethese bruisers can be pursuedreadily at pricesridicu- lously low comparedto anadromousgamefish in other partsof the world, WestCoast Waltoniteshave become a ratherindulged and single-mindedgroup. Angling indoctrination for many of us, from the time we are fledglings,leans toward the big fish. My own neophytefishing adventureswere tutored by my grand- father, Ed Knight, while I lived with him and my grandmother,Esther, during the early 1940's. AlthoughGrampa extolled the meritsof all fish and taughtme to enjoy catchingeverything from crappieto trout, I must admit that my first look at a truly big fish left a long-lastingimpression. GrandpaEd had gonefishing to the CispusRiver, a tributary of the Cowlitz in southwestWashington and brought home a tremendousbrace of steelhead.I'll never forget that moment when he stood near the tailgateof his Model A pickup holding a steelheadin eaphhand. At waist height their wide tails brushedthe ground. I was flabbergasted! The followingJune, Grandpa and I wereon the SkagitRiver near the town of Mt. Vernon, Washingtonfishing for chinook salmon. He was midway through a predawn yarn aboutthe monumentalsalmon of the Skaeitwhen a jolting strike took the tip of his stout, split canerod right into the water. Grunting with satisfaction,he slammed homethe hook and the battle wasjoined. For nearlyan hour I stoodwitness to a hammerand tong battle that terminatedwith forty-sevenpounds of gleamingbright chinooksalmon flopping on the deckof our little skiff. Grandpa'srippling laughter drifted acrossthe dampmorning air. "What do you think of that salmon,'Ike?"I couldn't answer.I wasdumbstruck. The CispusRiver steelhead had been:bigbut the

- chinookwas monstrous. It wasmore than my youngimagination could copewith. During the yearsfollowing the germinationof my anglingcareer I havebeen fortu- nateenough to castoverjust about everyspecies of fish alongthe PacificCoast in lakesand streamsfrom California to British Columbia. I am hesitantto estimatehow many steelheadand salmonI've hooked through the seasonsbut the number would be pretty impressive.There is no doubt in my mind that havinga reel-smeamingsal- mon or steelheadon the endof your line hasto rank asone of angling'smore elevated thrills. Comparinga sea-runcutthroat to a steelheador salmonis utterly impossible. The tremendsussize difference alone renders such a comparisonmeaningless. The value of a gamefishcan never be talliedin poundsand inchesalone. Sucha statementwill not meanmuch to the chest-beatingmeat fisherman,which is fine sincethis book is not intended to encouragepeople wishing only to add sea-runscalps to their belts. The personwho will properly evaluatetheworth of the sea-runcutthroat is one who hasoutgrown the "big is good" criteria so long related to the Pacific Coastsport fishery. Sucha personwill utlimately cultivate the most rewardinggive-and-take re- btionship with the sea-runcutthroat. The sea-runor coastalcutthroat (Sa|moClarki Clarki) is one of many subspeciesor racesof this trout found throughout the westernstates.' It rangesfrom the streams of northern Californiato PrinceWilliam Soundin Alaska. It is alsoabundant around the streamsol the QueenCharlotte Islands, Vancouver Island and the British Colum- bia mainland. Dependingupon locale,the sea-runcutthroat may go by such namesas native,harvest'trout, salter, sea-run, harvester, or simply cutt. Unlike many other specieshaving both landlockedand anadromousstrains, the sea- run doesnot attain the samelarge size as his fresh-waterkin. The record cutthroat takenin freshwater was an enormous4l-pounder derrickedfrom foramid Lake, Nevadain 1925. The foramid Lake cutthroat, native to the Lahontan drainageof California and Nevada,was so plentiful that a profitable commercialfishery wasest- blishedduring the early decadesof this century. While a sport fistrery still existsin hramid l,ake, supportedtotally by a hatchery progam, it is highly unlikely that the rccordof 4l poundswill everbe broken. Decimationfrom unrestrictedcommercial pressur€and laterby extensivewater diversionand damswas so efficientthat the originalsubspecies of giantswas officially declaredextinct in 1938. A largesea-run cutthroat, differing from his colossalcousin of the Lahontan water- $ted,rarely exceedsfive poundsin weight. The averagemature fish runs closerto a pound-and-a-half.There havebeen a few cutts recordedin the 15-to l?-pound classbut the probability of hooking such a brute falls into the samefantasy category aslanding a l0Gpound chinookor a 6Gpoundsteelhead. One sad similarity between the sea-runand his Nevadarelation is that he doesnot tolerate deterioration of his habitateven in minor degrees.Many smallstreams up. and down the PacificCoast which once harboredstrong populationsof sea-runcuttlroats are now nearly barren of the speciesdue to streamdamage caused by logging,land developmentand water pollution. In other regionsof the world wheretnre seatrout exist, they areoften held in higheresteem than eventhe exaltedAtlantic salmon. Throughoutthe British Isles and Europe the sea-runbrown trout is regardedby devout fly castersto be every bit asgood a taker of featheredofferings as the salmon. In the easternUnited Statesand Canada'smaritime provinces diligent efforts arebeing rnade to establishstrong runs from the few native,sea-run brook trout now existing. It is hearteningto seethat the sea-runcutthroat is finally beginningto commandsimilar attention from both con- cernedanglers and a few dedicatedbiologists. Although the cutthroat is not likely to attain the importanceof other anadromoussalmonids of the PacificCoast, with his legion of charnpionsgrowing, his future is certainly getting brighter. There can be no be better time for the sea-run'spoll position to improve, especially in the faceof the enormoustolls beingtaken of salmonand steelheadstocks by the high seasand terminal commercialfisheries. The addedpressure of the Indian rnt fishery that hasgrown startlingly sincethe notorious Boldt Decisionin Washing- ton is further hackinginto both nativeand hatcherystocks of salmonand steelhead with no reasonablealtemative in sight. The sport angler'ssalmon and steelhead prospectshave never been darker. Sea-runcutthroat could be a singlelight shining from the gloom. The cutthroat doesnot venturefar afield from parent streamsand hasno trouble slippingthrough gill netsset for largerfislr" So, until meshsizes are reducedto take trout and estuariesare declaredfair game,the cutthroat is currently safefrom commercialpressure. This fact aloneshould spark anglers frorn California to Alaskato carry the sea-run'scolors. It is my hope that the ensuingchapters of this book will help you learn to know the sea-nrncutthroat trout. Keep in mind that in searchingout antts you are stalk- ing a fish that hassurvived with liftle assistancefrom man. The cutthroat is a wild fish and its habitat is pristine. Whetheryou seekthe cutthroat in the waning chill of early springor in the red-golddabbled days of autumn, you'll find thii plucky little seatrout ruggedand eager. Oncea husky specimenhas put your tackle to the test, you'll wonder wherethe sea-runcutthroat hasbeen all your life.

-- ChapterOne Life History of the Sea-RunCutthroat

trugglingfiee of the gravelin late spring the cutthroat fry, just a little over an inch long,immediately finds that the preferredareas of the streamhave been stakedout by youngcoho salmon. Both speciesseek pools of moderateflow but the cohois sociallydominant due to earlieremergence and largerbody size. This con- frontation is resolvedwhen the cutthroat seekscover and food in the lessdesirable riffles. Feedingvoraciously during the summermonths on a diet of caddis,stonefly and mayfly nymphs,the young sea-runwill rapidly put on lengthand girth. Autumn will find the cutthroat cruisingin searchof a spot to settleinto before the start of the stream-raisingrains. By early winter all yearlingswill havemoved into deep,still ed- dieswhich offer a protectivebuffer from the poundingcurrents. They will remain snugin this coveruntil the following springwhen they will find thernselvesswimmlng amongthe adult cutthroat who havejust completedthe spawningcycle. A few cutthroat will make the springmigration to salt water at one year of ageand an equally smallpercentage will residein the parent streamuntil agefour. But nearly 95Vowill moveto salt water in their secondor third year. The averagesize of these first time migratorsis eight to nine inches. Migration will take placein late April throughJune in Wastlingtonand Oregonbut canbe aslate asJuly in northernBritish Columbiaand Alaska. Not muchinformation is availableon the iea-runpopulations of northern California but it is reasonableto expectmigration times there to roughly coincidewith thoseirt southernOregon. Springand early summerwill find both the first-yearmigrators and adults who have spawnedat leastone time previouslywandering the salt-waterbays or oceanproper, probably no more than a dozen miles from parent estuaries.Traveling in srnall schoolscalled pods, cutthroat will stick closeto shorelinesfeeding voraciously on euphausiids,shrimp, sculpins, anchovies and herring. It is in,lhssefood-rich pastures of the salt-waterforeshore that sea-runswill pack on muscleand add inchesrapidly. Maidenmigrators will be a solidfoot in lengthby this time, while trophy fish six to eightyears of agewill be up to 20 incheslong and weighin at threeto four pounds. The hint of milt sacsare forming in the malesand tiny roe skeinsare blossomingin the hensalthough spawning is still morethan five monthsaway. The podsof cutthroat will continueto roam and foragethrough the first daysof July but eachtide will find the fish inevitablycloser to the estuariesof natalrivers. The first cutthroatsarriving in the estuariesare usually fish that havespawned at leastone time previously. Why theselarger fish seekthe mix of fresh water sooner than cutthroat makingtheir initial run is not completelyunderstood even by biolo- gistswho haveconcentrated on sea-runs.At any rate, moderatenumbers of large cutthroat will be in the estuariesby late June and somewill actually be seyeralmiles upstreamby the first week in July. I havewitnessed this early migration of adult cutthroat on largerstreams such as the Greenor Cowlitz riversin Washingtonbut have rarely picked up a fresh sea-runin smallercreeks until rainshave quickened the flow in October or evenNovember. Oncegathered in the estuaries,sea-run cutts may pushwell up into the streamsduring high tide, reachingthe lowest riffles of the streamproper. But they will fall back into the salt-waterfeeding areas as the tide drops. This period will alsofind searuns spendingconsiderable time foragingover the nearbyoyster bedswhere shrimp, crabs and sculpinsare exceedinglyabundant. Oyster-strewntide flats were virtually un- tappedangling waters when I wrotc the first edition of this book. Thsy still remain free of crowds. Although somecutthroats will not enter streamsuntil early November,the bulk of the spawningrun will be holding in the tidal pools of parent streamsby mid-Septem- ber. Feedingon availableminnows and moving occasionallyinto lower riffles to pick up caddisand mayfly nymphs,they will haveleft the open water entirely, eagerfor the autumn freshetsto signalthem upstream. The sea-runwill find the estuariesbe- oming crampedin Septemberas coho and chinooksalmon, also preparing for the spawningrun, moveinto the tidal pools at the end of their long migrationsfrom the PacificOcean.

If thereis a perfecttime for the anglerto walk the edge'sof a river'slower reaches, it is duringthe pulsatingweeks of Septemberand early October. With winds occa- sionally strummingthe marshgras into song,alders losing showers of golden leaves and tidal pools fairly boiling with life, there is no more exciting time for the cutthroat angler.Not only arehis anglingprospects at a peak,but the opportunity to simplybreathe deeply of this seasonwith its saltypungence really serves to gatherthe whole sea-runscenario into perspective. As the first rainsof substanceraise river levels,the vanguardof cutthroatwill push upstream.This phaseof the migrationwill peakin earlyOctober with the estuaries t2 being clearedcompletely by the secondweek in November. Seekingout quiet pools and eddies,the sea-runswill rest and await the ripening of milt sacsand roe skeins prior to the final run into small tributary creekswhere spawningwill take place. Cut- throat tend to becomeeven more aggressivethan usualat this time and are taken in great numbersby fishermenusing spinners, wobblers, nightcrawlers, single eggs and gaudyfly patterns. It is this intensivefall or autumn sport fishery in Pacific Coast streamsthat gavethe sea-runone of its nicknames- haryesttrout. Actual spawningtakes place in Decemberthrough February, dependingupon factors such as localeand whether the fish are early or late-arrivinginmigrators, in the gravelof small,tributary creeksof parent streams. Fernaleswill seektailouts of foot- deeppools havinga gentle flow for diggingout spawningredds. A mature henfish of 14 to I 7 incheswill produce1000 to 1200eggs on the average.This numbercan fluc- tuate considerablyin the caseof smalleror largerfish. In remote instancesexceptional- ly largecutthroat henshave produced uf,wards of 4500 eggs. Whena femalesea-run has selected an areaand fashioneda redd to satisfy her needs, shewill be joined by a male,or males,in short or.der. The courting ritual is not taken lightly by malecutthroats. Battlesbetween a braceof lovestruckbucks contending for the partnershipof a prime hen often carry on for the better part of an hour. When all the biting and thrashingis over the loserwill usually have in searchof another fe- male,either unattached, or sharingher digswith a small,non-violent male who canbe driven off with relativeease. The maleand femalecutthroat stick very closetogether as the momentof spawning approaches.When her abdominalmuscles send out rippling messages,the malewill commencea gentle,persistent bumping against her asthey hangside-by-side over the redd facinginto the current. As the femalearches her back, contractingher abdomen to releasethe initial outpouringof eggs,the male,feeling her contractions,releases milt accordinglyto effect fertilization as the eggssettle into the protective coverof the grarcl. The spawningexercise is usuallycompleted and the redd carefullycovered overwithin two days. At completionof spawning,spent sea-runs, or kelts,will seek out protectedwater to rest for a few daysbefore starting to feedagain on nymphs, sculpins,or evensmall salmon,steelhead and cutthroat fingerlings. Dependingupon the variationof water temperaturein spawningstreams throughout the cutthroat'srange, eggs will hatchin six or sevenweeks. Alevinsremain within the sanctuaryof the reddsutilizing the yolk sacas nourishment for an additionaltwo weeksafter hatching.The emergenceof fry into the hazardousworld of their parent streamoccurs from Marchthrough June and the epochbegins again. Cutthroats who havesurvived the rigors of spawningsogn begin feeding,restoring dissipatedstrength and recoveringweight dramatically prior to the May outmigration to bay or ocean. During the downriverjourney, kelts will be joined by smoltsmaking their inauguralventure to the salt. As the trout drop steadilydownstream to hold for a tinre in tidewater,they onceagain become the subjectof concentratedsport fishing pressurewhich drawssignificantly from their ranks. Thosernaking it through the gauntletof baits,lures and fliesto reachthe salving,food-affluent salt water will grow and possiblycomplete the perilousrycle severalmore times. Sea-runshave been recorded on spawningruns at ten yearsof age,a numberthat canbe acceptedas optimum. The survivalrate of repeatersdiminishes after each spawningordeal. The rate of averagesurvival can fluctua{e considerablyfrom region to region dependingupon suchdiversified factors asintensity of the spawningeffort, predation,food availabilityor the efficiencyof the sport fishery. In somerivers adult survivalafter spawningcan be as low as 2AVowhile other streamsmight realizea 6Wo outmigration of kelts to salt water. During rny researchon sea-runcutthroat I havehad the good fortune to either cor- respondor speakin personto biologistsfrorn Oregonto Alaska. All haveproven to be yery knowledgeableand eagerto supplyme with the most accurateinforrnation t3 possibleon the sea-runpopulations in their respectiveareas. To the man, theseguys werenot only fine biologists,but avid outdoorsmen,alert and sensitiveto the cutthroat's rightful placein our natural environment. There wasalso a vein of frustration clearly expressedby the biologiststhat I cor- respondwith. This wasconcisely summed up by Darwin E. Jonesof the AlaskaDe- partment of Fish and Game. He wrote, "I haveconducted seven years of reiearchon the sea-runcutthroat in southeastAlaska. I by no meanshave all the answerswhen it comesto sea-runcutthroat. They are the true non-conformistsof the trout family." Although the many gapsand inconsistenciesin the life cycle of the sea-runare most ertainly baffling, they also provide mortar for the wall of mystiquesurrourtding this individualisticsalmonid. I know that my fascinationfor the cutthroat, which dates back many years,includes not just what I havelearned about him but the riddles I've not yet beenable to figure out. At club meetings,over a coupleof beersor alongthe streambanks,I've discoveredthat fhere are a lot of other angbrs,serious students of the fish they castover, who sharemy specialinterest in the mysteriousbehaviorof the sea-runcutthroat. There are three specificareas of discontinuity regardingthe sea-run'slife cycle that havefueled conversationsaround fi$ring campbonfires for years. From the Al- seato the Skeenaanglers have argued these issues: I ) how far the cutthroat will travel from the natal streamduring his salt-waterstint; 2) the existence,in addition to the fall spawningrun, of a "spring" run of cutthroats; and 3) the occasionalskie ping of a spawningcycle to overwinterin salt water. Iom not surethat theseisues havebeen madetotally clearto me evenafter pouring over reamsof minutely- detailedbiological data, but I'm goingto passit on. Sincethis informationwill sup port the theoriesof somecutthroat enthusiastswhile dashingto bits the homespun doctrinesof others,it is dead certain to keep all debatesblazing full bore. This is good sinceit should promote more diggingfor facts The more facts the angling gentryput together,the better thingswill be for the sea-run., Studiesmade by the fish and gamedepartments from Alaskato Oregonare all in accordthat the sea-runis not much of a travelerduring his annualstint in salt water. Rarely venturing more than a dozenor so miles from his parent stream,the cutthroat often remainsstrictly within the estuary. In addition, it is known that the sea-runhas a gteatlove for shallowwater and will amost nevercross any deep,wide expansesto reachanother shoreline. I have,however, hooked dozensof sea-runson the north side of Maury Island in Washington'sPuget Sound, miles from any streamof note. Thesefish had to navigate sevelalmiles of open water. There is also documentationthat sea-runsfrom Oregon's AlseaRiver havebeen caughtin salt water 80 miles rrorth of the parent strram in the PacificOcean. So, while it is essentiallyfactual that sea-runcutthroat do not travel greatdistances, there existsamong the breeda few with the wanderlust. For yearsit hasbeen the consideredopinion of many anglersthat there is both a fall-run of sea-runcutthroat and a springrun. Sincethere is indeedan intenseriver fishery for the sea-runboth in autumn and spring,this certainly would seemto be a valid assumption.The fall sport fishery is a true run of spawningcutthroat but the springfishery, usually confined to the lower reachesof streams,is directed at kelts that havequickly regainedtheir health and are once againheading for salt water and smoltsthat are outrnigratingfor the first time. There is no spring run. The exception to this being someAlaskan rivers where there are definite springruns of large sea-runcutthroat. The issueof sea-runsoccasionally missing a spawningrun to overwinterin salt water hasbeen argued for yearsby anglersand discountedby biologists. It is contendedby most biologiststhat sea-runcutthroat will rarely, if ever,overwinter in salt winter. There is someevidence indicating that overwinteringb an occasionalhappening in Alaska. Other studiesalong the coastshow that somesea-nrns make the spawningrun t4

T but are not sexuallymature. Thesefish may be mistakenby anglen as overwintering fish. In addition, many anglershave told me that they havetaken sea-runsin estuaries and salt water duriru every month of the year and that thesefish, when cleaned,had no signsof milt sacsor roe skeins. I havepersonally taken sea-runsin the estuariesas late as mid-Novemberand during the first week in March. Thesetimes are within the extremelimits of in and outmigration. There is no conclusiveevidence that the fish I've caughtwere, in fuct, overwintering. It is possiblethat many anglers,especially those who confine their efforts to salmon fishing in salt water, will not alwaysrecognize the rea-runcutthroat. In many cases, anglersthrow them back, thinking that they are small salmon.Proper identification is vital, with specialattention to the salt-waterfishery, sincea foot-long cutthroat bouncedaround on the businessend of a salmonoutfit is often too severelyinjured to be released, The fresh-waterangler who takesmore.than a passinginterest in the harvesttrout shouldlearn to distinguishthem easilyfrom salmon,steelhead and Dolly Varden. For instance,in almostany coastalstream such as the Rogue,Kalama, or Bella Coola, any givenday in Septembermight find grislesteelhead, jack salmon,Dollies and sea-run cutthroat holding in the samepool and striking at identical lures and flies. This rning- ling will alsotake placein salt water and estuaries.

SEA-RUNCUTTHROAT &lmo Clarki Clarki

Salt WaterMarkings - The back of the cutthroat in salt water is usually a very pale greenor blue.greenand the flanks are silver. Spotson the coastalcutthroat differ from other subspeciesin that they nearly encompassthe entire eirth of the fisll save the small belly strip lying betweenthe left and right pectoral and pelvic fins. The dor- salfin will carry heavyspots while the pectoral and anal fins will be sparselyspotted on occasion. Both pectoraland pelvic fins will havea slight amberor yellow hue. The familiar re{ slashesunder the throat for which the trout is namedwill just.be a paleflush of orangepink in salt water. FreshWater Markings - After a period in fresh water, the sidesof the cutthroat change from silver to an ambercolor and the back deepensto a dark-oliveg;reen. Body spots becomevivid and the throat slashesreturn to a brilliant orange-red. One final characteristicthat will identify the cutthroat in streamsfrom resident rainbowsor small steelheadis the presenceof hyoid teeth on the baseof the tongue. Theseteeth are not found in either residentor anadromCIusrainbow trout. After the many long, lean yearsof being.left primarily to his own devices,the sea- run cutthroat is now reapingthe benefitsof many studiesthat havebeen madeand othersthat are in progressas this is written. Philosophiesas to how the sea-run shouldbe caredfor differ widely throughout its range. The sport fisheriesof Wasb ington and Oregonare quite intense;consequently, enhancernent is the principal con- siderationin maintainingstocks in fishablenumbers. In Alaskaand British Columbia, whereangling pressure is still relatively light, the well being of the sea-mnis assured by habitat protection and carefully plannedcreel limits. Sincethe fresh-wateienvironment of the cutthroat is especiallyfragile, there can be no capitulation of the needfor a clean-upof polluted streamsand stringent measures requiredto rnaintainpristine watersheds.A securefuture for the cutihroat will certainly requireboth habitatprotection and sensiblehatchery prcpagation. Champions of the sea-runshould also be fighting for severelyreduced bag limits and areaswhere arr gliry it designated fl y-fishing-onlywith catch-and-release rigu lations. To date, the AlseaRiver hatchery programin Oregonis far and away the most suc- cessfulat rearingsea-ruRs. The stock hasbeen contintred for forty yearswith little incidenceof residualism,although trout releasedinto one streamdo, on occasion, sttowup in another estuary. This straying trait shouldnot be construedas a weakness

l5 in the Oregonhatchery program since native sea-runsalso have the habit of visiting non-parentestuaries from time to time. Except for the ongoingsuccess of the hatchery progxam,Oregon anglers would not be afforded the excellentspring and autumn fishing they now enjoy sincethe Alseahatchery stock supplementsthe entire Oregon fishery. Artificial propagationattempts by the WashingtonDepartment of Gamehave not beenso prosperouslyblesed asOregon's program for rearingsea-runs. Several attempts at developinga hatchery programfor sea-runcutthroat, either usingbrood stock taken from Washingtonstreams, or utilizing well establishedbrood fish from Oregon'sprogram, have failed for one reasonor another. Startingin 1974, however,under the supervisionof WashingtonGame Departrnent biologist JamesM. Johnston and StewartP. Mercer,a biologist previouslywith the National Marine Fisheries,a creativenew method wasundertaken. The new system, raisingsea-runs to smolt sizein salt water, wasnot allowedmuch priority in the bud- gBtsof either department. It appearedthat progresson the programwas going to be dreadfully slow if it movedat all. About this time, Ed Foss,a long-standingmember of the WastringtonFly Club and incurably in love with the sea-runcutthroat; stepped onto the scene. Fossworks for Union Carbidewhich is the pirrent organizationof Dom-Sea,a com- pany in the businessof raisingsalmon to a marketablesize in salt-waterrearing pens. Knowing that Dom-Seahad a few of thesepens that were not beingused, he quickly askedfor an open€ndedloan of them for usein the cutthroatprogram. With useof the pensconfirmed, Foss prodded the WashingtonFly Club, South SoundFly Club andothers in westernWastrington into embarkingon a missionof takingsufficient cutthroatbrood stockon hook and line to get the programunder way. Not long after his initial headlongdrive into the thick of the problem, interestedangling amigos, severalmembers of the WashingtonDepartment of Game,and Fossconipleted a per- ilous trip acrossmiles of open water to arrive at Manchester.Harborwith the salt- water rearingpens in tow.

H Fosstagging sea-ran cuttbroats prior to salt-rwtzr rclease,

The program moved slowly and not without several more setbacks, but finally in Octoberof 1978, 10,000frisky sea-runcutthroat trout weretagged and releasedinto the bayswhere the parentstock had beencaptured. Ifthis first effort provesto en- hancethe fishery without harmingnative stocks,it is going to be implenented in

,d other areasusirg only parent fistr from thoseareas to prevent diluting stocksof cutthroat by crossingstrains from different rivers.

&I Foss tpassres and ta;gsa seaaun tbqt lxs been petr rcarcd in ult ucten&n htancbeste4 Wdsbington. Brtce Fetgason recordt tag number,

It is difficult to predict what the future hasin storefor the sea-runcutthroat. Thereb littl€ doubt that further habitat destructionis forthcornine.in the name of progrcssand that fistring pressur€will increase.Those of us who really careabout the sea'runare going to haveto speakout with a louder voice, demandingprotection for cutthroat streamsand funds for propagationstudies, It won't be easi Le.uusg realtorsand hnd developersare gobbli,ngup shorelineand river frontage-atan alarm- ing rate. Far too:many sport fiishermenare still indifferent to the sea-run,prrferring t9 s9elicense monies pumped into steelheadand residenttrout programs.With all of the problemsirtvohed, more and more anglersare rallying to ttresea'run's defense. If we finally get enoughpeople invohed and working hard together,we can probably keep the PacificCoast's oneiemaining wild seatroui arounAlor a long, long time.

l7 ChapterTwo Fishingthe Salt.Chuck

y first unboundedsalt-water encounter with the seiFruncutthroat was in the fall of 1955. Prior to that time, living in Aberdeen,Washington, I could imagineno greaterpleasure than haunting the streambanks.My only proximity to salt water was in fishing the river estuaries,a gamein itself. In those days when high schoolpals and I would chip in for a dollar's worth of gas to get one of our jalopiesto the current "hot" river, salt-waterfishing was thought to be a gamereserved for the rich, or for commercialfishermen who took their catches with nets and trolls. Local streamsprovided all the fish we could handle,so the vast, salt-waterareas really didn't attract us very much. After a hitch in the Marine Corps,I movedto FederalWay, Washingtonwhere my parentshad relocatedduring my servicetour. They lived on'Poverty Bay at Redondo, about halfway betweenSeattle and Tacorna. SinceI had done little salt-waterangling before this time, I wasinstantly smitten by PWet Soundand proceededto buy a lieht salmonoutfit with all the trimmings. Underthe guidanceof Jay Foote, local tackleshop operator and residentsalt-water expert, I becamereasonably proficient at taking the summerchinooks and cohosthat wereso abundantinside Puget Sound in thoseyears. My first salt-watercutthroat, however,came quite by accident. It wasdawn of a late-Augustday with the water of PoveryBay calm and nearly at high ebb. I had riggeda light sinker to my line and addeda braceof IIO hooks on a six-foot leader. Carefully, I sliceda fillet from the sideof a seveninch herring and garnishedthe hooks. Zippine my jacket to ward off the ever-presentmorning chill of the Sound,I startedrowing slowly just inside the boat mooring line. I usually found chinooksin the shallowsearly in the morning and in deeperwater later in the day. With fifty feet of line out, I rowed slowly and erratically with the bait spinning just off the bottom in perhapsfifteen feet of water. Suddenlythe rod tip started twitching rapidly, though not with the force evenof a "mouthing" salmon. Figuring that I'd picked irp a patch of seaweed, I reeledup to find a trout of no more than eight inchesraising hob with my bait. The tiddler wasn't hooked-yet it held firmly to me finet for a few secondseven after I lifted it completely out of the water. When the trout let go and fell back into the water, I dropped the herring back down and the pugnaciousfish latchedonto it again. It had beena few yearssince I had seen one, but there wasno mistakingmy bait's adversaryas a rambunctiouslittle sea-run cutthroat. I took the remainsof the he.rringfillet from the hooks and tossedit over the side. The tiny cutthroat grabbedit and swam off like a jubilant puppy carrying an oversizebone. The next day, I salliedinto Foote's Sport Shop with painstakingcasualness. There

18 wastackle to buy, but the utmost discretionhad to be usedto makecertain my secrct didn't slip out. Jay cameout of the backroom still working on a mouthful of break- fast. He swalbwedand said,'oGoodmorning, Les." "Good morning,Jay," I returned. I told him that I neededa few itemsand startedlisting what I thoughtwould be useful for sea-runsin the salt water. I couldn't, of course,mention niy quarry to Jay sincethe secretwould havethen beencommon knowledge. With a few odd tigtrtsint- ers,a coupleof smallflashsers and a few numbersix worm gangs,t thought I wasready. That'swhen Jay reachedinto his big glasscase and droppeda ,coupleof JuneBug spin- nersin with my order. "I didn't askfor those,Jay," I said,pointing to the spinners. 'em," "You'll need he answered,totalling up the order. I must havesmirked slightly. Now I knew that he wascompletely fooled sinceit wascommon knowledge that JuneBugs were used for bass. "I'm not aftet bass,"I said,nearly laughingout loud. 'em," "You'll need he repeated."They work greaton a slow troll becausethe bladestays out at an angleaway from the shaft for more flash..rn Now I wascertain that Jay wasbaffled or elsetrying to unloadsome slow-moving JuneBugs that hadbeen around for a few seasons.What he didn't undentand,however,was that I wasan ex-Marineof voting agewho had madeliterally dozensof lib. erty trips to the fleshdens of Tijuana,Mexico, without oncelosing my bankroll. I wasnobody's,fool. Pushing the spinnersaway from the pile of gear,I said,"'I'll get them when I startbass fishing." "O.K.," he shrugged."But they're darnedgood for cutthroattoo." My jaw musthave dropped nearly between my knees.He knew! For all my shrcwdness,he knew! The conversationwhich followedserved not only to enlighten me on the finer points of salt-watercutthroat angling,but raisedthe tab on my pur- chaseto the tune of a light spinningoutfit, aswell. Looking down at the shiny rod and reelds I drovehome, I concludldthat my casualapproich had enjoyeduli th" subtleproperties of an oregon state halfuackrunning an off-tackleslani. That evening,I wasagain on the waterjust beforethe high tide. This time I was stringingthe new spinningoutfit. On the main line I affixed a barrelswivel with

l9 Tbis beautifut pboto wassent to tbe anbor by Porthnd, Oregon angler tobn H. Besoer (1891'197&. Hb aotc read: "sixteen-incb cuttiroat trout caught in Hood Canal iust soutb of Taanob State Park, near tbe moath of a oeek tbat drains Mason Lake, Wastrolling a No. 3 CEnadianWond*, Iblf and IhIf ftnss and nickel) iust ander tbe wrface uitboat lead, IIad real good lack witb tbis ig on sedaansond bhckmouth (snafl cbinook slmon)' Time uas September,7957." Aatamn, trollitry an unueigbted spoon near dn estutjt, Mr. Beaur k *u his cnt' tbroat fiilting.

20 severalbuckshot above it. To the swivelI addedtwo feet of leaderand a JuneBug. On the spiiner I snappeda two-hook epngand baited with a tiny herring fillet. Aiter a few bad attempts, I managedto get the rig castout, sat the rod down ind started rowirg. I couldn't havetraveled more than a hundred feet when the rod tip slapped the water and my reel let out a wheeze. Five minuteslator I boated my first sea-run crrtthroat in salt water. It was l7 inchesof silver-greenbeauty pepperedgenerously with Fayne'sgray spots. That eveningI took two nlore smallir-fiih and lost another that was probably a feedingchinook salmonconsidering that it cleanedoff my terminal gearon the strike. From that eveningon, wheneverI fishedRedondo's Poverty Bay, I alwayscarried both thersalmon'outfit and the light spinningrig. The light rod eventuallyiroved to be the more ussful of the two sincernost of my puget sluno angtine;;;;;;*;lished along the foreshoro,even for salmon. Only when Ilounded theidrJpofis anOwirfceA the_lwift rip tides for big, ocean-runsalmoh did my moochingoutfit seemuch use. The red-hot beginningof my cutthroat fishing in salt water held up for a coupleof weeks,then fell off badly. I trudgedback into Jay'sshop for more information - and unlesstr midsed my - more tackle. o'The euess sarneapproach doesn't always do the trick with cutthroptq" Jay said. "At timesthey'll prefera smallspoon or plug much morethan a bait. At other times ffnall'.$1lg6twet flies are effective. You must be flexible in your methodsto take cutts consistently." He went on to explainthat the cutthroatsI had beenfishing over werc $lsw-lyworking south along the shorelineheading for the estuaryof the Puyallup River. If I wereto continuefishing sea-runs with much hopeof rucciss,I would have to rnovea'long with tltem. I left Jay'sshop once more with my lreadfull of newideas and a sack"fullof tackle which causedmy wallet to ride consid.erablylighter. The valuablelessons so charitably offered by my old friend,Jay Foo1e,along with putting me orNtothe right tackle for the situation at hand, remain asvalid today as they were twenty yearsago. The sea-runcutthroat is constantlyon the move throughout hie salt-waterrange. The sedentaryangler who locks in on a singlemethod, Iure or location is likely to find the fishing pretty skimpy. It is the observant,open- minded'person;versatile of tacktreand technique,who will becomea successfuliea-run anglerover the long term.

TROLLING

For trotrXingin the shelteredsalt-water areas favored by cutthrcat trout, a7-foot spinni4grod, or light steelheadrod of fiberglaswill do nicely. Such a rod will havea line mting of 4 to l0 pound test, or 6 to l5 pound test,and shouldtaper fairly rapidly frsm a,stout butt sectionto a sensitivetip. The rod must havecorrosion- resistantrnetal fittings and severalcoats of durablefinish over the wrappings. Such a rod, washsddgwn with fresh water after eachuse in the salt and wiped with a light coatirg of WD-40,will last for years. Almost any lightweightsalt-water reel canbe usedfor sea-runputthroat trolling. Anglersnot overlyenthralled by aestheticsput someatrocious combinations together and catchfish with little trouble. I haveseen guys pulling an unweightedspoon on lS-poundline with a Penn209 deep-seareel and othersdraggingthree feet offlash- ersbehind a groaninglittle Mitchell 308. Although I rarelyargue with any man's notion of what constitutesproper tackle, my tasteshave always leaned toward bal- ancedequipment of a caliberjustified both for the anglingconditions and to allow a sportingtussle from the spunkysea-run. The two reelsI haveused over the yearswith alrnostno instancesof breakdownor deteriorationfrom saltwater are the GarciaArnbassaduer 5000 seriescasting reel and the Cardinalspinning reel in sizes3, 4, and6 distributedby Zebco. Like any other

----_-:,.. .. , equipment,proper careand cleaningis requiredof thesereels. Providedthat you keep up the minimal attention they need,both will handleany fish within their line capacitiesand keep comingback for more.

Trolling uckle can be eithq a stoat spkning ig or a ligbt stealhead-typc, leoel-wind outftt. In sea-runcutthroat fi*ring a premiumgrade monofilament is essential. Line used in any salt-waterangling must take great abusefrom barnacle-encrustedlqgs, kelp tanglesand hopefully, from the tremendouspressure applied by one, big hard-charglng fish after another. I havetried a lot of monofilament lines over the yearsand have finally settledon Berkley Trilene TS in 6 or 8 pound test. This line providesa com- promisein durability and softnessthat rangesfrom trolling throughcasting. I have found that extremely limp lines can be nicked all too easilyand the very tough lines are better usedfor rough, bottom fishing. Remember,no matter what brand of line you choose,do not hedgeon quality. Bargainbasernent monofilament is seldoma good investmentfor the seriousangler. Terminal gearfor sea-runswill require a variety of leadsranging from split strot to keel sinkers. The shot weightsshould be from BB sizethrough No. 7 and keel sink- ersin 3/8, 5/8 and one ouncewill do the job. A selectionof barreland snapswivels in small sizeswill take careof most connectionsto the main [ine. This may seemrF dundant but it cannot be too strongly tuged that quality is vital, with specialreference to snapswivels. A cheapsnap swivel that opensup under the strain of a once.in.a- lifetime cutthroat shouldbe mounted, framed and carry a messagerenlinding the pur- chaserof what a dumbasshe wasfor buyingit. A coupleof fresh-water,trout-type flasherrigs are usually found in the tackle box of a resolutetrojler for usein front of either a bait harnessor lure. I haveused flashersin yearspast and can attest to the fact that they do attract sea-runsin a big way. Flashersare cumbersome, though, and do not allow a hookedcutthroat to show his best stuff. For this reasonI havenever gotten seriousabout heary-duty trolling systemsregardless of how effective they are. In most situationsa smallColorado, BearValley, or JuneBug spinnerprovides all the sparklinginducement a cruisingsea- run needsto zeroin on the bait. The JuneBug, my favoritespinner for more than 20 years,still at the top of the heap, is unsurpasediri designsince the bladeis fixed to stay at an angleaway from the shaft and spin well at all speeds. Packagesof pre-tied,two-hook bait harnessescan be purchasedat rnost tackle shopsin the Pacific Northwest or can be tied up by the anglerat considerablyless ex-

22 Tfu tune 8ry spinwr riged for citheruorms ar bglrilngstrip. Kitsaw awilabbwbicb redace spinlr costscotn&Ixably. pense.For yearsI've usedWright-McGill Eagle Claw No. l8l baitholderhooks in sizes6 and 8 and cannot recall a fish lost to a faulty hook. My rigs,home-tied on Gpound test monofilament are more than enoughfor any cutthroat and haveheld salmonof up to l0 pounds. Beforeusing any two-hook harness,be surethat the little barbson the drank of the forward hook are carefully pinched down so that they will not snickthe line, causinga weak spot. Two very reliableand easilyobtained baits for sso:runcutthroat are herring and sandworms (sometimescalled piling worms). Freshshrirnp are alsoused for trolling, but in my experienceare better suited to castingover the shallowswith light spinnirigtackle. HerriRgare availableat most sportinggood stores,boat liveriesor resofts. Sandworms can be purchasedwherever pier fishing is popular for perch, flounder or other salty bottom dwellers. The frugal anglercan find a good population of sandworrns by walking the beachesat low tide and turning over rocks. A supply of worms for the day's fishing can be gatherrd in short order. Theserhino-skinned critters will stay alive and well forf;bveraldays if kept in a bucket of damp beachsand. The most popular method of trolling sandworms is to string them on a two-hook harness.A cutthroat may haveto bangaway at a trolted sandworm severaltimes, but it will rarely cleanthe rilorm from the harnesswithout getting hooked. The sizeof herring availabledetermines how much prudent slicingand trimming will be required to transform it into a decent cutthroat bait, 'Herring that provide a tapered,three'inch fillet from eachside are perfect. If only larger trerringare on hand (this dependsupon what the herring boats find during their nightly treks into the soundsand bays), I"will dressthe fillet accordinglyto obtain at leasttwo fillets from eachside. The herring fillet, like the sandworm, is trolled on the two-hook harnessbehind a Colorado-typespinner. Hereagain I will state that few spinnerscan beat the old June Bug for this type of fishing. The herrirrgfillet fluttering behind a spinnernot only takessea-runs, but it is very attractive to feedingsalmon as well. While bait fishing is popular and efficient, lures are an important part of the astute angler'sterminal gear. Spoonsor wobblersfrom one to two-and-a-halfinches long in silver,brass, half-and-half or fluorescentfinishes are very effective at times. A mod- erateselection should be standardequipment for the seriouss€i-rut troller" Max- well'sAndy Reeker,the DavisPoint DefianceSpoon and Shoffs Triple Teaserare a 23 few of the many excellentspoons used regularly for sea-run.cutthroatthroughout the salt-waterangling areas. Plugshave never realized the popularity of spoonsor other artificials. The reason hasnever been clearto me sincesmall plugsare quite often deadly for cutthroat. Dur- ing the dayswhen I did more trolling than I do now,I alwayshad a supplyof small Rapalas,Guppies and Flatfish on hand. I usually trolled plugswith no additional attraction sincethe darting action presentedall the enticementneeded to draw strikes. Trolling for sea-runcutthroat is not a very complicatedgame. Tackle requirernents. are simpleand techniquesvary little, if any, from southernOregon to Alaska. Al- .hough minor variancesin tackle certainly makesome differences, it is adherenceto basicangling disciplines and a solid knowledgeof the quarry that are the essentialin- gredientsfor success. Sincethe sea-runis a shallowwatEr forager,I makeit a rule to do all my trolling in ten to forty feet of water. Most of my efforts are concentratedin the top third of the depth I'm working. I haveseldom found it neoessaryto dragbottom for sea-nrns. Evenif they are lying deepI dislike using the heavierterminal geaxthat it takesto reachthem. It hasbeen my experiencethat a lure flashingthrough the upper third of the water I'm fishing will bring a feedingcutthroat up in timely fashion.

Rocky shallowsover oysterbeds are always productive at sometinre during the summer months,as are the edgesof dropoffs and the sloping,sandy deltas at the mouths of smallstreams. Special attention should be paid to ridgesof land that run down in- to the water. Suchspines have rocky, barnacle-encrustedslopes on eitherside and aregenerously laced with plant coverthat is so attractiveto bait fish. Cutthroat can almostalways be locatedin this type of areaduring the incomingtide sinceit offers them easypickings of ratherbountiful proportions. I know of a few rocky spinesin PugetSound so extraordinarilyproductive that I haveguarded them jealously over the years,allowing not more than two or three other peoplein on the bonanza- and then, only after a greatdeal ofsoul searching. Shouldyou happenupon sucha place,especially one that is not overlyobvious at low tide, it could well be your "lost Dutchman." If you fishit respectfullyand do

d not attempt to wipe out the population of sea-runsit holds, you will probably haw a great fishing hole for yearsto come. My setupfor trolling is simpleand you may find that you like your own systembet- tBr. On the end of my main line I attach a keel or crescentsinker as light as the current will allow but nevermore than one ounce. Behind the sinker I havetwo feet of leader to the spinnerand harness.A bait of herring or sandworm cornpletesthe rig. A spoonor wobbler usually needsonly a largesplit shot to break the surfaceand in somesituations, no addedweight at all. With fifty to sixty feet of line out, I row or motor alorg at whateverspeed gets maximum action from the lure and neverlet go of the rod.

SPINMNG

Anchoring and spinningwith lures or baits is, in my opinion, a much sportier method ofangling salt-rvatercutthroats than trolling. I feel closert6 the fish and realizea more rewardingcontest when it is pitted againsta sliver of fiberglas,wispy monofilament and a tiny spoonor plug. The true mettle of the sea-run,or any other trout for that matter,can neverbe testedwith tacklethat totally overpowersthe fish. In seekingthe ultimate spinningoutfit for sea-runcutthroat, I haveprobably seen at leasttwenty rodsand nearlyas many reelspass through my handssince 1955. The spinningreel I havesettled on is the Cardinal,built by ABU in Swedenand im- ported by Zebco, This little reel is corrosion-resistant,tough, totally reliable and mercifullylacking in silly, extraneoustrappings that seemto be essentialto the reel sellingbusiness today. The Cardinal3 is an ultra-light reel with power and durability far exceedingits diminutive sizeand a silk-smoothdrag that will allow the use of very light line, The Cardinal4 is just a bit hrger but still a legitimatefresh-water size reel with more versatility than the 3. It is probably a better buy for the anglerwho re- quireshis tackle to cover a wide rangeof duties.

Autbor's ligbt spinrittg outf*, Carditul 3, 4-pound line mrd reumped spinniryrod. Lares sbown orc tsil blt autbor fot all bi* cunbut fthirts.

25 Finding the right rod for sea-runspinning was a hopelessfrustration that I managedto resolvejust a muple of yearsago. It seemedthat spinnirg rods were either in the fast taper, six-and-a-halffoot camp,or were spaghetti-limp,ultra-light sticks which allowedlittle control while castingsea-run lures. I spentseveral seasons trying rods madeby Fenwick, Garcia,Berkley and other equally reputablemanufacturem without finding the onejust right for my cutthroat fishing. Makeno mistake,these were all excellentrods in everydetail, guilty ofjust one sin * they did not offer the preciseaction to fulfill my rather snobbishwhim. Most of theserods weregiven to my friends who, I'm certain,spent a moment each eveningpraying that Johnsonshould never find the rod of his dreams,at leastuntil the diminishinggaps in their rod rackswere properly filled. The rod that eventuallysatisfied my expectationswas an inexpensirrebut well mnstructed little Wright-McGillMLWL 6yz. lt had a light enougJraction to cast small lures combinedwith sufficient backboneto set a hook and lend a measureof control in playing a largesea-run. The rod did havea dreadfully short rear grip, but this waseasily corrected by Grg Harbor, Washingtonrod builder, Earl Arrerill, when he lengthenedthe butt two inches. This madethe rod 6 feet, 8 inchesand gaveit excellent balancewith a Cardinal3 spinningreel. This combination is now usedfor all of my cutthroatspin fishing on saltwater or stfeam. Somehusky cutthroatand many grislesalmon of three to four poundshave fallen to this outfit. While the battles are often long and spirited, I havenever felt outgunned. My line choicefor light spinningis a premium monofilarnentin 4-poundtest. For the pastfew seasonsI have been using Trilene TS. I've statedpreviously that this is tough line. It is alsovery uniform with absolutelyno weakspots that I've beenable to detect. This is especiallyimportant in light line fishing. Spinningfor sea-runsis best executedover the samewater fished by the troller. The spinesand rocks,shallow flats and oysterbeds all providesuperb spinning water. While all theseareas will produceduring the proper mix of conditions and angling techniques,it is the sandydeltas at the estuariesof tiny, feedercreeks that most often pump my blood prcssureright off the scale.Even during the high ebb,the deltas will rarely be more than four or five feet deepand in such shallowwater most strikescan be visibly witnessedat the end of a heart-stopping"follow" of several feet. Spinnerand bait combinationscan be castquite easilywith light spinningtackle. Theserigs are very popular with the majority of serioussea-run anglers. Preferring to keepthings simple for most of my fishing, I stay pretty much with wobbling spoons and occasionallya couple of favorite plugs. The sameunweighted spoons that serveme in trolling get my nod for spinning. First, this negatesthe needof a doubleselection of lures. Second,unweighted spoonsare more versatileand productivein the grassyshallows. Thick, casting-type spoonsmust be retrievedrapidly to keepthem from hangingup, while.trollingspoons can be utilized in a variety of retrieves. I carry an assortmentof split shot and can ad- just the sinking rate and control retrieval speedby simply changingthe shot weight. Whenusing small, trolling spoons,I tie a smallbarrel swivelto my main line and add eighteeninches of leaderto the spoon. I pinch the strotonto the main linejust above the swivelso that it will not ride down the line during casting. A moderateretrieve of the lure is usuallybest, but if it doesn'ttrigger a strikeor two within a reasonablelength of time, changeto varyingspeeds. Cutthroat, and this is a point to rememberwherever you fish sea-runs,are inexorablefollowers. Seeinga lunker chasea lure practically to your rod tip can get brutally nerve:wrackingafter it hashappened a time or two. Whenthis occurs,stop the retrieve,Iet the lure settlefor a coupleof seconds,then pick up againquickly. A strikecapable of bringingon a coronaryseizure is almostcertain to materialize. Spinningfor sea-runsin saltwater is bestaccomplished with a smalloutboard pram

26 sinceit can get you around protected water while providing a stablecasting platform. A pram can usuallybe carriedon a car top rack and transportedto the water (over most terrain) by one person. Largerboats, even cartop twelve-footers,often require two peoplefor launchingand aren't really fun to carry for more than fifty feet or so. Whenfishing from any small craft it is imperativethat great caution be exerciSed.Lit- tle boatsare intended for use nearshore on protectedwater and shouldbe quickly beachedif the weatherstarts kicking up. The biggest,rowdiest sea-runcutthroat in the world is not worth drowning for.

FLY FISHING

"Fly fishing is one method of cutthroating that hasnot been fully irwestigatedby 4lYone I know. Generally,fly fishermenstart showingup amongthe cutthroat an- glersalong estuarybeaches and lower sectionsof the rivers. The possibilitiesfor a skilled fly fishermanare almost boundlessin the salt water and the next big, long-rod assaultin Washingtonis almostcertain to be on the baysof PugetSound aiwell-as in the Pacific Oceanoff Westport,LaPush and NeahBay. This hasalready taken place in Oregon,California and British Columbia." The quotationis rnineand wasthe openingparagraph of the first edition of this book. I havenever thought of myself ashaving an providential powersof predio tion, but the greatsurge in salt-waterfly fishing all alongthe PaCificCoast has certainly casta warmray of credibilityon my statement. My early attempts at fly fishing for sea-runsin salt water were undertakenwith no preconceivednotions. In thosedays, some twenty yearsback, salt-water fly fishing wasyoung and unsophisticated.The guys who decidedto give it a go usually did so with their trout tackle or, if they had it, a heftier steelheadoutfit. In my case,trout tackleand steelheadtackle were comprised of a singleoutfit, so,when the bug to try fly castingbit rne, I had no trouble at all selectinga rod and reel, Draggingout my vintagebamboo Grangerand battle.scarredHardy Perfect,which hadbeen purchased used-but-serviceable in 1950, I boughta new syntheticfly tine to replacethe one of silk which had long sinceworn out. My old flies, I discovered, had servedas sacrifice to the moths, so I tied up a few standardsthat I figured would possiblylook good to a sea-run.Mickey Finns, Thors, Royal Coachman,Bucktails, andother fresh-waterstandards made up the dozenor so I venturedout with. My maidenattempt wasgoing to be madeat a drallow hot spot not far from DashPo1nt, a bit southof Redondo. No soonerhad I anchoredthe pram,tied a colorful Mickey Finn to the leaderand endeavonedto castwhen two thingsbecame glaringly evident. The fly line wastoo heavyfor the old, creakingGranger and the Mickey Finn swam on its side. But, as the miserablebucktail settled toward the bottom, not five feet from the boat, a ten inch cutthroat zippedinto sight, flastredaround the fly a time or two, and dis appeared. Heartenedto no end,"Icommenced flailing vigorously with the out-of-whackout- fit and, after at leastforty deplorableefforts, the line dropped somewhatstraight and the bucktail actually turned over. I whipped and floggedthe surfacefor fifteen solid minutesusing varying retrieves of the fly, I wasstubbbrnly resistingan urge to pick up my spinningrod when the fly line snappedtight and the surfaceerupted. A chunky sea:rurlexploded into the air with the Mickey Finn hangingin his Jaw. He got the old HTOy to singingwith a short, hard run and surfacedagain, shaking loose oi the fly. A few castslater a second,larger trout slammedinto the fly just a short distancefrom the pram andpromptly poppedthe leaderpoint. *. Pokingthrough the hairy snarlof flies in my box, I cameup with anotherMickey Finn and attachedit to a freshtippet section. After perhapsi"n casts,another cut-

L throat struck and, leaninggingerly into the Granger,I got the hook set. Maintaining my composureI let ttre resitlentstrength of the rod, combinedwith the Hardy's smooth hrag,do the work. EventuallyI put the landing net under a beautiful salt- water cutthroat. I fisheduntil the tide changed,then headedfor shore. Laying in the bottom of my pram were three cutthroats from I I to 16 incheslong. I looked lovingly at the Grangerand gently patted the near-silverHardy. An old flame had beenrekindled and the spinningrod sawlimited action from then on. Sincethe day my Grangerreieived its briney baptism so many yearsago' most of my salt-watercutthroat fishing hasbeen with fly tackl6. The rods I now use are either glasrod as a Fen- elassor graphite. Most fly fisfiermenchoose a rnedium-priced, such iui"t or Sci"ntific Anglers. While a lot of guys are payingthe price for at leastone graphiterod, nobodyln *y circle is giving evenoccasional exposure tg a Dickerson, bu.tiron or iluyn". For all practicalpurposes, a functional rod in the five to eight weight line range,with fittings that will repel the ravagesof corrosion,is the ticket for sea-runcutthroat fishing in salt water. The only small fly reelsdesigned specifically for salt-wateruse are the Fin-Nor ..Trout" und tttr ValentineNo. lSO. Both areexcellent reels with capacityfor ade- coho quate backingunder a No. 6 taper, which will thwart the run of 9ve1a hefty salmon. Neithenis availableat your nearbydiscount houseand the bucks that must be coughedup to obtain them ionstitutes an annualfishing budget for somgpeople. For a stradelJss money the Scientific Anglen Systemfly reelsare available,j,tt9ize9 a through I l, of which lhe sizes6 through 8 are most suitablefor sea-runs lVhile the Scieniific Anglersreels in thesesizes are not designedfor salt-wateruse, they perform superblywitliabsolutely no problemsprovided they are rinsedwith fre*r water and givena ittot of WD-40after eachouting. I havea couple of Systemreels that are go- Ittg ott eight yearsof agewith no indication of faltering. Although they-aren't inex- pensiveby uny stretch of the imagination,I considerthe Scientific Anglen Fly reels a goodinvestment. For the anglerwishing to put togethera sea-runoutfit for a minimum outlay of

28 cash,and most of us must do this at sometime during our fishing careers,the Pflueger Medalist 1495 is a reliableold "Plain Jane" reel that can be counted on to handlejust about any reasonablefly fishing task. There are probably morc Medalistsused in this country than all other fly reelslumped together. They are the Fords of the fly reel industry. I useweight-forward lines in full-floating, high-density,sinking tip and fulFsinking types for all my salt-watercutthroat fishing. The floating and sinking tip lines handle 90%of the anglingsituations. The full sinkeris handyfor thoselffio peiods of quiet desperation. Someanglers do usedouble taper lines for salt-waterangling but I can't find any advantagein them. With the occasionallong castrequired, bulky, wind, resistantflies to contend with and no critical concernover gentle presentation,the weight-forwardfly line will continue to be my choiceuntil someonecan really show rne otherwise. After trying almost everytype of rod ftom heavysteelhead rigs to frail midging rods, I havesettled on long rods of glassor graphite,in line weight rangesof WF6F to WF8F. For serioussea-run angling I favor a six-weightrod. I havetwo pets that are readiedfor action wheneverI venture out on.the salty bays One, a Scientific An- glersSystem 6 - without question the best glassfly rod I've everused - is strung with a floating line. A Fenwick, eight-and-a-halffooter, alsoin glass,which hasa bit moreguts in the lower shaft,usually gets the nod when I'm usinga sink-tipor full sinking line. The eight-weightoutfit is reservedfor windy days,or for thoseocca- sionswhen salmonare activein the area. I havean Averill custom eight-weightin graphiteand a vintageSystem 8 glassrod which I useinterchangeably as the mood hits me. An anglerpondering the purchaseof a sea:runfly rod for salt-waterangling might considersplittingthedifferenceandgettingaseven-weightrodofeight-and.a-half or nine feet in glas or graphite. It is alsopossible to find graphiterods that have a powerratio latitude wide enoughto handlelines from five througheight. Other than an excuseto purchaseanother rod though, there are no specialrequirements for the sa-run stick. Your currenttrout rod is likely to do the job.just fine. When assernblingyour s€a-runfly castingoutfit, take carethat no detail is passed overlightly. You will want all the l2 or l5 pound tpst braidedbacking line that'you can comfortably spool under your fly line. A hundredyards providesadequate lerUth for most ctitters encounteredalong the foreshore. Be certain that the connectionto' the fly line is strongand smooth. Whenyou are hooked up to a hard running fish, that old backingsplice must rattle out through the guidesslick asglease. AlthoWh myriad line/leaderconnections have been conjured up duringthe lastfew years,I am still an exponent of the loop systemboth for strengthand the easychanging of leaden. I haveused the old RussPeak Loop for yearsand havenever had one give up, evenunder the stressof long battleswith steelheador salmon"Thete are many good leaderson the market by Berkley, Cortland and Orvis, to namea few. Any of these in a nine foot length and a tippet strengthof five or six poundswill work, Early morningand late eveningincoming tides always seem to turn up the bestfly fishine sincethe water is usually pretty calm. During the middle of the day, stiff marinebreezes can make casting tedious and standingup in a pram or cartopper becomessomething of a trick. If I could presumejust a bit further regardingcondi- tions,I would alwaysfish on overcastmornings and bright,sunny eveningssince they seemto be most productive. Realistically,however, the earnestangler must fish when everhe can,rain or shine,for the sea-runcutthroat is a whimsicalsonofagun, given to goingon the bite duringany combinationof weatherconditions. When fishing from shore,water that can be efficiently coveredis governedby the individualangler's equipment and castingability. Sincethe bestwater is norntally within sixty to eightyfeet of the beach,anyone with wadersand the dexterity to 29 castfifty feet or so is likely to be putting his fly over somecutthroats on a fairly regularbasis. Working from a boat givesan anglerthe addedadvantage of greatermobility, which allows the fishing of water borderedby private, or posted,beaches. Some of the truly excellentwater on Washington'sHood Canalwashes across beautiful ledges, deltasand small oyster beds- perfect for sea-runs- but theseareas can be fished only from a boat due to severelyrestricted beach access. The completesalt-water iutthroat fly rodder shouldbe equippedwith all the essentialsto make his stalk by beachor boat. There are times when a solid casecan be madefor eachmethod. Whenfly fishing for sea-runs,either wading from the beachor anchoredin my pram, I start fanning castsfrom left to right. I commencewith short toses, then work out progressivelyuntil I've hit the limit of omfortable casting. Confident that I havecovered the spot thoroughly, I movea strort distanceand repeatthe process.It rarely takeslong to locate a few sea-runs,if there are any in the area. There are only four fly pattern types neededto take the sea-runcutthroat thro-!4gh- out his salt-waterrange. The anglershould carry imitations of herring and candlefislt" sculpins,euphausiids (shrimp or krill) and a gaudy attractor or two. Pacific Coastfly tiers,both professionaland amateur,have over the yearsproduced literally hundreds of variationsof the basicfour. As might be expected,with certain tiers being more observantand innovativethan others,some of thesedressings are excellent. Othen arenot so good. But the majority areadequately interpretive or gaudyenough to do a passablejob most of the time. A good baselinefor the aspiringsea-run angler to start with would be: LetcherLambuth's Candlefish and Roy Patrick'sCoho (both dressedon hooksof suitablesize for sea-runs),a MuddlerMinnow or Whitlock Sculpin,and any good pink strrimppattern such asFerguson's Euphausiid or John- ston's Shrimp. A few of the better attractors to round out the selectioninclude the SkykomishSunrise, Thor, or Polar Shrimp. From thesesuggestions, fly boxesand walletscan be (and usuallyare) supplemented until they arefairly burstingat the seamswith patternsdesigned for sea-runcutthroat. Of all the varied aspectsin successfullyfly fishing for the sea-runcutthroat, none is more important than retrievingeach pattern properly. The most widely usedre- trieve, and not to be discounted,is the old "foot-long pulls" method which has brought a lot of flies and fish togetherover the years. Baitfish and euphausiidsdo not alwaysmove through the water in foot-long motions however. Various retrieves of the fly simulatingeverything from injury to panic must be incorporatedinto the angler'stechnique list becausethe sea-runcutthroat, for all its aqgressivetendencies, is not easilyfooled. I first realizedthe vital importanceof imparting the right action to a fly several yearsago while fishing a little creek-feddelta at the south end of PovertyBayo near Redondo. The placewas alive with tiny sculpinsand I could easilymake out feeding cutthroat asthey slashedback and forth thiough the thin water. For all this activity, I could not bring a singlesea-run to my Muddler pattern. Finally, I sat dswn and peeredover the gunwale,resigned to the fact that this wasnot going to be my day. Just then a sculpin zippedacross a clear spot, barely rising abovethe delta floor, and settled,nearly invisible,onto the sand. On his secondsurge, the sculpinwas picked off in mid-flight by a sea-run.The whole episodewas over in a flash with only a small cloud of settling sandleft to indicate that the bushwhackinghad taken place. I ponderedthe ambushI had just witnessedand at the sametime giving,my Mud- dler a critical examination. It was,I decided,tied far too full for the bottom-hugging retrieveit would needto imitate the recentlydeparted sculpin. Usingmy leaderclip persI hackedaway brutally at the abundanceof deerhair before arrivingat a miser- ablelooking but considerablyreduced Muddler. Retyingit to the leader,I left a *rort dropperof line to which I attacheda tiny shot. With the coalsof hopeglim-

30 meriru, I false casta couple of times and sent the weightedMuddler zingingpast fty ear to plop into the water fifty feet away. KeepirUthe rod tip nearly in the water, I brought the fly scootingtoward me in a seriesof pulls and pausesthat I figured would best imitate a sculpin. The smoldering coalsof hope were nearly out by the tenth castor so. Then, at mid-retrieve,the loose coils of line snappedup off the floor and went sizzlingthrough my fingers. The rod hoopedtightly and a big cutthroat cameswirling just under the surfacewith the scragglyMuddler imbeddedin his nose. A few minuteslater, as I wasreleasing the fat, l6-inch trout, the coalsof hopewere in full flame. The sight of a pod of cutthroat driving hundredsof herring into shallow water, sometimesalmost onto the beach,is a real blood boiler for the avid fly fisherman. This phenomenonusually takes place at the crackof dawnon an incomingtide. It can provide sorn€sensational fishing for the guy who can properly manipulatea sparsely-tied,three-inch candlefish or herrirg pattern. This anglingsituation often lendsitself to the beachfisherman who hasthe advantageof beingable to work his fly toward shore. But this opportunity should not be ignored by the boat angler. A fly rnovingthrough the field of action - in any direction - is liable to be smacked by a frenzied cutthroat. The two retrievesused here arethe fast, skipping action of a baitfish fleeingalong the surfaceand a slow, erratic retrieveof short pulls and fluttering pauseswhich emulate dazedor crippled forage fish. Thereare no hard,fast ruleson workirg a euphausiidor shrimppattern. During early spring when sea-runkelts havereturned to salt water this pattern is likely to be takenon just about any retrieve. Most anglersfind, however,that shrimpflies pro- ducebest when retrievedat a depth of five to ten feet, at the edgesof foreshorerips, usingsix to twelveinch pulls. The shrimpfly is evendeadlier when used in tandem. Sincefirst trying a two-fly strap a few yearsago in salt water, I haveseldom employed the fly asa single. Usinga pair of size 8 Pink Shrimpstied on well-honedWright- McGill I 197Nhooks and spacedabout I 2 inchesapart on my leader,I haveenjoyed someoutrageously good springseason fishing for sea-runcutthroats. If the multitude of gantron-bodiedattractor flies usedfor sea-runsrepresent any of hissalt-water food forms,it is probablythe euphausiid,although the representation wouH haveto bo consideredloosely suggestiveat best. For the most part, bright, tinseledattractor patternssimply offer the flash and color that is so appealingto all trout and salmon,especially during the autumnmonths prior to spawningmigrations. In additionto beingexcellent in autumn,a good attractor,such as the PolarShrimp or Conwayshould always be kept readyas a change-upfly at any time of year. During thosefrustrating periodswhen foragingsea-runs are mysteriouslyshunning my best sculpin or shrimp flies, changingto an attractor pattern often brings fast action. The retrievesused for other cutthroat flies apply in kind to attractors. The best retrieve muchof the time is a repetitionof the tried-and-true,foot-long pulls. Detailing everysalt-water hot spot throughout the Alaska-to{alifornia rangeof the coastalcutthroat trout would require listing everybay, beachand cove on the map. A good placefor the interestedangler to beginin the cutthroat questis with legional fish and gamedepartments and travel bureaus. All havepamphlets and bro- churesavailable that should list coastalareas that hold sea-runs.In addition, most localfly and tackleshop proprietors will serveup a reasonablehelping of information in refurn for the purchaseof a few flies, luresor wheelsof tippet material. Another goodsouice of informationon sea-runsare regional publications such as the Salmon Trout St eelheader magazine. The searchfor new and challengingwater is a vital part of the sport of sea-runcutthroat fhhing. Invefound sea-runcutthroat anglingof an adventurousnature on BritishColumbia's Vancouver Island and equallyexciting fishing within minutesof my Ga Harbor,Wa*rington home. Actually, PugetSound and Hood Canaloffer such 3l geat anglingfor sea-runsthat I really haveno excusefor traveling,other than an on- goingneed to prospectnew water. No matter how fixated an angleris to seekinghis trout in a gurglingrun or shaded cutbankof a stream,the salt-waterresource should be explored. It is breathtakingly vast,often bountiful, andusually open year-round for the honorablepunuit of sea run cutthroattrout. ChapterThree Estuariesand Tide Flats

uring the na.stse-vepl years, extensive studies by fishoriesbiologists have enlight- enedus to the vital significanceof estuarieson the fish living within or. river systerns.Frorn the point of total salt water, to the sweet-sal-tblendinj at"o"Jtal the up fe.rmg*t rg,achelof tidal thrust, river estuariesare playpensfor the yourg ulnAr"nrtu- ariesfor adult fistr of the anadromousworld. gstuariei also attract native salt-water speciessuch as',flounder'and sea pcrch, while fresh-waterregioenis iik; ;ril;rq;- fish and sttlrgeqnoccasionally venturedownstream into brackishwater for brief periodsof time. Estuariqecah b€ born of wild, pristine streamsthat come tumbling out of steep, llyferluilted mountainson VancouverIsland and Washirgton"sOfmpic Peninsula. gentle $.htrygl_..f _qqline,meandering in shallowfingers through milei of marshy flljt T*-SF-gt q.lANisqually deltasare classicexamples of the-latter. Each estuary .fU * infinitely different from the other, but all sharethe essontialctraracterisiic of the sweet th*tru. watgr and salt. An anglerneeds only to spendone day t*Jging the.beachesand_flats of any given estuaryto realizethe pulsingrhythm of life that is tllnttg placein this critically important environment. A clean.tt""Utt" oto- Id"s ? cornucopiaof wildlife needs.Those decimated by the handoi -"n,-uiu-s*"tt,rurv FranciscoBay and the lower Hudson River in New york, becomebarren in a few short, tqgt" yearu. - Most WestCoast estuary flats - with the exception of thosethat havesuffered trom proximity to largecities, industrial wastedischarges, or siltation from careless - Pry".l8ln{-ttoltly cons$uction are relatively cleanand extremely food-rich. Bio- logircalstudies have shown that rnost salmon,steelhead and cutthroat rnigratinsdown- strcamwiththe springfrelhets, spendconsiderable time in theti.rkdfiimJlirrt"- Ty -watelbgfore transcendingto the bays and oceanproper. The abundan"i of Uottr fiesh an{ salt-waterplankton swirling through the estuarycunents and tide flows attracls herrirg, candlefishand euphausiidsin fantastic nurnbers. The estuariesare, lhelgfore' frleal-for y-oungsaknon starting on a two to four-year cycle of salt-water leedingand perfect fol.t1t""at kelts foraglngactively to reooup strengthlost dur_ 11tstne sgawninsordeal. Sincethe se:l-runinviriably itots r,is UeatclosJ to the shoreline, anglersygrfcin* estuaryand tide flat beaches easyrange of light spinninggear or a fly rod. "rtr.*p."ii*"itine-u.ti;;thin Although estuaryfishing could be sandwichedin with other salt-waterangling, it

33 doeshave some important differencesthat make it a specialgame. Fint" the estuaries and tide flats offer prime cutthroat fistring in early spring and late fall, whilte the salt- water peaksin mid-summer.The trout are alsomore concentratedin the estuariesand flats than they are in the lessconfined boundariesof largebays. Second,the beachesbordering river estuaries- and theseoften rneanderfor miles - can be fished effectively with little needfor a boat. In salt-watera boat is indispen- sablefor reachingcertain bays and inlets. This is not to saythat a boat cannot be used for estuaryfistring, especially on the largerestuaries, but muc:hestuary fishing is very well suited for the personcasting from shore. While trolling is a productive method of fishing the tidal estuaries,it is the light spinningoutfit or fly rod that will afford the anglertop sport. Cutthroat actively feed alongthe strallowson incoming tides. Thesefish take a hook aggressivelyand fight with incrediblespirit againstlight tackle. There is alwaysthe chancethat your offering will be grabbedby a broad-shoulderedadult salmonor steelhead.The battle following sucha hookup is usually short and sweetunless you play the critter patiently and are blessedwith a fair measureof luck. Eventhe lossof a big estuarydweller has benefit asit can furnish tinder for many a campfireyarn. Although beachfishing along the estuaryflats startedrather slowly in Washington, it hasgained momentum in recentyears to a point where someestuaries that are easily accessiblehave suffered a noticeabledecline in sea-runcutthroat. The estua,ryreaches of Oregonrivers have provided a popular fishery for yearsboth for native sea-runsand hatchery plants. tn nritistr Columbiathere is a dedicatedclan of fly roddersand spin fishermenwho prowl the beachesof the mainlandjust horth sf Vancouveras well as VancouverIsland. The successof theseCanadian anglers in fishing sea-nrns(with a substantialnumber of three to five pound fish showingup in their catches)has attracted quite a number of American anglersnorthward to British Columbia strictly in searchof that truly "big" sea-run. Before digginginto the technicalaspects of fishing the estuariesand tide flats, a point should be madethat is of specialimportance to the anglerwho hasbeen accum- tomed to fishing small streamsand ponds. The sprawling,grassy flats of an estuary

34 lack the treegirded closenessthat comfortably surroundsstreams and lakes. Instead of pine needles,the air will smackpleasantly of salt. At first glancethe entire flat will seemfar too vastand intimidating to be fistredwith light tackle. Take heart that this apprehensionwill vanishmagically when the first cutthroat slamsinto your lure or fly. As a youngsterof twelve or thirteen, my companionsand I enjoyed seemingtyend- lesslate summerand early autumn days "river" fishing an inclining beachthat was,in .fact, a classicestuary flat. The estuarywas that of the Elk River, primary feeder ,streamto the small,south arm of GraysHarbor, not far from Westport,washington. My amigosand I would spendthe better part of two hours crashingthrough belts of vine mapleand jungles of devil's club, then haveto skirt a widenslack water sloughto reachthe short, log-strewnbeach. The Elk River estuarywas of long incline, primarily a mud flat on the low tide with the river forming a thin, blue-grayrib- bon down the centerof the mtddy expanse. On the flood, though, the action along that little beachwas capable of triggeringffronumental excitement to a young fisherman. The Elk ran brassybut clearall summerlong in those days. Thpri wur no settle- ment along its length and its wild, greenwatershed had not yet beenravaged by gypo loggug. Our gearwould haveto be calledrudimentary at best. I recallthat my entire sup ply of extra teiminal riggingfit with tittle trouble in one of thoseholding files having little envelopes,springs, and felt pages.My rod, not unlike thoseof my friendb,was a threepiece, split canefly rod that had beenrepaired in two spots. But for the frac- tures,it wasa reasonablygood stick. My reel was a single-actionShakespeare in good working order that held fifty yards or so of backingline underone of the old "dollar" E levelenameled fly lines. With this rig I could strip-castmy few spinnersand spoons,drift worms and eggclusters, or slap out a fly a short distance. It was neither fly rod or castingrod, however- it wasmy fishingpoh. During the high tides of late summerwith the sun beatingthe beachrocks uilcoff- fortably hot for bare feet, the estuarywould be alive with cutthroat and schoolpof small chinook and silver salmonof about l2 inches. There were also a few Dolfy Var- den, though they didn't frequent the Elk in great numbers. Essentially,it wasthe saltersthat held our attention sincethey would strike readily and often swirl at a lure right nearour feet. Seeingthe green-goidtrout so nearprovided a continual downbeat for chorusesof youthful "oohs and ahs." The estuarywas easily fished with drifted cluster eggsand spinners.We caredlittle that the sea-nrnswere after nymphs,sculpins and tiny shrimp. Our spinners,eggs, and sometimesworrns, could alwaysbe reliedupon to tally a few trout. It was also9n the Elk that I had my first experiencewith flies. I had just five patterns in one of the envelopesof my folder. They were bright little wets on short, gut snellc I can rememberjust two patternsby name: The ParnrecheneBelle and the Gray Hackle Red. Up to that fateful day I had nevertried flies sinceI couldn't Lon- vince myself th*t any self-respectingcutthroat would prefer a feather-coveredhook to a juicy eggcluster or worm-strungspinner. On the day that the flies were triednI had performeda headerover a log on the way to the estuary,spilling our entire bait supply amongthe roots of a fierce standof 9"ytl'l club. Later, at the river I lost rny two beat-upspinners to a pesky snagthat had lodgedin our drift during a late springflood. This left my partnerslwiththeir own meagersupply of spinnersand me with the five snelledflies. I tied the ParmecheneBelle to my leaderand madea few attemptsto castthe thing. It refusedto ttlrn over a$I thought it should so I snuggeda small sirothalfway up the Ieaderand another directly to the end of the fly line. The next coupleof falsecasts humrnedths Belle by my ear, but the castdid land sometwenty feei out and was 35

rl L- ---* ;., I ri quickly sweptdownstream. Whenthe fly arced,I felt a slamming,nene-shattering strike and strippedin an empty leader. My partneri weregoggle-eyed and I wasvisibly shakenby the joh which was so different irom a gentle egg-clusterpickup or eventhe strike at a spinner. Tying on the Gray Hackle Red, I againsqueezed a shot onto the leaderand cast. The fly caughtin my parits. Getting it loose,I madeanother twenty-foot toss and receiveda second strife on the arb of the drift. This time a thick-shoulderedcutthroat iippqd through thg green+ronzezurface and camedown with a splat. The fly broke at the snellknot, andl nearly broke into tears. With just three flies remainingin my depletedfolder, I plowed off through the woods for home. All the way I was thinking bad thoughts ibout an unknown fly tier who dressedhis patternswith such miserablyweak gut. It was more than a month later before I delvedinto my remainirg three flies. It wasone of the first cold days of Septemberand the sky wasbuilding up a fierce black- nessout over the oceanbeach to our west. Merganserswere flying just over the chop py surfaceof the bay and a few teal werebuzzing our drift. The first big spawning iirinooks had arrivedand were rolling and splastringwith gusto as they felt the fresh water of the Elk. We carefully avoidedchinooks and cohosin thosetimes since hooking one invariably meani a lost spinnerif not a broken rod. It wasthe sea-runs we wanted,but for somereason, they were stayingcompletely away from our best castsand brightestspinners. In desplration, I iied on aiiny palmeredfly' Two castsbrought nothing, but on the third effort I was in business.A cutthroat smackedthe fly, cartwheeledand pulled for the centerof the drift. Having survived the strike, I now felt confident that I could ply a ligfit enoughhand to land the trout' And land it I did. My partnershammered on my back while I just stood there and admiredthe fat, lS-inch sa trout with my little fly stuck through its upper lip. From that day on, my Grscarabark savingswould still purchasespinners, but there werealso a few snelledflies in the bag everytime I left the local store. A few yearslater, I againmade an assaulton the harvesttrout at an estuarytidal pool. My tackle had becomemore sophisticatedsince I had madea lucky purchaseat an Aberdeensecond-hand store of an excellent,used Granget bamboo fly rod com- plete with an oH but well-kept Hardy Perfectreel. The line wastapered silk and dark brown. It also showedyears of use but was still soft and wetish to tn'e touch. My flies were still carriedin the old foHer which, by this time, neededa rubber band to keep it secured. I had intended to work the drift below the Iron Bridge on the Humptulips River out of l{oquiam, Washington.It wasa Satqrdaymorning and the gravelbar, a known cutthroat spot, wasjammed with anglersanticipating the first arrival of harvesters. As yet, they had not shown in any numbersthat could be tetmed a "run" of fish. Finding no action and shot-throughwith the impatienceof youth, I went exploring and eventuallywound up almost at the tide flats where one old-timer wasplunking a slow-movingtidal flow. Parkingmy jalopy, I checkedthe old man out and was astoundedto seethat he had two whopping sea-runsstashed in the marshgras. Moving down the mud-slick beach,I dug through rny flies and cameup with a small, tinseledbucktail. Cutting the leaderback a step sincethe water wasmurky, I bent the fly on and started casting. Twenty minutei of effort brought me nothing except one good "follow" which I didn't capitalizeon. Rebuildingthe tippet, I attacheda small brassColorado in front of the fly and.next castnearly collided with a cutttroat. I set the hook and the battle wason. Lettittg the slack slip free, I got the cutthroat onto the reel quickly so there would be no chanceof a'stray coil of fly line hangingup to give the trout neededleverage to break the leader. He fought hard,jumping more frequently than most, and took a good five.mirtutesto beach. When I held him up at last, the old man estimatedthe sleekfish at three pounds. Though this seemedon the high side,I didn't argue. The old-timer took two more fine, silvery trout with his still fishing and I totalled three with my spinnerand fly. For the remainderof the seasonI stayedclear of the Iron Bridge crowd, insteadintercepting my cutthroat on the frirges of the tide flats on the Humptulips estuary. If the flood wasreasonably clear, I could take them with flies. If it was murky, a spinnerfor addedattraction usually brought action. With notable exceptions,such as the autumn pandemoniurnat the mouth of Cali- fornia's Klamath, or the legionsof anglersjammed alongthe sandbarsof the lower Columbia,the estuariesgenerally offer plenty of elbow room and al.mostendless angling prospects. This is a point worthy of note the next time your favorite upstream pool takeson the appearanceof a threatre lineup at the htest Woody Allen film. The importanceof estuariesto outmigrating,anadromous fish * as a feedingand fresh-to-salt-wateftransition area- hasalready been established, For an anglerplot- ting a foray onto pn esttiary,a more in-depth exploration is in order. The degreeof successpeople rcalizein fishing is usually reflected in the knowledgethey haveof the water their lures are runnipg through. In this regard,a quick study ofcoastal estuaries is forthcorning prior to getting on to the fishing techniquesthst work in thesevery specialanglirg areas. Coastalestuaries, whether of steep,rocky incline,sandy flat, or gentlemud-bottom slope,are broken down into three basiczones. The areawhich femainswater-coveredo evenat extremely low tides, either by salt water or the fresh water of an estuary stream,is knswn as the sub-tidalzone. The portion of an estuarythat is flooded at high tide and exposedto the atmosphereduring the outgoing tide is called the inter- tidal zone. The surroundingshoreline, under water only when an estuarystream is in 37 I spate,or during the highestwinter tides, is the supra-tidalzone. The bottom of the sub-tidaland inter-tidal zones,rocky, sandy,muddy or a combination thereof, is the substrate. Biologistshave defined evenfurther stratification within eachof the zones, but the anglerwith a generalknowledge of the three basictidal zonesand substrate can venture forth with confidencethat he hasa good chanceto connectwith foraging, carnivoroussea-run cutthroat. It is probably easiestto beginwith the massof microscopicplantc and,animals calledplankton. Washingdownstream in fresh water and into the estuaryfrom salt water on the high tides, plankton servesas a constantsource of food for herring, candlefishand shrimp, alsofeeding bivalves like the mussel,oyster and scallop. Upon dying, plankton settlesinto detritus of the zubstratemass, offering nutrients to mud- sifting fish, scudsand worms In the sub-tidaland inter-tidal zopes,aquatic plants flourish through the processof photosynthesis(the ability of greenplants to convert the energyfrom sunlight into food). The colonizationof eelgrassand. kelp makesavailable excellent pfotective coverfot mails, crabs,sand dabs and staghornsculpins. With nrch a fantasiic tnenu of potential entreeson hand, it doesn't take much mental exerciseto comprehend the attraction of estuariesfor the cutthroat and other predatory fish. The supra-tidalzone, while not vitally important to the anglerin termsof eatching cutthroat, is very irnportant habitat for many birds and mammals. On any given morning, the personwho walks lightly might seea blue heron, muskrator racoon prowling the estuarybanks searching for a clutch of musslesor, perhaps,a ghost shrimp that hasstrayed from its burrow. Peeringinto the shallowsalong the marshyedge of an q$tuary,one can becomeen- trancedby the drarnasthat unfold asa tiny mysid shrimp darts away from the lunge of a foragingstaghorn sculpin, or a tiny braceof crabs,pinchers at the rcady, face off over the rights to a bit of carrion. Interestingplace, an estuary,regardless of the zone. I quite often becomeso fascinatedby the activities carry.ingoh in the Salfoun or at the edgeof the supra-tidalzone that my rod inadvertentlybecomes a too-lfor poking and prodding rather than castinga line. An anglercan simply headfor the nearestestuary and haveat it, or he can do some drecking prior to slinginglures in all directions. I alwaysopt for the lstt€r and sched- ule my advancework during a low tide. At low tide I can easilyspot deadheads, stumps,deep spots and other cover throughout most of the subtidal ald all of the inter-tidal zone. Theseare the placesthat can be counted on to hold cutthroat from mid through high tide, but are sometimesdifficult to seeexcept at low water. I know a few anglerswho not only check estuariesout, but keep carefully documed.tedrrote- books completewith hand-drawnmaps of eachand every one they fish with any regularity. Within a few yearsthese diaries become texts of enviablevalue, contsining material that could givea lessstudious cutthroat fishermannotions of breakingand entering. The anglernew to salt-waterfishing will quickly discoverthat it is the tid.e,not the clock, that dictateshis fishing hours. I generallyfind that my best fistringwill be from about three hours before high tide, until perhapsan hour after it has turned. This rule of thumb seemsto hold true on both steepestuaries and thoseof long,gentle incline. With this abbreviatedportrait of an estuarycompleted, you are now aborrt ready to indulge in the greatrewards - and occasionalbitter disappointments- of seeking the sea-run. Techniqueswill consistprimarily of strong fundamentalssince locating searunsis often more difficult than hooking them when they arefound. If you arepatient and diligent, working plant-life concentrationsand lure-grabbingsnqs without fretting the lossof a little terminal gear,you will eventuallysucceed. The personfavoring the cleanerplaces that are fishedwith lesseffort will likely becomediscourdged and not be in your way next season.

I L SPINNING

Without a trace of hesitation(although I haveno data to support my statement) I'll say that spinningis far and away the most popular method of fishing sea-run cutthroat. Spinningtackle that will get a personstarted can be purchasedrather in- expensively,and the equipmentis easilymastered. I havefound that the samespinning outfit I employ for other salt-waterfishine servesme well on the estuaries.The little Cardinal3 reel filled with good four-pound test monofilament ahd the slender,Wright-McGill fiberglas rod are more than adequate for sea-runsand small salmon. When fishing certain estuariesthat haveruns of bright, eagercoho saknonin the fall, I sometimesjump the line weight up to six-poundtest. This givesme a fair chanceat a coho while still allowing me to castcutthroat-sized lures easily. r The vest poc$etsof a spin fishermanshould be stuffed with a variety of spoons, jigs, plugs,spinner.s, shot and spinningweights, swivels, leader spools, scissor$, and all the other paraphernalianeeded for the functional and creativsdressing of terminal gear. There are excellentcutthroat fishermenwho get by with,a minimum of gear and if you are cut'from this cloth, more power to you. I prefer to,haveevery possible offering and setupwhen I do my estuaryspinning not only to better my odds of con- nectingwith a,fishor two, but to buffer me from the insecurityof walkingaround all day knowingthat one of my vestpockets is totally empty.

Larcs fot seamtns, Almost any of the lure types pbtured berc lolill take sea-nns in sab aater or fresb. As in salt-waterangling, I find that weightedspoons sink far too rapidly for my likine. The trollinftype.apoons with castingweight regulatedwith shot, clamp-on m spinningleads are much preferred,more effectiveand not as often lost to grasg deadheadsor rocks. Bait, such asherring strips, sandworms and shrimp can be wed with great success for cutthroat. A strip of herring or worm chunk combinedwith a small,yellow or white jig can be pure murder on an erratic retrieve. Shrimp are effecfive when drifted with the tidal flow, or slowly retrieved. The shrimp should be kept about four feet underthe surfacewith the depth controlledby useof a plasticfloat. How- ever,bait is not essentialto successfulestuary fishing. Artificials generallydo quite well and are not as bothersometo handle. While sorneestuary shorelines could be easilywalked in a pair of street shoes,the 39 old hip boots or chestwaders are a must for the guy who plansto get seriousabout this sea-runcutthroat business.The small pram, or cartop boat usedin other salt- water angling,can be gainfully utilized here aswell. It hasalways seemed to me that much of the enjoymentrealized in sea-runfishing is wadingout to meet the fish halfway. I rarely use my pram. This particular point shouldbe regardedas a biason my part and nothing more. Obviouslythere is often needfor a prim in reachingcertain hshy looking places,or congregationsof feedingsea birds that cannot be approached by wading. In choosinga startingspot on an estuary,I beginat the nearestpoint of good cwer (one of the placeslocated durirg the important pre-angling,low-water scouting ven- iures). I alwayslook for signsof activity like panicky baitfish breakingthe surface followed by the substantialswirls of foragingcutthroat. Another signto watch for is flocks of surface-feedingsea gulls' $ gthering of boisteroussea gulls invariabtyindi' catesan assortmentof feedingpredators herding the bait from below. Large,herring gulls can indicate most any type of forage,while the small, black-headedBonaparte gull will usuallybe found feedingon shrimp or euphausiids.The type of forage doesn'treally matter a whole lot. Trappedshrimp ora school of baitfish t'orcpdinto a ball instantly signalschow call for Sea-runcutthroat, along with saltnon,flounder and every other predatorin the estuary. An anglercarefully workir4 the mar$insof suchactivity can enjoy action that he had previouslyonsidered to be reservedfor the McClanesor Schweibertsof the anglingworld. I nearly alwaysstart my spinningwith a Shoffs Triple Teaserspoon, gold-colored with a fluorescent,orange-tipped nose. My secondchoice would be the same lure in silver,or a similar Andy Reeker. There iue no big secretsin cutthroat spinning It is lure in through all depths. -y ' a gameof castingto known coverand bringingthe lf tiipte Teaserdoesn't bring reasonablyquick action, I will switch to a spinno lly or .mill plug. The sea-run,while beingvery aggressive,can alsobe frustratingly choosy at times. I nevercut cornerson lure selection. To illustrate the importanceof lure variety and retrievemethods, an incident which occurredduring Octoberof 1977 comesto mind. I wasworking my way down a little estuarywhich feedsHood Canal. My third or fourth casthad resultedin a hook-up with a thrashingl3-incher which wasreleased unharmed. A little later, a slightly smallercutt camefiom the backsideof a grass" thatched clump to nail the sametarnished spoon. There was no doubt in my mind that I had the right lure for this situation. Further on, niar the mouth of the estuary,there is a hugelog, partially beached and slantingdown through the inter-tidal and sub-tidalzones' Through the yearsthis mammothold deadheadhas become the home of barnacles,snails, worms, mussels and algae. It also providesperfect cover from which the sea-runcutthroat can slash out to blind-sidea passingmorsel. The "log hole" hasprovided a wealth of action for me overthe years;it alwaysreceives an intensivebombardment of lurcs from all angles. My first castdrew.no attention, but my secondtoss brought a masofte,broad- shoulderedcuttirroat of eye'poppingdimensions out from under the log for a look at my spoon. I wasstill suckingair when he furned casually,and slid baek under the log. Another castbrought him out again. Getting a good broadsidelook at the big sea-run,I knew that it wasat least l8 incheslong, a beauty by anyone'sstandards. But once more it turned away after a quick examinationof the lure. I was trem' bling from the secondlook at the monster,slightly frustrated that,he didn't take, but not defeatedsince I knew that it waslooking for somethingto pdund., I just had to figure it out. A coupleof lure changesbrought no responseat all and I was beginniry to think that the big sea-runhad movedto a new location. Tying on a small,pearF,pink Flat- fish,I castwell beyondand upstream of the log. As the plug camewobbling into rny

4A i

viow, which wasalso the cutthroat's view, I stoppedthe retrieve to let the sinker take the plug on an erratic nose-divetoward the bottom. WhenI picked up the retrieve the sea-runcharged out and grabbedthe plgg, turned back under the log and exited on the otlrer side. My little reel buzzedand the frail line rubbed alongthe barnacle- encrustedunderside of the log asthe cutthroat continued boring downstreamuntil the line went slack. Reelingin, I wasurprised to find that the line was frayed, bUt had held together. The plug on the other hand, wasa total messwith a broken hook and the entire rear half of the body smashed. Losirg the big sa-run was,of @urse,a disappointment. By making the proper ad- justmentsof lure and tactics, lrowever,I gnvemyself a mark in the plus colurnn. The point that I hope you will gleanfrom this episodeis that lure selectionand tactics arethe,criteria for successin sea-runcutthroat fishing. Whenfirst you experiencethe swirling rap of a sea-rungrabbing your lure, keep it in mind that hereis a fhh that hasreached mlturity feedingon the super-nutritious fare of salt water. His strengthand durability will be much geater than a fresh-water trout of similar size. The sea-runmust be played carefully on light tackle with a firm, yet gentle hand. For largefish, the reel'sdrag must be smooth and steady,and if an exceedinglylusty specimengets too closeto entanglingcov€r, a bit of finger pressure againstthe reel's spoolrim is the only additional turning force to try. Robust crank- rng on the drag,or snubbingdown tightly on the spool will only rezult in tearingthe hook out and irfury to the fhh. Sea-runcutthroats of all sizesseem to havea built-in instinct to know where to head when they are hooked. If there is evena tiny snagor patch of eelgrassclose by, you can count on the sea-runto headfor it. It is here that a spinningrod of at least6th feet is advisablefor steeringthe line clear of the many obstaclesa fighting cutthroat managesto locateduring the heat of battb. More than once I haveseen anglers raise theif rods overhead,holdiry onto just the bottom few inchpsof cork handle in order to guide their linesaround grassor other tidal flotsam that could haveallowed a hefty cutthroat an avenueof escape. Any spin fishermanwith a trace of adventuringspirit in his blood will surely find estuarbsand tide flats to his likine, They don't afford the security that somepeople seekin lakesand streamsthat are heavily stockedwith cheese-hungryhatchery trout. But then, the personpushing out to the estuarieshas usually long sinceoutgrown the needto rnea$rrehis anglingrewards in the numbersof parr-markedrainbsws he has killed.

FLY FISHING

There is somethingabout the combination of estuaries,fly rods and sea-runcutthroat that prompts me into somereally monumentalstages of fantasy. Thesefan- tasiescould, I suppose,be symptomatic of a few loosewireg I strongly suspect, though, that there is a lValter Mitty syndromethat surfacesin most anglerswhenever they are fishing in placesthat hold particular meaningfor them" lVhen I am garbed in my thick, water-repellettsweater, rumpled woolen hat (mmplete with Field and Streambadgp), and my vest is properly adangle with scisors, leaderstraighteners and the like, I slip very easilyinto the skin of Ray Bergmanor Ted Trueblood. I haveno tnruble at all imaginingmyself drinking a noon bourbon frorn a tin cup with Robert Traver. An estuarytakes on very personaldimensions for me during sucrrltirnes - private, tranquil and utterly pleasant. Although I do usespinning gear on occasionand cannot recommendit too highly for castinglight lures long distances,nearly all my estuarycutthroat fishing for the pastsercral years has been with the fly rod. This favoritism is due, in part, to the fact that I grew up with fly fistring. The rods, reels,lines,hooks, feathers,even the undeniabb pomposity of the sport, havebecome a vestedpart of my life. 4l The old Scientific Anglersand Fenwick six-weightsthat I usefor salt-waterfishing servevery nicely on the dstuariesas well. A singlJaddition to the venerabletwosome is a Shoff-Fenwickcustom nine-foot graphiterod for a five-weightline. My eieht- weight rods are held in reservefor useduring blustery conditions,but unlesscasting becomes_reallytough, they are seldomuncased. Anyone who is contemplatlngso4le estuaryfly fishing can figure that the rod currently shoulderingthe load for his other trout anglingis going to be fine for searun cutthroat aswell. A moderatelypriced rod or bargainbasement waders will do the job in many cases. A cheap,poorly madefly line is a different prospect. It will limit your fisldng cor siderably. For many yearsI haveextolled the virtues of Scientific Anglersfly lines and am obviouslysold on them for all of my fishing. Scientific Anglersoffers lines of everytype and taper. They havelines that will float forever,and othersdesigned with sinking front sectionsof ten, twenty or thirty feet. The sinkirU linesoff,cred by Sci- entific Anglersare rated to sink slow, fast, extra-fastand super-fast- arange that allows an anglerto swim a fly through most fishablewater and tide flows eniountered anywhere. The productsof Cortland, Berkley and Sunsetare also availablein a wide selectionof tapers,floating and sinking,and are worth a long look by the personwho is shoppingfor a new fly line. In selectinga fly line, there are certain trade-offsthat must be consideredsince there is no fly line on the market which incorporatesevery desirable feature. A rrery soft, easy-to-handleline will not havethe tough surfaceof a more durable,but slightly stiffer line. A weight-forwardline with a rather stubby front taper will be superior to a double taper for kicking a bucktail into the teeth of a breeze,but it will lack the delicacyneeded for the gentleturnover of a long leadercarrying a tiny partridge spider. with linescosting anywhere from $15 to $30 a copy, 4arnedfew apong us are going to rush out and buy one of each. Fortunately for the sea-runcutthroat as- pirant, a floatingline will spanmost conditionsand a sinking-tipline will handlethe backupchores. SinceI considerfly fishing on estuariessomething more than a casualpastime, the lines I carry rangefrom floatersto full sinkers,from weight forwards to double tapen. And I may usethem all during a day of fishing. For a lessenthusiastic angler, a weight forward line is the best choice. The floating line, in somelight color, shouldbe pur- . chasedfirst. A high-density,ten-foot, sinking tip line shouldbe procuredat the earliestpossible date. Be certainto get a standardweight forward line, no matter how diligentlya salesmanmay attempt to sellyou on the meritsof a "bassbug" or "salt-water" taper. A standardweight forward line hasa reasonablylong front taper, designedto offer a compromisebetween distance and presentation. The more com- pact,and stubbyfront taperof a specialtyline (whateverappealing name it may have),is intendedfor "throwing" bulky streamersand poppen,which shouldneyef be confusedwith castinga fly. In the original edition of this book, I ineluded formulas for the building of two basic,tapered leaders - one of sevenfeet and the other nine feet. I rarely take time to build theseleaders anymore, using instead the excellentsinglastrand liadefs manu- facturedby Berkley,Cortland, and Orvis. A nine-foot,single-strand lcader, tapered to 2X (7 pound test) to which 36 inchesof 3X (5 pound test) is addedwill turn overa No, 6 or 8 wet fly very neatly. If it isn't quite asgood asa custom-tiedleader, any differencethat I candetect is not worth mentioning Flies usedin estuariesare the sameas those employedin the more open salt water. The herringand candlefishimitating bucktails, shrimp, sculpinsand atiiactorg all have momentsof deadliness.Bucktails and sculpinsshould be kept to a lengthof about threeinches, tied on a hook no largerthan a 4X long No. 6. Shrimppitterns can be tied on hooksfrom sizes12 to 4, and attractorswill be most usefufwhendressed on 2X long hooksin sizes6 and 8. An exceptionto the standardpatterns of note is the suddenpopularity of tiny, 42 EstWlt pttents for seo-tus, Top tow: Beacb Fly, Sbgtt filin- ryw;,bottom rou: Trottq\ pink Feed, Coho Backtoil.

lgtselY tied soft-hacklepatterns like the Gray Hackle Yellow and PartridgeSpider. Tied on No. l2 and 14 hooksand fishedin clearwater conditionson long leaden, thesewispy little patterrrswill enticemature salmon and steelhead in addition to $ea-runcutthroat. Fly fishing tactics on estuariesdiffer little from spinning;the fly must be carefully worked to all sidesof the availablecover. Retrieveiof the ity are the sameas those -usedin salt water proper. It is a rather simplegame by almost everyangling standard, but a constantstate of anticipation keepsthings from everbecoming dull. UnlessI am fishing an estuaryof steep,rocky incline where I am iure that a sink- ine line will be needed,I alwayi start out with a floater. on small.rt"urirt, *rt"il presentationmay proveto be critical, I usea double taper line, while on those of greaterwidth and depth, I opt for the additional distante I can squeezefrom a weight forward. One advantageof a floating line in cutthroat fishing is that it can be quite easily picked up and redirectedseveral feet to the right or left if a cruisingcutlhroat should strow. I havehooked numeroussea-runs by Gne the responsivr.fr-uturtriirti;;i. floating line. It is an exercisethat can be difncuit with a sink tip line, and impossible with spinningtackle. Another advantageof the floating line is that you can manipulatethe fly very {owlv without worryrng about tangt& up in snagqgrass or ro"[s. The depfh that a fly is allcwed to sink is controlled by the length of the leaderbeing used. This is e-sneciallVimportant when usingthe tiny spider patternswhich are most deadly on a slow, hackle-flutteringretrieve very closeto cutthroat cover. - The importanceof putting a fly within inchesof prime cover cannot be too strongly stressed.This ruh is infrinsic to all kinds of fishing but is somethingcertain peopte neverseem to urderstand. The fact that it reflectsin their continually poor suicess doesn'tseem to makemuch difference. An experienceI had on the Union River estuary, near Belfair on Hood Canal,just last fall, is a perfect exarnpleof what I mean. I had arrived at the estuaryan hour later than I had plannedand wasretieved to see only one other car around. Assemblingmy five-weightgraphite, I headeddown the path and soon noticed the anglerfrom the other car. He was yanking and flailing on his spinningrod in an effort to pull free of a snagnear the far bank. The line finally parted with a resoundingsnap and he quickly reeledin the slackbefore moving on. A cutthroatswirled next to the snagjust asI got there. Knotting a PolarShrimp to my tippet, I startedcasting. on the fourth or fifth cast,with the fly drifting

43 dangerouslyclose to the potential entanglement,the sea-runtook. It wasa small fish of perhapsa foot in length, but its effort was spirited and the battle set the tone for my day. Upon releaseit shot back toward the snagand I continued down the estuary path. The spin fishermanstayed ahead of me aswe continueddown the estuary. He was carefully avoidingany placesthat might grab a lure, castinginstead into open areas wherealmost nothing will grab a lure. This wasfine with me sinceit left virtualty every prime spot unsulliedfor my flies. I hooked five or six fish before I finally caughtup with the guy where the estuarywidens out into Hood Canal. "You're doin' pretty good," he said,eyeing my fly outfit ratherintently. "Thanks," I returned. Seemto be quite a few cutts moving in today." He nodded,then said,"Yup. But there aretoo damnedmany snagsin here for good fishin'. Cutthroat stay in so closeto that stuff that a guy can loseall his good lurescastin'to'em." With that heturned and headedback up the estuary. I waited a few minutesbefore following. There was no hurry. He wouldn't be competingfor the best places- too many snags. when fly fishing the mouth of an estuary,it is often necessaryto wadeout past drifting flora, the heavykelp and eelgrassconcentrations. Waders are needeOwittr a good tight belt aroundthe waist to keep out water in caseof a dunking. Thesespots aredifficult to fish evenwith a floating line. A strippingbasket is a must for keeping loosecoils of line from drifting and wrappingup in the vegetation. Neveravoid these places,even though they can inspire someextremely creativestrings of swearwords. Such"groves" attract bait in heavyconcentrations which, in turn, attract the cutthroat. Castsmust be pin-pointed into small pocketsand slots. Retrievesmust be limited to just a few strips of line before a deft pickup is necessaryto evadea tangle. The possiblerewards at the mouth of an estuaryinclude feedingadult salmonin addl. tion to sea-mns.I recall one day a few yearsago when I had spentseveral hours

44 poundingthe water at the mouth of the little Dewatto River on Hood Canal. Arm- weary and chagrirredfrom the long siegeof castingwithout a strike, I decidedto give it a few morc castsbefore headingfor home. On the very next castmy little candlefish bucktail was clobbered. The rod hooped and in nothing flat the backing splice went chatteringthrough the guides. For a half hour I fought the fish before finally working it closeenough to be lifted ashoreon the toe of my wader. I went home that day without a cutthroat, but wasadequately compensated with a nine-pound chinook salmon. If you work estuaries,even just one or two for a period of years,you'll find that they alwaysteach you somethingnew. They will not, however,always give freely of their piscatorialbounty. I've often spentdays fishing an estuaryfrom bay to river proper without a strike. The next day I might hook a singlecutthroat and lose it after a jump or two, One more day might produce a dozenfish to three pounds,then nothing again. For this reasoncoastal estuaries qre not attractive to the anglingmasses who prefer the stackeddeck of a hatchery-stuffedlake.. This is asit should be. The masses only kill estuaries.

45 ChapterFour Fresh-WaterSpinning

.fllthough I haven't seenany statisticson the subject,I'll venture a guessthat the majority of sea'runcutthroat trout aretaken in fresh-waterstrearns by anglersusing spinninggear. Both in spring and fall, Washington'sloiver Skagitand the AlseaRiver in Oregongive up literally thousandsof sea-runcutthroat to an army of flshermen castingfrom both the bank and from boats. To a lesserdegree, this fishery is re- peatedon everyaccessible stream from Alaskato the California border. Even though artificial luresare remarkably effective, there is a legion of anglers who prefer bait. This is about as closeto a surething as I know. Small clustersof salmoneggs, drifted in a bottom-bumpingsteelhead technique, or a spinnertipped with a chunk of nightcrawler,are sheermurder on sea-runs.I firmly beiievethat if a masterbait fishermanwas given a blank check arrangementduring the fall run in a givensmall stream,he could completelyobliterate its entire native cutthroat population in ten days of hard fishing. I havenot personallyused bait on sea-runs'forseveral years good - and cannot in consciencerecommend it. It is my firm conviction that all roe-baitfishing for sea-runsin riversshould be sternlyregulated, if not outlawedcompletely. In addition to a few spoons,spinners and plugs(preferably with singlehooks), the spin fishermanwill needeither hip or chestwaders and a multi-pocketedvest. There is no placefor a tackle box in streamfishing sincethey are too often left'absently on a streamsideboulder to await a ride home in someoneelse's car. If you do not own a vest,by all meansget one. You will pay a hefty price for a top quality item but you cancount on it to last for years. The reason"forthis concentratedfishery, comparedto the scatteredangling in salt water and relatively light pressureon estuaries,is easilyexplained. M6st West Coastanglers are well versedin streamfishing and the sea-runsin a strearncan be lo- catedwith a minimum of effort. Additionally, many spin lishermenhapperr upon cutthroatswhile fishing the fall runs of coho and chinook salmonwhich are also ascendingthe streamsduring this period. No doubt aboutit, whensea-runs enter the streamseach fall, and outmigratein spring,their ranks are thinned considerably. The spin fishermanseeking salters in fresh-waterstreams should usea reasonable amount of sportingdiscretion in choosinghis tackle. This is to saythat he'should employ a rod, reel and line that will allow a two-pound cutthroat to direct the 46 earlystages of a battle,buthis outfit shouldhave suitable backbone to end the play fairly quickly. Extremelylong battlesagainst ultra-lite, hairline outfits will often kill cutthroat. The remodelledWright-McGill rod that I usefor salt waterand estuarywork gets the nod for streamspinning as well. With four-poundline on the little Cardinal3 reel I enjoy a good tussle,fromthe sea-runsand canhandle a cohoor jack chinookof about five poundswithout too much strain. For true, all-arounduse this outfit is too light and I stronlly urgeanyone planning to purchasea new rod and reel for PacificCoast stream fishing to selectsomething a shadeheavier. I almostalways wait until late Octoberor early Novemberbefore rnoving to the upstreampools of the cutthroatstreams. This comesfrom my beingan.uncompro- misingestuarian neurotic who would rathercast for the lastsalt-watir straggler ihan wait in anticipationof the cutthroatvanguard hitting the upstreampools. It is alsoa holdoverfrsm the daysof my youth sincethe manyrivers near my Aberdeen,Washing' ton homewere legend among local anglersas terrific "late" producersof exceptional- ly largecutthroat. The Humtulips,Hoquiam, Wishkah, Wynoochie and Satsoprivers all hostedlate runs then,aS they do today. I took somedqc.ent sea-runs from all thesestreams, but it wasthe Satsop,a tributary of the w"ide,slowmoving ChehalisRiver, that really held cutthroat of exceptional sizein good numbers. The sea-runcutthroat of the Satsopare brawling fighten who can leavea permn with burning memoriesand an achingwrist after a fruiiful day on the river. The numberof cutthroatover l5 inchesthat havebeen taken from the Satsopover the yearswould be staggering.It is truly a streamof "big" sea-runcutthroat. I can remernberone fish that an anglerfought for severalrninutes only to havethe hook pull out whenthe trout's belly hit the gravel.Those of uswatching the contesthad.a clear view of the salterand concurredthat it would haveweighed

47 at bast five pounds. The anguishedfisherman threw his rod 40 feet into the aldersas the sea-runshot back into deepwater. I'm sureI would havedone the same. Whenstream fishing, I look for sea-runsin the sameplaces that hold winter steelhead. Deep,rocky runs and pool tailouts attract cutts fresh in from tidewater, asdo brush piles,log jams and swirling back eddies. Hooking the cutthroat that are surely in theseplaces each autumn is a gameof penistence,with thorough and systematic @verageof all prospectiveholding water beingparamount to success. Whensettiru upon a drift, it is poor strategyto start firirg castsat the other bank eventhough this seemsto be an almost uncontrollableurge for many people. Cut- throat will be holding in the shadedprotection of the far undercuts,but thoy might alsobe stationeda rod's length or two from your bootstraps. The first seriesof casts should probe the waterjust far enoughaway that the bottom is not clearly defined. Ensuingcasts strould be graduallylengthened in an orderly manneruntil all water has beendutifully searched.The stan$ardwestern technique for this type of fishing is to castacross and slightly downstream,engage the reel bail and let the line tighten asthe lure swingsin a flashingarc back to the.angler's side of the stream. This method, also employedfor salmonand steelhead,is effective and simpleto master. Whena cutthroat jumps on a lure that is swingingthrough the last quarter of the arc, there is no doubt about it. Settingthe hook is purely academic. Sincehaving the lure nicking the bottom rocks on eachpass is not asvital to cutthroat fishing asit is for the efficient pursuit of salmonand steelhead,the acrossand slightly downstreamcast can be usedmost of the time. If t find that the stream's flow is of suchvolume that my lure may not be searchingproperly, I will not hesi- tate to castslightly upstream. The differenceof just a few feet in castingdirection will allow evenan eighth-ouncelure to sink deeply ihto the flow. Someanglers will makecasts well upstreamin an effort to allow a light lure sufficient time to settle before it tightensinto the "cutthroat arc". This is generallya poor practicesince the lure is not under control during much of its drift. Strikes,if they aredotected at all, are difficult to convertinto hooked fish becausethere is so much slackto pick up before a firm pull can be madeon the lure. If you find yourself makingthese upstream casts,go to a heavierlure that will sink faster and bump the rocks asit arcsback to your sideof the drift. Neverpass up a spot simply becauseit may be difficult to fish due to $nags,rocks, or brush. Cutthroatsdearly love suchplaces and are triggeredto dart out and snatch anything of edibleappearance that may drift by. The lower reachesof many great cutthroat riversflow through suchhabitat, and anglerswho succeedin fishing the sea- run feel that fighting the brush, snags,and log-jammededdies around mill pondsis an intregalpart of the game. One suchspot that I can rememberwas alongthe lower WynoochieRiver. The river,in this area,had a good beachon one side,but wasa hopelessnarl of rootE, brush and lowhanging limbs on the other. In castingfull acrossthe river, you were nearlyguaranteed the lossof terminal tackle. If a lure did manageto swim through the snarly maze,often as not, it wastaken by a cutthroat. After more than a we"k of losingtackle there, with only a few trout taken, I decidedto explore the possibitity of working from the brushy side. My effort beganin the predawn asI startedhacking with a small hatchet through the thick girdle of brush, Himilayas,and tiny alders. It took neartytwo hours to Chop out a narrow path and widen a vantageat the river's edge. My armswgre gouged and bleedingwhen the task wascompleted. Rreginga spinneron heavyleader ttrai I figured would work in the murky water, I wasdelighted to {ind that I could makea short castover the snagsand get an abbreviateddrift of the lure. A quick pickup at the end broughtmy spinnerback in good shape. After perhapsfive casts,a big cutthroat latchedonto the spinnerand thrashedto the surface. Giving absolutelyno line, I heavedmightily on the rod and the.sea,run 48 ffi

cameflopping wildly onto land. I droppedthe rod and doveinto the brushafter the still greentrcut. It wasa fitful severalseconds before I couldsecurely pin it down. It was 19 inchEslong and freshin from the tidewater. I took four big cutts that morning and althoughI went home looking like a second-placefinisher in a two'man race,I wasproudly convincedthat everymoment of the total effort had beenvery worthwhile. The "following" trait of the cutthroatremains in its makeupin freshwater as it doesin the salt. This irksomehabit of the fish can be the causeof countlessfutile lure changesand prolongedperiods of loud swearing.Changing lures will sometimes remedythe situationwhile swearinghas little effect on the fish; althoughit canbe of somementsl bertefit to the angler.Beating the followersin freshwater is accomplished exactly asit is on the bays and estuaries.As the lure and following trout closein, stop retrievingto let the lure flutter downwardfor a coupleof seconds,then quickly pick up the paceoRce more. I havebelabored the point, but to forgetthis stratagemof cutthroat fishing will causeyou more frustration than anyoneshould ever be subjectedto during a day on the river. The arcingdrift that works so well in pools of sufficient curent cannot be counted on whenfishing around brush piles, snags and backeddies. It is important, of course, to get the lure in closeto cover,but allowing a Meppsor Rapalatoo many tours undera tackle-grabbingmaze of branchestakes a real diceroller at today'slure prices.When I fish suchplaces I alwayscast in asclosely as possible, then start my rctrievebefore the lure getsinto dangerousterritory. If the lure looksgood, the sea- run will not lrsitate to travelsome distance to take a crackat it.

49 Experiencedanglers have many excellentand varied methodsof settirU up terminal tackle for cutthroat fishing. The followrng three illusbations are intended for the new angleras a baselinefor most WestCoast river fishing. Keep in mind that theseare ger erally useful terminal rigs,but areoften locally alteredto be more effectivein particular anglingsituations.

To the main line, a barrel swivelis attachedwith an improved clinch knot. UsilU another clinch knot, a leaderof about l7 inchesis attached,leaving a drort length hangingfrom the knot. To this tag end of leader,a piee of hotlow-oorelead is crimped. This outfit can be usedwith a tiny wingedluro suchas the Glo€o, or a 'Lil smallbobber-type attractor like the Corky. Leaderweights and hook sizescan be wide rangingdepending upon the fish being sought. Variationsof this setup are standardfor river salmonfistring and winter steelhsading.'

This setupis similar to the first rig with the exceptionthat no dropger line is ured for attachinglead wire. Castingweight is derivedfrom an appropriatenumber of split shot placedon the main line abovethe swivel. For low water conditkins and areashaving an abundanceof snags,this method seemsto ha4gup hss often.

50 Weightedlurcs are usuallyattactred directly tg the main line by usinga small snap svivef. Ttn important thing here is to be certairithat only high quality-,focii"g rnup swivelsare used. Someanglers refine this setupby addini a tinybanei swivel ig Tglo:.yq from the snap. This rcducesline twist, which ii alwaysa problem whin drift fishirg.

The sea-runcutthroat will slashwith recklessabandon at almost any lure during the early stagesof the fall run, a characteristicthat dominatesits personalityduring snrilu $e outmigration aswell. Along in October tfrougfi,wfren most of the run is in trom salt water and the spawningurge is strengthening,the easyfisling fadesrapidly. fryt.ttth time, until the first heavyiains of tie rc.*ii (usuaily about mid-November) light lines and luresare necessaryai the cutthroat becomescritically wary of a heavy- fogled approach,or oversizedoiferings. The spin fishermanwho hangsup liis tackle at summer'send to await the appearanceof the winter steellread-ismissing a great time in not fhhirrg the sea-runcuitt rout. Everyone who ownsa-spinning outfiishould give the sea-runairy. some may con- sider the sea-runnothing more than a filler for ttre gap betwien summeranO winier fishirg. others will decidethat the sea-runcutthroit may be the gru.trrt *.J;;' trout of them all.

5l *-_-,,-1 ChapterFive The Fly in FreshWater

here ate q,eoplewho will arguethe merits of fly castirrgover light spinningas the sportiestform of fishing tlre cutthroat. I would not, in my most abandoned mood, be sofoolish asto lend an iota of opinion either way. Suchnonsensical siOe- taking canbe the.cause9f split lips,broken bridgework - or, breachesof long- standingfrie,ndnhips at the very least. I useboth the fly rod and spinning tacile throughout the seasons.If my arm wastwisted and I had to rnakea choice between the two, I would take the fly_rod. My decisionhas nothing to co *itfr nv ii*fti"g U* i"g tl" supreme:fo1ryg.f angling,which is absurd,regardbJs of how *uny nv lirter- men try to make us believeit. I simply grew up with fly fishing and, quiie frankly, I like it best. After rny'_earlyadventures with flies on the Elk River estuary,it wasseveral sea- sonsbefore I usedtlwm againwith any consistency.Though I-diA discoverthat flies would work at the mouth of the Humptulips, ur *-etl u, upitr""* in itre *ain tit"r, f was not often gught without a few spinnerstucked away in a vestpocket. I was always,entrancedby ang rs on the riraerswho could managefly,tackie defily, and oould not help but notice that they usually held their oin *itt tftr t"tiiiiia*rt" f$_"-T gd,bgl drifters. There is one fellow I rememberquite l,iridly. He fistred on the WishkahRiver and wotld let.his fly dancealong the aicelemting fing"rr oicun.nt at a pool tailout for the longesttime searchingfor u'r"u-*n lhat would inevitablv oometo the pattern. Trying this strategymyself, I succeededonly in donatine hvo btlld newDaredevilsand a cherishedspinner to the rocks without turnine. drn. Eventually, th9 mv$iq-ue-offly fisrringgot under my skin sufficienfly that I was compelled go to into hock "for a few taperedleaders and a dozen or so [uality wet flies to suppkment rny rqggedand mea.gerassortment. I spliceda neat, newioop rn- to the lip of the fly line and varnishedit to a smooth-as-silkfinish. Wiitr ttre tine dressedand sportilg 3 ney leader,the Hardy cleanedand oiled anOtfre Cranger- waxed to a golden shine,I wasall set to get on with the businessof fly lishini in earnest. My castingabil'ity - -adeeuatefor the short flips madewith a Colorado Spinrrer, or the buckshot-aideddeliveries of wet flieson the estuaries- provedto be sorelv lacking for putting a fly line out on I cleal, fssl streamof fair wintft. proirtr"."] co.mbinedwith my careful observationof other, more proficient casters,finaiiy pre- vailed to a point where I coulil muster up a reasonably-straightcitst two times out

53 of three. My backcast,though, wasdistressingly low and it wasn't long until the beachrocks had claimedmost of my hook barbs. Sincequality flies, evenin thosedays, cost asmuch asspinners, I soon purchased a fly tying kit, thus addingone of the most rewardingof all facetsto my fly fhhing. Although my first patternswere woefully lacking in classicdimension, swam miser- ably and mmetimescame apart after a few casts,they did catctt cuttluoats. With stubborn pe$evemnceI struggledaway at the vice and within a short time was turning out somepretty nice Royal Coachman,hofessor, and Conway patterns that had at leastmore durabilif than the cursedhook points which continued to hangup in the beachrocks. The cutthroat, it seemed,were in sympathy with my home4ied patternsand robust delivery which, more often than not, senta minute tendril of willow branch,along with the fly. There were times when after a long sessionof fruitless pourding I wassorely tempted to resort to a reliableold spinner. Fortunately, the timelyn bulgingstrike of a starvedsea-run would put suchthoughts into temporary remls' sion. I wasfortunate to be a novice fly casterin the 1950'ssince every anglerwho did not fish with spinnen or bait wasa fly fhherman. For this rea$onI had the opportunity to obserraa great many excellentfly castersalmost every time I wason a river. If I didn't crowd them, they would often volunteer insightsto the finer points of the sport. During a singlemorning of fishing, I can recollect one veteranrebuilding my leader for a better turnover of the fly and a secondgent who gaveme a quick and concise schoolingin line mendingfor a better drift of the fly. A third anglerenlightened me to the luxury of roll casting. He called this offer up to me while I was unwind- ing my taper from the lower branchesof a streamsidealder.

54 One day on the Quinault River, a clear, hard-running stream draining Olyrnpic National Park, I washaving a miserabletime gettfng strikesin spite of the fact that everypool I tried waskicking out eutthroat, coho,jacks, and wen a few summer-run steelhead- for other anglers. One of the fi$ermen, a lean,graybeard wearing tat- tered canvasjacket, askedif he could look at my flies. I nodded and handedhim my folder. After a brief scan,he handedit back and said, "f6ss,p&tterns arejurt fine, but No. 6 hooks aremuch too largefor this clearwater.n' He then reachedinto a jacket pocket and produceda scarredup metal box that had nurnerouscovered compartments in it for dry flies and seraralrows of clips in the lid for securingwets. I nearly fainted away at the sight of the box for it absolutely smackedof ZaneGray and the North Umpqua. Taking tlnee flies fiom the box,he droppedthem into my palm. They wereexquisitely fashionedand eventhough good memoriestend to amplify over the years,I still contendthat ttrey were asgood asany flies I've seensinee. Pointing to eachone, tlie man identified a Chappie,a Spnrceand a dark-wingedRoyal Coachmanbucktail which wastied on a tiny double hook. The last one, he informed me, wasalso an excellentsummer-run steelhead fly and not to be forgotterr if I shouldever travel to the Kalama,Wind or Deschutes.I stareddumb- struck at the beautiful dressirtgsfor severalseconds, then tied on the Chappieand tucked the others carefully away in my folder. For the remainderof the day, I stuck to that man like a secondskin, opying his everyrnotion. If he mendedline once, I mendedline once. lf he mendedtwice, I mendedtwice. If he dressd his line, I followed suit. Emulating his easycasting mo. tion, I discoveredthat my line fell straighterat all distancesthan it ever had beforg althoughmy overall pfesentationstill left much to be desired. Working the Quinault poolsbelow GravesCreek, we castand'caught sea-runs. At day's end he ttrrned over a magnificentsteelhead that had been holding in a shallowrun,'a placethat I would havequickly passedby. In retrospect,I can honestly estimatethat I learnedmore of fly fishine during the half day I spentin that man'sboot prints than any other time before or since. The fly casterfistring coastal streams for sea-runcutthroat operatesfor the most part with the sametackle that is usedon salt-waterbays and estuaries.The need for heaviergear is quite limited and for certain fresh-waterconditions lighter tools are desirable. Most PacificCoast rivers are low and clear from AWust until the first sub- stantial freshetsof October. During this low-water period, which coincidesexactly with the inrnigrationof somelarge, early returning cutthfoat, a gentle presentationof the fly is all-important to anglingsuccess- For many yearsI usedmy old Grangerbamboo for all my:streamfighing, trntil the mmbination of a heavyleader point and a hard-striking,mossybacked, old coho buck broke its spineone day on the Toutle River. With the Grangerput to final rest, I've sincedone most of my streamfishing *ith one or another of my six-weightglass rods. During the past coupleof years,however, my Shoff-Fenwick,five-weight graphite, the one that I often useon estuaries,has been used with increasingfrequency on streams.This rod castseither a double taper or weight fsrward line with equal ease and handlesa rangeof flies from size 20 midgesto sparsely'dressed,light-wire 4's. For low-water st$am {ishing,or critical presentationon lakes,it is a truly superb tool. The fly reel for fresh-watercutthroat fishing is no lessimportant than one usedin the salt and shouldbe of ruggedconstruction throughout. I've emphasizedthe importanceof a good drag systemand large capacityin previouschapters. If you simply look for a reel with all the featuresyou'll needfor all cutthroat angling,your problem will be resolved,in all probability, forever. My choieeof Scientific Anglers and Hardyreels is basedon the fact that they areextremely well madeand durable. For anglersenthused with the traditional fine points of fly fishery, it should be noted that Scientific Anglersand Hardy reelssing a loud and clattery tune when a good

55 __--._

fish mns off line. While this is admittedly trivial, many amongus find it mtsic to the ears. . Streamfishing for cutts in clearwater dictatesa leaderof at leastnine feet with a tippet of no more than 3X diameteror five-poundtest. I sometimesadd an additional four feet of tippet to a nine-foot leaderif I feel that the situation demandsit. The re- verseis true when I am fishing deeppools on largerivers with a sint-iip or *"t trfiv line. gain To the deepestpossible ttrift of the fly I often cut the leadei back to six feet. There is a tendencyamong some anglers to brush over the importanceof tying proper leaders.These same people often wonder why they havesuch a bell of r-tirn" presenting a fly. It must be rememberedthat leaderpoints are alwayscritisal. not only in relation to streamclarity, but in casting,presintation, and patlern through the current. A heqvyleader point ttrat will work a"iirn*iog;i.- sizefJuinv witt be far too stiff to impart any action to a size t O. Tfreoriesvary somewhatas t; the diameterof tippet to fly sizeand to further complicatematteis tippet-to-pound-test ratingsdiffer from one manufacturerof leadermlterial to anothei. Wftib impi""* lents and changesare constantlybeing madein nylon monofilamentlines, the following list can be usedfor generalreference in comparingtippet diameterio pound test ratios.

Fly Size Tippet Diameter Tippet Test

rlo-2 OX l0 lb. test 4-8 lx 8 lb. test 6- l0 2X 7 lb. test 8-t2 3X 5 lb. test rz-t6 4X 3.5 lb. test 14-l8 5X 2.5 lb; test t6-22 6X 1.8lb; test

WheneverI work a 9991for cutthroat, I'll usually start probing with a bright wet fly like the Spruceor Yellow Hammer. before fulidaylighi my pattern will-be a 6 or gyena 4, especiallyif the water color indicatesthe needof iuitr Uutt for visibility. As light increasesI might changeto a dark fly in sizeg; for eiample, Bfact Cnai or S!-unk. I usually fish the pool thorouehlv but briskly rro* -v t;.trl;;ir" flrl"rr. either until-I haveprompted a strike oi until I am convinceutitaiirre rp"tliddr;; cutthroat' I rarely dw.ellon a singlepool for an extendedlength of time sincea Je- cent drift of the fly y-ill almost alwaysdraw.a guick and vigoious responsefrop any sea-run in the area- [f there is one constantin fishing for citthroat if is the fact that they areseldom "off"'the bite. Although PacificCoast fly fishermen(especially steelheaders) place great store in the importance of distancecasting to reach-fistrtrotCiru lies, I think thi.t the most vital-part of fishing (any fishing) is the control of the ture. in fly casting,."ntror-of tne {v is-achieved by mendingthe line. since alt ctassicfly fishing tech;lqu;i;he wet fly downstream,dryfly upstream,greased line methoi, Bro"is,nrffi;;i;.t areaccomplished by line mending,I will expandslightly onthis important rnanrru"r. Mending is the sweepingmotion after the castis laid down that sendsa foo,poi slackfly line upstream(sometimes downstream). It requiresno more than a flip of the rod tip, process a easilymastered in a few tiies. The benefit of line menCini is that it keepsthat portion line floating in midstreamfrom betrlyirurapiOly goivn- stream, 9f thus bringingthe fly skimmingswiftly to the surface. e menOe-Oline drifts moreslowly than one that is left to the mercyof strong,midstream now" e *r"OrO 56 Good seaten cattbtoat ptterns ase,Toprou (Ieftto rigbt) &ndbfisb Bucktail, Olive Matako, Sptace; battou roa (Ieft to igbt) Muddler, Tbor, Jobnson's Beacb Fly. wet fly gainsadditional sinking time so that it will be searchingnear bottom whenthe line tighten$ In somesituations the line may haveto be mendedseveral times during a singlecast in order to maintaincontrolled drift of the fly. ln sea-runfistring, as in all my streamfishing with wet flies,I preferto castslightly downstreamand mendthe line asneeded before the fly startssweeping back across the current. Whenthe line tightensinto an arc,I may let the fly drift without addi-' tional movement,or impart a gentle action to it by jiggling the rod tip ever so lightly. At the bottom of the sweep,when the fly is hangingdirectly below me, I often let it dance,hackles fluttering for a minute or morebefore stripping in for the next cast. It is importantto stayalert duringthe entireterm of the castsince an eagersea-run will takeon the drift, sweep,hang, or retrieveof a fly. Steelheadlike strongcurrent with holdingstations made up of bouldersand ledges. Salmontend to seekout deep,slow-moving pools. But sea-runcutthroat are liableto be found anywherein a river. Cutbanks,riffles, pools,eddies and logjams areall prime spots. Most cutthroat holding water can be effectively fishedwith a floating line, which is the most enjoyableapproach for me. Despitethis bias, I alwayscarry spoolswith sink-tipand full sinkinglines. Manyproductive eddies and poolson largerivers can be 12 to | 5 feet deepand cannotbe workedefficiently with a floater. In seekingcutthroat it is important to stalk the edgeof a pool with no small effort at stealth. Sea*tuns,not unlike other trout, canbe spookedat the slightestshadow. This fact is sometimesargued since cutthroat are notorious for following right up to an angler'srod tip. I havealways contended that a cutthroat on the follow is so in- tenselyintet'ested in the fly that he simplydoesn't notice the angler. This doesnot meanthat the sarnetrout won't bolt for the safetyof deepwater. if he is surprisedby noiseor movement. I witnessedjust suchan occurrencelast fall at the NeelyBridge pool in the GreenRiver near Auburn, Washington. Standingon the bridgeI couldsee a singlesummer-run steelhead of about eight poundsand severalcutthroat lying in a four-foot deepopen spot just below a brush ptle,2O feet upstrearnfrom a row of submergedpilings. An anglerpacking a winter steelheadoutfit approachedthe bank carelesslyand his shadowsent the steelhead shootingup under the brushpile while the sea-runsdropped skittishly downstream closerto the pilings. Usinga spoonthat must havebeen three inches long and weighingnear an ounce,the fishermanmade a ploppingcast above and out from the schoolof cutthroat,oblivious to their presence,and kicked his levelwind into gear asthe spoon,flashing garishly, drifted throughthe areathat had beenvacated by 57 the sea-runsat the first splashof the ltre. He flailed away with the spoon for perhapsfifteen minutesbefore giving up. Sincethere were no other anglersabout, I crossedthe bridge to the shallow sideof the river and dug a sandwichfrom my vest. I munchedleiSurely while resting the fish. I then retied my tippet with a fresh length of 3X leaderand carefully knotted a No. l0 partridgespider of my own designto it. Wadingquietly through the clearwater to within about forty feet oJ,the holding area,I worked out someline and dropped the fly gently onto thp surfacejust below the brush pile. Mendingonce to get the little spiderdown,,I wasnear exploding with anticipation. On my fifth or sixth castthe fly washammered solidly by a foot-long sea-runwhich I playedin quickly and released.In a few minutesI hooked a second cutthroat, a husky l6 incher. It foueht strongly before finally beinglandedand released.I wasin hog heavenand could haveprobably caughtsea-runs for the remain- der of the day if the steelheadhadn't decidedto crashthe party. The take waslight and I snappedback on the five-weightgraphite to set the hook, then nearly peedmy wadersas the steelheadburst a full six feet abovethe surface. lt cameslamming down on its sideand plowed downstreamfor fifty yardsbefore the little hook eme loose. Back up on the bridge I looked down at the holding station one more time. It was barrenof sea-runs.The steelheadhad seento that. The valueof my cautiousap- proachhowever had afforded me a wonderful half-lrour of anglurgaction that the guy with the big shadowand heavylure had missedby a mile. Many of the better sea-runcutthroat streamsare tightly chokedwith btush along their banks. This can make for miserablecasting. Hard asthey are to fish with a fly, srch placesshould not be avoidedsince this is prime watcr for the cutthroat. On largerivers like the Skagit,the branch-girdedstretchs$ can be worked nicely by two -"tr in a skiff"takingturns rowing and castinginto the shorelineoverhang. Of particular note is the South Fork of the Skagitfrom Milltown downstreamfor several miles. This stretch of the big river is a jungle of piling, snagsand brush. Throughout Septemberand Octoberit looks like the openingday of srnallboat seasonas anglers drift and castto the abundantpods of saltersthat hold in the r,ubble. Smallerstreams that are bankedheavily with greeneryoften rquire the anglerto hack a path into a vantagepoint. This is commonly done and rnostrivers,in Washing- ton and Oregonhave hundieds of suchpaths spaced out alongtheir lower reaches. I'm surethat in the daysof my vigorousyouth I personallyacoounted.for at,Ieast fifty suchpaths along the Wynoochieand Satsoprivers. On,smallcrseks that are belted with foliage,I often waderight down the middle and roll castmy'fly to the

58 downstreamholding spots. Although it is difficult to castmore than 30 feet in this manner,that is usuallyall the distanceneeded to put a fly in front of a trout. Sea-runcutthroat fishingin streamsis primarily a wet fly operation. This is due in part to the fact that wet flies arequite effective most of the time and becausethe WestCoast fly fisherman- the steelheaderand salmonfisherman in particulat - h., a long-standingtradition built upon tying and fistringwet flies. Untiirecently the nymph hasbeen left wanting as a viablepattern f6r anadrorirousfish. I startedhear- qg of anglerstaking sea-runcutthroat, steelhead,even chinook salmonon a variety of nymphs sometime ago. But it took an incident at Dewatto Creekon Hood Canal duringthe late summerof 1974to reallyjog my interest. I had been working the pools of DewattoCreek that lie a mile or so above tido y1t9r nearthe campground.Trying a great many patterns.fromlarge to small and brieht to dark had brought a singlestrike from.a cutthroat of no more than eight iT:hT. Kneeling in an ankledeep riffle while thanging flies, I noticed a tiny riayfly- cJingingto the sideof a flat rock. Picking up the rock, I casuallyexaminedihe nymph. It wasEpeorus albertae, a mayfly common to most smill westerncreeks. I then flicked it off the rock and into the ribbon of current that swept downstream swiftly to a pool twenty feet below me. As the strugglingnymph hit the pool there wasa heavybulge on the surfaceand the flashingside of a troui glistenedln the sun for a fleeting instan't. Quickly locating a secondnymph, I launchedit into the same flow of current. This time the sea-run,a big one, waJcbarly visibleas he took the nymph neatly from the surface. _ Havirrgno small,dark nymph patternswith me, I selecteda No. l2 Coachmanwet fly and trimmed it down to wherethe slategray wingswere stubsand orrly a few wispsof hackleremained on either side. I didn't actually castto the fish. I simply shook out someslack and let the current carry the cruOetyabbreviated Coachman into the pool. Like tnagicthe cutthroat nailedthe whittlid down offering and feeling the stirig of the'hook, plowed downstreamthrough a shallowriffle, slJwed for a semnd or two in the next pool, then tore off againbreaking my light leadertippet. Thatevening I sat down a! rny viseand w9$ed out a simpli, suggJstivenyrnph to imitate Epeorusalbertae. It hasbeen most effective in small, swift creeksutrd has suckereda great many sea-runs.

The DewattoCreek_discovery prompted me to add a few stoneflynymphs, carey spec-ia1saad woolly worms to my ,ru-run patterns. For a month they just took up spacein the fly box, then one afternoon on the StilliguamishRiver aftir taking several sea-runson standardwet flieg I decidedto seewhat would happenif I triei a nymph. Knottirrga dark stoneflyto my leaderI castinto a deep,cutnext to the bank and let the sinkirlg line pull the fly to tho bottom. I had inched'the nymptr afongtfre- bottom for maybefour feet when the line suddenlyshook for an instant. Raisinl the rod strarplyI found myself one-on-onewith a fat cutthroat. I landedthree more cutts that.afternoon,all on the stonefly nymph. The-little Epeorusand stonefly havebecome standards in my cutthroat fly box, L9wefl asa variety of caddislarva imitations. I alsocarry a few nondescriptnymphs like the ZW Bw, Tellico atd Hari Kari, the latter being ixceptional at tirnes fsr att anadromou$ryh. Standardwet flies still account for most.oi my sea.runsand prob,- ably alwayswil-l; but eachseason I take increasingnumbers of fish with nymphs and now considerthem a vital part of my fly pattern arsenal. Th9 dry fly, not often mentionedin cutthroat fishing, can be very good at times- grd shou.ldbe_explored by any anglerwhs relishesthe sight of a trolt-risinJ t" a floating fly. No ttrrut boastsa more forceful yet beautifully chasterise to a'Ory ny than the sea-runcutthroat. If the cutthroat hasone dry fly weakness,it is thaf he doesn't sft -th9urg€ to take a floating pattern often enoulir to *uornt the laurelsso generouslylavished upon the rainbow or brown trout. In dry fly fishing for sea-runs,I castacro$ and upstream,rnending line as needed

59 to attain the longestpossible drag-free drift of the fly. A long.rod is particularly effective for dry fly fishing both for line mendingand the quick take-up of slack to hook a strikingcutthroat. \ I will start the day with a dry fly only if there is a reasonableamount of surface activity in evidence. Seldomwill I work dry flies in the hope of coaxingup a strike from a fish I'm not evencertain is there. This is not true of all cutthroat fishermen. There iue many anglerswho fish sea-runsalmost elclusively with the dry fly. The more addictedof thse specialistsplace critical importanceon smooth line-leaderconnections,leader tapers, and artfully dressedhooks. They uzually stalk the cutthroat usingthree or four-weightoutfits. The hard-core,dry fly cutthroat angleris invariablysecure in his ability to paint a fly onto the water time after time with a minimum of disturbance, He knows that the sea-runis a curiousand belligerentcritter. Like its more glamorousanadromous oousins,the steelheadand Atlantii salmon,the sea-runcutthroat will eventtrallybop almost any hairwing floater that hasdrifted acrossits digsenough times to tick it of.f Dry fly fishing for the sea-runcutthroat is not alwaysa gameof teasingup a strika There are mayfly and caddishatches occurring on Pacific coastalstreans all season :, long and, while the sea-runis not heraldedas a serioussurface feeder, it will eeldom lay lethargicallyon the bottom of a pool in view of an easymeal available on the surface. I always Crirrya selectionof hairwing caddispatterns ai*d a few Wulff-type dressingsto take advantageof any sea-runsurface feeding spree I happen,upon.Any anglerwho intends to fly fish for sea-runsin earnestis well advisedto do the same. Workingwet flies and nymphs for cutthroat is great sport but those times"whenthey will rise to a well presented,hatch-matching dry fly are truly momentsof magic. Many anglersskilled in spinningor bait castingare beginning to dust off fly rods that havebeen sitting idle in the garage.I think this is greatsince fly casti"ngis cer; tainly the simplestand most rewardingform of anglingfor trout. I am not sayingthat it is the sportiestin termsof line weight or rod sizeor other such trivial critpf& that meanso much to somepeople. The primary appealof fly castingis, I think, that asidefrom a hand line, it is the leastmechanical method of fishing. Traditionally, fly fishing wasthe classicangling form for seatrout fishing the world over; fly casting is brought to its pinnacleon the magnificentPacific Coast rivers that,are homs to the incomparablesea-run cutthroat trout.

ChapterSix Fly Patternsfor'Sea-Run Cutthroat

tT ft" statureof a particulargamefish is measuredin twisting leaps,reel*creaming I runs, sizeand availability. Another form of measurementis to tally up how many hooks havebeen painstakingly dressed with fur, tinsel and feathersto create the sleekand fanciful fly patternsthat are dedicatedto great fish. In this regard,the sea-runcutthroat rateshighly indeed,being the recipient of patternsdressed by such fly tying greatsas Al Knudson,Dan Conway,Mike Kennedy, Roy Patrick and Clarence Shoff - and asimportanfly, the hundredsof anonymousamateurs who devisetheir own flies. Fly patternsfor sea-runcutthroat rangefrom dark to bright in hue with the som- ber Black Gnat Bucktail being at one end of the spectrumand the gaudy Skykomish Sunriseat the other. Hook sizesalso run the gamut with certain caddisdry flies be ing dressedon sizesl6 and 18 while most of the standardwets and nymphsare tied on sizes14 through 4 hooks. For most fishing, flies tied on size6 and 8 hooks are the norm with the occasionalsize 4 gettiru someuse in heavyor off-color water. In extremely clearstreams the tiniest of wet flies will provoke strikeswhen a No. 6 Thor going through a drift will appearas large as a red and white houseboatthat has slippedits moorage. A quick study of the flies usedon severalof the coastalstreams along the sea-run's extendedhabitat indicatesthat while dark to moderatepatterns are productive,those dressingswith a touch of brightnessprobably take fish more consistently. On the lower RogueRiver, upstreamfrsm Gold Beach,Oregon, fly fishermenrely on the samesmall, double-hook attractor flies that entice fall steelhead.The Juicy Bug and Red Ant, both popular on the Rogueand other southernOregon streams, are fairly brieht patterns. The "ant" patterns,actually dark-wingedvariations of the Royal Coachmin, are especiallyeffective at times. They offer a touch of brightness while maintainingan overallinsect appearance that hasproven to be a deadly combination for taking migratory fish in Oregonwaters. I havefound that cutthroat, steelheadand salmonin Washingtonand British Columbiaare equally susceptibleto those "ant" patternsmade famous on the Rogue. Up the OregonCoast frorn Gold Beachis WinchesterBay, where anglerswork their flies for cutthroat on the famed Umpqua River. The Umpqua,like the Rogue,is rich in fly fishing history with specialemphasis on the brawling summer-runsteelhead of its North Fork. Though not aswell known, the Umpqua alsohosts a fine run of harvesttrout that bang awayenergetically at anglers'Skunks and Umpqua $pecials. The

62 Skunk is a black and white pattern while the Umpqua Specialis red, yellow and white. On the Kalama,Toutle and Cowlitz rivery three of the many premier cutthroat riversin southwestWashington, fly casterstend to favor the Kalama Special,Toutle and Knudson Spider,all patternspredominantly yellow in color. Further north, around PugetSound and Hood Canal,anglers are more apt to be usinga Thor, Polar Shrimp or Doc Baker which are white-wingedpatterns with red or fluorescentorange bodies. Author, magpzineeditor and fly fisherman,P. Allen Parsonsof New York, wasso smitten by Wastrington'sStilliguamish River that he devotedconsiderable space to it in his book,The &mplete Book of Fresh WaterFishing. During his severalstints on the Stilly, Parsons,oftenpicked patternsfrom his Atlantic salmonbox and found that cutthroat were quick to take a Jock Scott or Durham Ranger. The Jock Soott is a moderatepattern while the Durham Rangeris bright. The cutthroat patternsof British Columbiaore, for the rnost part, extremely fancy and reminigcentof the beautifully dressedsea-trout flies usedon streamsin the British Isles. Nations Red, an excellentsea-run cutthroat fly, is a good exampleof the British influenceon Canadianpatterns with its delicatelycoved mallard urings,dubbed fur body and ampletinsel. In choosingcutthroat patterns,an angleris alwaysgoing to be safein picking from the flies that are popular in his fishing area. The original selectionwill certainly grow sincemost fly fishermenare prone to seeksecurity in gatheringand carrying vastnum- bersof flies,watmed by the thought that someday,somewhere, one of thosepattems is goingto savean otherwisemiserable fishing trip. I havea tendency to continually tie and add flies to my vest until I reacha point where I am ss loadeddown that I cannot wade safely. Most of my anglingand fly tying buddiesare similarly afflicted. If you find yoursnlf squirrelingsea-run flies away into every pocket and poke in your vest,rest assuredthat you are perfectly normal (as fly fishermengo) in submitting to one of the integral charmsof fly fishing for the sea-runcutthroat.

63 Sea-RunCutthroat Fly Pattam lndex

AMERICANCOACHMAN BLOODYBUTCHER Tail: Redcalf or buc*tail. Tail: Red hacklefibers, eight to ten. Body: Yellow wool, taperedlarge at Body: Peacockherl, modlum body. head. Hackle: Redand yollow hockb, tied Wing: Whitecalf, buck or polar, palrner. Palnpr both at the same slightly longerthan body. time. Haekle: Brown, tied wst, firre turns. Wing: Grry sguirroltail hair. Mebium wing, ono-and-a-half This good , timae tengnhof is a wet fly for usein lake body. or stream. It hasbeen a standbyamong old-time sea-runanglers for years. This fly wasoriginalty usedfor Montana cutthroat and is an offshoot of the old ARCHIE'SGHOST Picket Pin series Rated asa'gpqd fly on Tail: Redhackh fibers. all streamsholding migratory fish. Body: Rearhalf, yellow cfienille; front half, hot orangechenille BROWNMILLER (doesnot needto ba fluorescantl. Tip: Gold tinsel, narrow. Flackle: Badger. Tail: Brown widgeonormallard flank Wing: Whitebucktailor calf. fibers, six to eight. Body: Trrn orangedubbin'or-wool, This fly wassubmitted by Pat Trotter nred. Ribbing: and wasthe favorite pattern of his late fly GoH tinsel,narrow, four tums. Hackh: fishing partner, Archie Herren. Pat stated Barred,tid wet, fiw atrns. that "Archie could neverremember Wirg: Brown widgeonor rnallardflank, bunched whether to tie in the yellow or orange over body, lcqgth of body. first. It didn't matter muchthough, be- This pattern is not well known for sea' causein Archie's skilled handsthe fly runs but is far aboveaverage during periods wasa deadlysea-run pattem no matter of low, clearwater. It seemsto have the which way he tied in the body @lors." right combinationof buggy eolorsand Pat namedthe fly severalyears ago, after textureswith just a touch of brightness Archie's death. that is often the mark of a good fly. It is excellentin the GraysHarbor area of BLACK GNAT BUCKTAIL Washington Tail: Redhackle fibers, six to eight Body: Bhck chenille,full. BUCKTAILCOACHMAN Hackle: Blad<,tied wet, five turns. Tail: Red hacklefibers, eight to ten. Wirg: Brown bucktail,back side of Body: Peacockherl, qedium hedy. whitobil deer tail or brown buck Hackle: Brown or drestnut, firn turns, hair. taedwst. Wirg: Whitebucktail, medium wing, BLACK SPOOK length of My. May alsouse calf taif or whito polar, if available. Tail: Black hac*la fibers, six to eight. Body: Redvuool, full. Ribbing: Gold tinael,four turns. CARSON Wirg: White buc*tail, lengthof body. Tail: Red hacklefiberrs, six to ten. Hackle: Blac*, large,three turns, tied Butt: Dark greenc*renille, large size. wet. Body: Red drenille. Fluor@ent chenille may be used. Full body. 65 -

Hackle: Ohestnutbrown, tied wet, five Perfectedby Leonard "Doc" Baker for turns. cutthroat fall fishing. Usedmany years Wing: Whitebucktail, fairly sparse,body and successful. length. CUTTHROAT(Knudsen's) This fly is a variation of the Royal Coach- man and is sometimescalled the Chenille Tip: Siker tinset,rredium. Royal. It wasa favodte of famed writer/ Tail: Red hacklofib€$, six to eigfrt. anglerClaude Krieder who usedit in various Body: Yellow wool, fairly thin body. sizesfor salmon,steelhead and sea-runcut- Ribbing: Silvertirlrel, madium, four throat. Simpleto tie andvery effective. turns. Hackle: R€d,tied down ar berd. Wing: Underwirp,red buckait, body CONWAY length;oorwing, white bucktail, Tip: Six turnr gold rope,small. body bngth. Tail: Three to fsur osch red and white An Al Knudsenpattern per-. hockls fibers. tested and fected on the Stilliguamish Body: True orarge River. It neodc or orsrqe-yellow no further explanation. wool, fairly tfiin body. Ribbingr GoH oval tinel, small,four turn3. CUTTHROATRED l-lackle: Palmeredtrue orangohackla, Tail: Blackhackh fibers,six to eight. two turnt red hacklein front of Body: Red drenille,full body, final ttrrdrof orange. Hackfs: Blaek,tisd wst, fiw trrns, Wings: Whits goosesecondary wing pri- Wing: Whitebucktaal, calf or polar. rnories,tied over body, tent fa*rion. One fiber eachof red and yellow gpose primary, or"larp duck, married and CUTTHROATYELLOW laid alorg eactrside of wirg. Tail: Red hacklefibers, six to eight. Head: Psaoocfthorl, two to three turns. Body: Yellow wool, rndium body. FlairwingVenion: Dressedtfre sameex- Ribbing: Yellow hackle,tied palnnr, copt that whhe buck€il or ealf is five trrns. usedfor the wiry with a few wispsof Hackle: Red, tied wet, five ttrrns. red and ydlow calf on ehher side. Wing: White bucktail, calf or polar. This pattern was originatedby Dan Con- way, a one-armedfly,tier, during the mid DEADCHICKEN 1930's. Amongveteran sea-run anglers this Tail: Red hacklofiborc, eight to ten. is mnsideredto be one of the all-time great Body: Yellow chenille,fairly largebody. flies. Sincethe original pattern with the Ribbing: Silvertinsel, medium, four married primary sectionwing is somewhat turns. difficult to tie, the hairwingversion has be- Flackle: Barred,lagp, semi-$ret,two come more popular in recent years. For turns only. cutthroat and all other anadromousfish. AlternateFlackle: Guinea. this fly is asgood asany. FERGUSON'SHO}I RIVER Tail: Orangocalf tailfibers. CUTTHROAT Body: GoH tinsel. Tip: Siker tinsl, narrow. Hackle: Fluorescentyellow, palmored. Tail: Mallsd flank fihrs, six to eight. Wing: Orangebucktail or calf. Body: Fluorescantll.O. flos, thi;bodv. pattern, Ribbing: Silvertinsel, medium four This a BruceFerguson dres- turm. sing,was tied fsr useon Washington's Olympic Peninsulastreams. Hader; chineserirgneck cock feather, I designedthis pattern for useon the salt, barredin appearance,medium water beachesand estuaries.Simplicity feather,three turns. wasmy aim due to the fact that tearing up a dozen or more pattemsdurjng a good This fly, designedby fly tying and an- day is pretty standard. This fly hasbe gling master,Harry Lemire,is amongthe oomea standby for me, taking both saF deadliestfish takersever usedin Pacific mon and cutthroat with regularity. Northwest lakesand streams.It has at- -f-- tractedStilliguamish steelhead, salmon, JOHNSON'SPARTR IDGE SPIDER residenteastern Washington rainbows and Tail: Partridgehackh fibers. sea-runcutthroat. This is a "must have" Body: Danville'sfluoreecent wool pattern for any seriousPacific Northwest (orangB,yellow, and groenare all angler'sfly box. good). l'lackle: Partridgp,thd rpider sryb.

67 Fhd: Danville'sfluorescent orange. KINGOF THEWATERS After tying this pattern in severalsizes, Tail: Mallardflank fibers, four to six. I havesettled on useof the Mustad Body: Red flow, thin to medium. 7951BX hook in size 10, almost exclu- Rib: GoH tim€1, Rofrowto medlum. sively. It haspfoven to be an exceF Hackle: Blown, tied wet. five turne. tionally productive little pattern, not on- Wiry: Mallard flar*, bunchedover ly for sa-runs, but hashooked several body, length of body, tied as budt. steelhsadand coho salmonin low, clear tail. streams.It is especiallyeffective when usedon a long leaderand allowed to KNUDSENSPIDER swingacross the tailouts of slow-moving pools. Tail: Msllrd flank fibon, six b eight, Body: Yellow chenille, mcdium b full. Flackh: Barred hacklefirst, fairff im6ll, KALAMA SPECIALORANGE four turns. Mallardflank foatbr Hook: Two to 10, Oaverage. wound on in front of barred hd<- Tail: Red hackh fibers. b, three turns only. Body: Hot orangedrenilh. l'hckle: Badgpr. LEADWINGCOACHMAN Wing: White buc*tail. Tail: Red hacklefibers, rix b eight Body: Peacockherl, full body. This is my own personal all-time favor- Hackle: Brown, tied vwt, five turnc. ite harvesttrout fly. I first tied it in 1962, Wirg: Natural gray primries, oncdgo, qpured by my suc@ss with the Archie's ovar body; length of body. Ghost pattern to try evenmore orange in the body of the parent Kalama Special (hencethe name). Most comparisonsof MARABOUMUDDLER fly patternsare high$ subjectiveand Tail: Oqk turkey section. mine are no exception. But if you can Body: GoH tingel or poly fini*r. beliew recordskept in fishing diaries, WirU: Oak twkey sections,body length, then for me at teast,the hot orangecolor matched. is a far more attractive color for our sea- Mit-Wing: $persebucktail. run fish than yellow. Top ltUing: Marabou,lergth of body ard tail (whiu, yellow, olive or KALAMA SPECIAL(By PatTrotter) rust $sm most productirol, Hook: Two to 10, 6 average. Head: Deer hair spun and clipped to Tail: Redhac*le fibers. flat, rculpin *lape. Body: Yellow chenilh. ' Similar to the orginal Muddler except Fbckb: Badger. for the addition of the marabouto enhance Wiqg: Whitebucktai!. action in the water. Excellent for sea-run "I havesent alongthree fresh-watercut- cutthroat in lower reachesof streamsand throat patternsfrom the southwestWashing- estuaries. ton area. Kalama Special,the all-yellow bodied fly, is the parent fly. Note that this is not the dressingspecified for this MATUKA pattern in the pattern books. They usu- Tail: None. ally call for a palmer-stylehackle of Body: YUoolor dubbitrg in yellow, black, either badgeror grlzzly. The fly I sent olivo or other ruitable color. you is the style commonly found on Rib: Gold tinrel. tackle store shelvesin southwestWashing- Wing: Matdred hen hackhs tied ln at head ton when the harvesttrcut are running. and brought back acrossbody on It is the popularstandard."" odge and teced in with a pice of matchingbuttonhob first.

68 The Matuka is an import from New MUDDLERMINNOW ?,ealand.It is consideredto be a solid Tail: Strip of oak turkoy wing, two minnow imitating pattern. The useof thirdr bnsh shanksf hook, ox- buttonhole twist to lash in the wing is tended beyord bord. an innovation which createsa stronger Body: Gold tirul, narowto medium. fly. The nameMatuka doesnot indicate Wing: Urderwirg, brown cdf tail urd6r, a specific pattern but a style of fly. This white calf tail over; onrwing, osk one hasreal potential for sea-runs. turkey wirg strips, peired togsther on edge lerqdr of body and tail. McCOY Wing on outside of utderwing. Tail: Red hacklefibers, eight to ten. Fhckle: Deerbody hair spunonar hd(- Butt: Pleacockherl, two turns. h, width of spun hair about 3/16 inch; Body: Yellow flos, nndium body. t this is in front of ths wilrg: After Hackle: Brown, trree turns, tied wet. hair hasboen spun, trim about 3/4 Wiq: Deer body hair, bunch, length of of hair in front to reromblelarge body ard half of tail. Tie wing on, head. This will be governedby she of hookandbody. have body hair stubssticking up . in front; about 1/4 inc*rlong when trimmed. The Muddler Minnow needsno introduc- tion. [t is a winner no matter how it is used- wet or dry. Especiallyeffective McCULLOUGH for sea-runsin estuariesand on streams Tag: Hot orangefloss, supportingstrong populationsof scul- Tail: GoHen pheasanttippet topped pins. with orangehackfe fibers. OLD MARE Butt: Peacockherl. Body: Gold tinsl or poly flash. Tail: Mallardflank fiberu,f,iftsento l'hckfe: Hot orarge fronted with a turn twenty. of pheasantphture window (gray Butt: Sedgegroen chenille, nredium. cast). Body: R. G. rsd floss, rndiurn body. Wing: Phaasantrump, bunched. Ribbing: Gold tinsel,ndrow, four turns. This fly took a l9-pound steelheadthe Hackle: Brown, tied down, tied wct morning after I designedit at Wooky's Wirg: White bucktail, medium, on+ Campon the Kispiox Riverin 1967. and-a-halftimar body hngth. WhenI landed the fish right at the mouth of McCulloughCreek, my partner, Val PACIFICKING hice, namedthe new fly the McCullough. Tail: Black hacklefibtrr, six to eight. Sincethat time I haveused it in various Body: Uderbody, insectgrcenflos, sizesand it hasproven to be very reliable nedium body; shelfbed!,real brown in clear watel for steelheadand sea-run or dark brown flocs. Tierot bond of cutthroat. hook, brirg over top or*'tliird of fly to front, tb off. McGINTYBUCKTAIt. Hackle: Blac*, tiod lyst, fiw turne Tail: Mallardflank and red hackle Most of fiberu down as beard. fibers mixed, four to six of mcfi. Wing: Germanbhck rquirrel,,lerrgthof Body: Black,yellow, black chenille, body. This type of sguirral b hard full body; ehher two colors spi- to obtain, suggpstblack ber. ralhd or yellow in center. This is a dressingof the late Roy Pat- Hackle: Brown,tied wet, five turns rick and hasbeen a provenproducer over Wiry: Gray squirreltail. Hair length the yearsfor sea-runcutthroat. An of body and tail. May useturkey especiallygood change-upfly after work- tail, black and white tip, bundr. ing a pool with a bright pattern.

69 PHEASANTCOACHMAN Most of the time the wing is too long If there is a turbulence the wing will have This fly is madethe sameas the Royal a tendencyto go under the bend ofthe CoachmanBucktail except for deleting hook; this will make the fly spin, losing the regularbrown h*ckle. The golden- action" Keep the wing brief. colored feather, with the black spot, of the Ctrineseringrreck cock pheasant,is SEA.RUNSPECIAL usedinstead: Tail: Yellow hacklefiberr, eight b ten Body: Trtr orarqe wool or chenills. POLAR ST'IRIMP Ribbirg: Small gold rope or tinsol, four Tail: Rad hm|c|t fibers, oight to bn. tums. Body: H. O. fluorescentdrenills, me- Wing: Doer My hair, body length. dium full. Flackle: Barr€d,two turnt only, tiod Flackle: H. O, ddle, fnd uot. ' wot. Wing: Whitc bud(taif, calf or polar. SEA.RUNSPECIAL Designedby the late pioneer angler Tail: GoHon phennt tippet fibers, six and tackle manufacturer,Claronce Shoff b sight in about 1936. It fint gainedpopularity Body: Yellow $noln light, $in body in California and Oregon where he sold with yellow hackb, tied pelmer. flies to fishirg campsalong the Eel, Rogue Hackle: Red and yellow, tied wet, thro and Santiam. It is asgood today asit was turns. then and is equally effective on the beach, Wing: Whits bucktail, length of body. estuary or in straamsproper. Tying Silk: Yellow. PURPLE JOE SHOFF"SROYAL Tail: Red haskh fibers, eight to ten. Tail: Golden pheasanttippet fibers. Tip: Fltm*cent H. O. wool or floss. Body: In firoe.qgual ssctiono: poacod< Body: Purplodrenille, npdium. M/rod flosdpeacockhed. Win4s: Tvro Hgor hackbr, tied Flackh: Dark brcwn, five turns rturrrcr, one-and-a-halftimer body Wing: Whita gooto primarbs, matchod hfgdr, and on edgpover the body with lbckle: Bdgor, fahly cparss,fivo turns, iuruls oek eye on eachside. tied wst Head: Black dtk coflared with a few trrns of poacockherl. OUEENOF T}IE WATERS Tip: Gold tincel, narow. This variation of the Royal Coachman Body: Orangofloss, woolor dubbing. hasbeen around sincethe rnid-1930'sand Ribbiry: Gd timel, narroq four turns. was sold to the angllng campsof Oregon WirU: fl,tafhd fhnk feather, on odge, in great nurnborsby Shoffs Sporting over body. or bunched. Not to ex- Goodsof Kent, Wastrington.The design ooodbngft of body. is attributed to both ClarenceShoff and Al Knudsen. I haveknown the fly as ROYALCOACHMAN BUCKTAIL Shoffs Royal since1956. Tail: Red'ho*le,'fiben,six to eidtt. S!LVERAND MALLARD Butt: Peacodchcrl. Tail: Goldenpheaunt tippet fiberu, Bodyr Rodft$i. four ftl eix. Shouldorr Persd< herl. Body: Reartrvethhdr, sihertinsel; Fhklo: fftturd dork broYm,tied wet, front olr"third, blackwool ribbed fim turnr. with silvr wire or wry narrowsiluer Wing: Whitebuckail, extendirgiust a tinselor rope. litth beyondbsnd of hook. May Hackle: Bodger,tied wet, five turnr. alrc wr whib calf. Wirg: Barrsdmallard flank or mottl€d SftouHol The tne of iunglecock ir op turkey,wing on sdgs,over body. tional. Mayuso guirna hacklo.

7Q SILVERMINNOW Fint tied as an Oregoncutthroat pat- Body: Siluertinsel or small silver rope. tern in the 1930's,the Spruceis now Throat: Red hacklefibers, tied down, widely usedfor summerstoelhead and is thcn clippedfairly short. popular as a streamerin ldaho, Montana Wing: Mallardflank fiberq few fibers and Wyoming. This is another fly that no blue hackleurder, flank laid flat serbus Pacific Northwest anglershould be on top. without. S-TAGHORNSCULPIN MATUKA Both the SilverMallard and Silver.Min- Body: Creamuool or dubbing. now rate asexcellent estuary patterns Rib: Gold tinsel. and havebeen particularly effective for Two matchd barredgrizzly hack- me in the Hood Canalarea. Wing: les (lbht g6ayphe) tied in at hoad and brought back on edge past bend SILVERAND MALLARD of hook. Lacein with tream color buttonhols twist. pheasant Tail: Golden tippet fibers, Gills: Two turns, orangouool. four to eix. Fins: Matc{red,timrned partridgesides Body: Reartwo-thirds, silver tinsel; 'tied in on eitherside of hook in front orp-third, black wool ribbed front of gills. with silverwire or very narrow silver Head: Spun deer hair. Light gray with tinsel of rope. singleband of black in csnter. Trim Hackle: Badpr, tied wet, five turnE to flat slim $ape. Wing: Barredmallard flank or mottled turkey, wing on edge,over body. This is actually an innovation of fly ty-. ing master,Dave Whitlock. To better imitate the StgelrornSculpin so com- SKYKOMISHYELLOT'V mon to Pacific Northwest baysand Tip: Silvertinsel, rnedium. estuaries,the very lightestgrays are Tail: Redard yellow hac*lefibers, usedand the fly is dressedsparsely. On twelve to fourteen. occasion,this pattern is absolutemurder Body: Yellow chenille,full body. over the oyster flats and shallow salt- Ribbing: Sifuertinsel, rnedium, four water beaches, _ turns. STILLAGUAMTSHSPECIAL Hackle: Redand yellow hackle,tied wet Tip: Silrnr rope or silver tinsel, small. three tums eadr color, Tail: Red and white hacklefibers, eight Wirg: White bucktail, length of body. to ten. Note: The useof fluoresoentyellow Body: Yellow wool, medium, with yel- chenillehas helped in landirg more low hackletied palmer. steellnad. Ribbing: Siher tirrel, mcdium, four This color variation of the Skykomish turns. Sumisesteelhead pattern is an excellent Hackle: Red hackle,fqrr tultls, tied wet. fly for sea-runs.It hasbeen very produc- Wing: White buc*tail, few fibors red tive on coastalstreamq in the cutthroat's bucktailmixed. range. Head: Peacock,tvuo &rrnr,at head. STILLAGUAMISHSUNSET . SPRI'CEFLY Tail: Redhackte fiberc, six to ten. Peacock Tail: stord fibers,six. Body: True orangechenille, medium. Butt: Red floss, fairly nat?ow. Ribbing: Silvertinsel, rn€dium,four Bod: Peaock, mediumfull. turns. Wirgs: Tuo badgerhackhs, tied Hacklel Trueorarge,tied $ret,fiw turns streamer,one-and-a-half tims Wing: White bucktail, medium, body length of hook. length. Hackle: Badger,tied wet.

7l THUNDERMOUNTAIN YELLOW HAMMER {Origind} Tail: Red hacklefibers, six to eight. Tip: Gold tirrd, narrow. Body: Redflos, msdiumsize. Tail: Red and whit hackh fib6rs, Ribbing: Silvertinsol. medium, four efiht to ten. turni. Bodyr Yollow wool, medium:hody. tfackle: Red'addblad<, tvrro turns each. Ribbing: Gold tirrsf, medium,four Wing: WhiE bucktail, lerrythof body. turne Mry subttitub calf or polar. HacHe: Red and yellow, tied wet, thre turns of eachcolor, TOUTLE Wirys: White duc* or gooseprimary Tail: Red hackh fiberc, e[ht to ten. sectione,very emall strip of 16rlpri- Body: Yellow chenilb, rnedium. mary uc*r side. ltlirUr tied wst, tG Ribbirg: Silvertinsel, medium, optional.. gcther ard orrerbody. May use Wing: White bucktail, body br1gth. alsowhlts bud

72 patterns. steelhead SALTI'VATER CUTTHROAT PATTERNS With slmon and ascendingthe streamsalong with the cutthroat at this tirne, maximum hook- COHOFLY ing and holding power is needed. A Body: Silvertinsel, medium or heavy. double hook answersthis need. Rib: Silverrope, medium, five turns, Not aswidely usedtoday as they Wing: Two, threeor four color com- were rnany yearsago; double hook pat- binationsof polar bgaror bud<- terns are a part of the history of southern uil. The white or light color of Oregon'sgreat fly fishery and are still con- hair next to hook. sideredby certain old-timersto be superior Eye: Paintedon headof fly, optional. to an equalor largerpattern tied on a single Headof bhck tying silk. Eye color hook. generallywhitb with bhck canter. May also havered center. JUICY BUG Body: Rearone-halt, bladc chenille, PATTERNS: nredium;front one-half,red dre Blue Blue Green Gren nille, nedium. Yellow Rd Red Green Rib: Silvertinsel, msdium, four turns. White White White White Wing: Whitebudcbil, mediumwing' Yellow Olive Blue Olive G-heeks:Juryh cock, ratherlarP ard Rd Red Olive Yellow short {optbnal}. Yellow White White Whito Blue Pacock Green Blue REDANT BUCKTAIL Green Green White White Tail: Silver Anrhersttippet fiberr, eight Yellow White to t{rn. White Butt: Peacockherl, three to four turng Orange Blue Red Orange Body: Red floes, mdium. White Green White White Hackle: Badpr. tlse No. 6 hackb for No. 2 fly, the saredifferete on all Brovun Yellow Brown flies. bucktail bucktail Rd Wing: White bucktail, sp6no, hngth of White Orange White body. polar polar White ROGUERIVER polar Tail: Rd hacklefibaru, fiftesn to twenty. Butt: Medium olive chenills. CANDLEFISHFLY Body: Fluorercentred or red flosr' Body: Siber tinsel,medium. Rib: Silvertinrel, embosed, msdium, Wing: Polarbear combination (may use four turns. bucktail). Wing: Gray rquirrel, remi.rpcnt and di' Underwing: Palegreen and blue, mix. vided. MedianLine: Red,thin, smallamount. Alternate Wirg: White buektail, same Overwing: Frenchblue ard olive green wing shapear rquhrel alttpugh mixed. not 8s good, Cheeks: Jurgle cock eacfi"ride9f wing. Eye: Paintedwhito ayo on bl;ct silk. *Body weightedslbhtly with lead wire. DOUBLEHOOK PATTERNS

Patternstied on double hooks gained ROGUERIVER SPECIAL an early reputation on the legendary Tail: Tnre orange:h*kle fibers, dF streamsof southernOregon - the Rogue, vidod to turo t€stionl Umpquaand Santiam. Body: Rearone-third, light"yellow wool; The theory is that the clearwater of front two-thirds, rod wool, zeppelin late summerand autumn requiressmall body. 73 Rib: GoH ovaltinsel, medium,four CADDIS turns. Body: Yellow wool, or yellow dyed Wing: White bucktail over body and di- turkey uilfiben, thin body. vided. Lerlg$ of body and tail. Rib: Brown haclcle,light color, tied Cheeks: Junglecock, one on outside of palmer. eachwirg. Hackle; Brown or light in color, tM dry andfull. SILVERANT Wing: Light coloreddeer body halr, Tail: Ldy Amherst tippet fibers, ten to ndium, body hngdr fiftoen, one-halfbody hngth. Butt: Pooock herl, about one-fourth CADDIS of an inch wido ard full. Tail: Fivefiks from 6nt0r tailfenth- Body: Sihor rop, rnedium. , er of chinm cock phoasant. Body Hackle: Badger,tied wet, four turns. lergth. WirU: Grayrquirrel tail, lengthof body Body: True orangowool, medium body. and tail, Hadrb: Brown, tbd palmer,about six turns, UMPCIUA Wing: Natural gray deer body hair, Tail: White bucktail fibers, ten to four- ono-and-a-halftirnos length of body. teen. Tying Threod: Whito. Body: Rmr ore-third, yellow wool; front two-thirds, red chenille, FLYINGCADDIS mediurn. Tail: Brown hac*le fibers. Rib: $ihar tinsal,medium to small, Body: Yellow wool. four turns. Rib: Brown hackh, palnpred. Wirg: VUhhebuckuil; few fibers red Wings: Natural gray primaries,upright bucktail eachside. Body length. and divldod. Hadde: Brown, tied wet, four turns Flackh: Brown. approximately. MONTANABI'CKTAIL Tail: Goldenpheasant tippet fibers,rix DRY FLIES to eight Body: Goldenorar4g or tus orange floss. BUCKTAIL CADDIS Ribbing: Baned hadcle,tbd palrner, Note: Roadthis pattern before tying. five to six turns. Body: 'Sright yellow wool, medium body. Wirg: Light beigedeer body hair, lhckle: Brown, tied palmer. spsrss,length of body. Wirg: Deer body hair, medium wing, body and tail length. ADAMS Instructiont: Whentyirq on body, in- Tail: Bared and brown hacklefib€F, c{udeone pbce of yellow silk thread. mixd, six to ton. This will bo at ho bend of the hook. Body: Dyed gray ostrich fibers, ure th-ree. Also includs tha brown hacklethat will Wing: Twg brrod hackletips, tied spent be tisd palmer. Hackle: One barred,ono brown hackh Bring wool up for the body, tie off. tied together. Grayiah-brownsp- Then spiral hackle up palnrer. poarancewlmn complebd. Tie deer body hair on as a wing, then tia the end of tfte wing down at the berd BEETLEBUG with ttro yellow tying silk. Four or five Tail: Strort,fine deerbody hair, eight turrys,andwhipfinish the thread at that to twelve, spot. 'Body: Redflos, nrediumbody. Hacklo: Brown, tied dry, fiw turnr.

74 t !, t

Wings: Whitecalf or bucktail,upright Hackb: Ghestnutor dark brolvn, tied wet. and divided. Throat: Bluejay,dyod bltp ual or mal- Tying Silk: Red,although black will lard. work. Underwing: haock sword, six to eight fibers, bngtr of body, a fow fibers BLUEUPRIGHT of blue dyed maltard. Tail: Chineserirgneck cock tail fibers. Overwing: Barredrmlhrd or tsal, tent Body: Whitefloqs, thin. fashion over top of body, cnp side Rib: Blacktying silk, four turns. down. Lergth of body and uil. Hackle: Barred,tied dry, fiw turns. BRAYSHAW'SLATEST Wing: Bluegray deer hair, barredtip, not too full. Tip: Silvertinsel, small oyalor flat. Tail: G. P. tippot fiberc,eight to ten. FALL CADDIS Butt: Ostridr herl, blad(. Tail: Naturalreddish-brown hackle Body: Rearhalf, H. O. flors; front half, fibers, six to eight. About body H. O. polar ber fuzz or underfur. length. May eubrtitute wool, then pick to Body: Dun graydubbing, medium body. .look rough. Rib: Yellow floss,four turns. Rib: Siher tinsl, mediumfour trrns, Wing: Barreddeer body hair.upright overlaidwith oval silverrope, eitherdivided or one bunch. medium. Hackle: Naturd reddish-brown,tied Hackle: Rodtbd wet, four turns, dry, five turns. Underwing: Feacocksrilord, six fibers, lergth of body. HUMPY Overwiqg: Pearlrnallard flar*, hid flat body. Tail: Deerbody hair, twolveto fifteen on top, urp sideagniffit f ibers. CAREY'SSPECIAL Body: Underbody,red floss, medium; black bucktail (blacktaill overbody: deer body hair, tied at Tail: Natural bend of hook. After floss is with few brown fibers. wrappedthen bring deer body hair Body: Tail materialwrapped around to front and tie off, covering807o of hook. body as hood. Rib: Herry black linen or rilk thread Wing: Deerbody hair,bunch, upright turned arourd hook in opposite Hackle: Barred,tied dry, five turns. direction to body wrap. l'lackle: Phasant rump or saddfofmth- LIGHTCADDIS er, gray cast,two hackhs us6d. Tail: Gingerhackh fibers,six to ten. DR. SPRATLEY Body: Light creamcolor or light yellow wool, thin. Tail: Barredhackb fibers, ttn to tuvehre. Rib: Ginge hackle,tied palmer. Body: Bladte

MARATTA Tail: Yellow hacklefiben. Body: l.B.D. graychenille, medium. Rib: Gold rope, small, four turns. Wing: Dark brown trrkey bil strips, tied wet, hngth of body and tail. thkb: Burgurdy, tied wst, tied down.

NATION'SRED SPECIAL OR DRAGON FLY Tail: ll&llard flank fibers, eight to ten. Body: Rearhdf, silrrertinsi, flat, rnedium;front half, rcd wool, oval sihar tinsel rib. Wirgs: Brown nrallad flank strips, to- gefter on edgeover body. May use widgeon. C[nd

NICOMEKYL Tail: Golden pheasantfibers, six to " eight; also small strip red duck primary. Body: Rearhalf, true orangefloss; front half, burgundy underfur or wool. Rib: Gold rope,small, four turns. Flackb.: Burgundy,tied vrnt four turns. Wirg: Brown mallardflank or widgeon flank ctrips, on edgeover body.