I live in Colorado now, but am a Vancouver, WA native. I will be back in the summer, probably July, and I was wondering if anyone knows some area streams where I could find some sea-run cutts. When I took a trip to Forks for some steelies and salmon last year I was amazed at how feisty these smaller guys could be. I remember reading somewhere that salmon creek in clark county has been planted with sea runs, which would be great cuz my house is right there, but I dont know if thats true. Anyways, thanks ahead of time!


PS I fly and gear fish, so any tackle tips would be welcome too.

Flying Fish,

The Cowlitz River isn't far from Vancouver, and it has a fair run of SRC for now. It's proposed to be phased out, but should provide good fishing for a few more years.

Any trout outfit will do, and a size 6 or 8 Skunk or Spade fly will get a strike pretty regularly.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

as far as timing of the run goes... they didn't get the name "harvest trout" for no reason...



Think august, september, october....

Drop me an email if you want and I'll see if I can steer you in the right direction.

Don't rule out spider and revers spider flies when trying for SRCs. Or even stimulators. Many smaller rivers and streams have SRCs in them, you just need to know when. Generally, they move into streams July through November. That depends on the stream though. On average, they tend to move into the streams late August through October. You might be able to find many though along the mouth of the Columbia as this is where most of them would be in the Summer.

Don't rule out the South Sound if you have the time. http://www.washingtonflyfishing.com/columns/src.htm

I'll be home in the second half of July. Any hope they will be in streams in worthy numbers, or is the Sound my only chance?

I believe that the only place planted with sea runs anymore is on the cowlitz. Cowlits aea runs are alsoa very very underfished fishery and would be a good destination.

If you'd rather go someplace and fish for natives i'd recommend heading to the lower columbia tribs below the cowlitz. but please don't use bait and remember if you do the first 5 count against your daily limit whether you keep them or not.

Flyingfish -
Please check with the regulation pamphlet prior to fishing - in spite of what Robert said the bag limit is 2 fish on most streams and I believe that nearly all (all?) of the streams in SW Washington require release of all wild cutthroat.

Robert -
you seem to have concerns that the use of bait results in high mortality of cutts - the literature supports that insight - most studies peg that mortality at 35% or more. However you disregard those type of studies for steelhead so why the concern with the mortatlity on cuttrhoat?- same type of science!

Tight lines
S malma

Salama as a kid i grew up fishing for trout wiht bait sea runs in particular so from personal experience i know that mortaility is high.

as an adult I have fished for steelhead and with the manner of presentations i use the fish are ALWAYS and i mean 100% of the time hooked in the corner of the jaw or the tip of the nose absolutely no exceptions!!

now from that ai look at the studies done in BC that suggest a 3% mortality of steelhead caught on single barbless artificial. I actually read through the study and see where the researchers stated that the vast majority of mortality was due to hook related injuries causing organ damage and sever blood loss. neither of these is possible with a fish hooked in the tip of the nose or the corner of the jaw therefore it stands to reason that my catch and release mortality is considerably lower than 3%..
Now were i to use bait or trebel hooks on fish that I planned to release i guarentee my hooking mortaility would go up.

So when in the past i have said " catch and release properly done" I mean single barbless hooks no bait..

also note that the canadian studies showed most mortality was due to blood loss due to hooking injury. NOT from handeling the fish...

Well i gotta go take my GF and her kids trout fishing going to a stocker lake to drown some power bait

Robert -
Hope the fishing went well! Hard to find a fish much better to introduce novice anglers to fishing than the gullible hatchery rainbow!

It has been clear from all the hooking mortality studies that I have read it is clear that you are correct into most morality is caused by hook damage to a vital spot (usually the gills, eye, tongue, stomach). In all this debate surrounding wild steelhead retention moratorium no where have I seen selective gear rules being requested or required. Without that then hooking mortality will be a potential issue.

You position on the mortality of released steelhead seems to rely on your experience rather than the science that is out there but since the "science" agrees with your experience that "science" is OK and should be used. Why should we accept your steelhead hooking mortality experience over the science? Why not someone else's whose observation is different? Who becomes the expert?

My own experience for example would indiate that the mortalities normally assigned to hook and release steelhead is pretty much on target though maybe a little low for the general angler population (experts and novice combined).

This started with a sea-run cutthroat and it has been my observation that with barbless flies I can expect 1 to 2% of the cutts I catch to die almost immediately (less than 5 minutes). So even selective regulation may buy us total protection from hooking mortality. While I may not be the expert angler that you are I have fished enough to consider myself past the novice stage. In addition I have had the opportunity to fish with, talk with and observe a fair number of my fellow anglers and think that my observations would likely at least mirror the general angler population's impacts.

Tight lines
S malma

Flyingfish, if you want to drive south and buy an Oregon license, good searun cutthroat returns from July- September in all coastal rivers. Catch and release only in Nehalem Tillamook, and Nestucca. South of there, two fish a day harvest in Siletz, Yaquina, Alsea, and Siuslaw. Fish middle or upper tidewater, or fish where cold tribs. enter above tidewater. All these rivers have lots of cutthroat.

Salama I would agree hooking mortality is higher on cutthroat for some reason even with barbless flies.

Also i am not trying to pass my experience off as any kind of science just pointing out my observations as regards to steelhead. Also the only place i catch many wild steelhead is on the North Umpqua on flies.. This year other than the umpqua I caught three wild steelhead. all on flies.
I guess when i talk about WRS regs i automatically assume single barbless no bait as part of the package.