Sea-Run Cutties

[azzdoc]

Not sure if these questions should be posted in the Fresh or Salt forums, so will repost in more appropriate spot if needed.

Relatively new to Comox valley area and would like to experience some spring fly fishing opportunities. Work and family obligations make epic multi-days trips impossible right now so would really like any tips that help me to go cast a line if I can find the odd morning/evening etc to go and fish. Any tips that would shorten the "go figure it out for yourself" time line would be much appreciated.

I have a love for anadromous trout from my earlier days chasing big steelies up north and would really like to experience fishing for their smaller cousins the sea-run cutthroat. It is a fishery for which I have no experience. I am guessing that fry patterns are recommended but do not know whether I should fish rising or falling tides, whether fast strip (bone fish style) or slow swing tends to produce, and where along the many many miles of shoreline I should target my efforts. Makes sense that any creek or river mouth would do but if anyone can help me focus those efforts in a 45min drive radius around Courtenay/Comox area that would be much appreciated. PM is fine if preferred.

Many thanks and tight lines.

 

[Dogbreath]

It's tough to advise someone since they move & move & move-so what does a person do fish the same great looking spot on all tides to try and determine a pattern or 'get restless' start moving themself?

Maybe ask for some advice from the Nile Creek fly shop.

 

[eroyd]

Sea Run Cutties are kind of like "Fight Club" rule #1. I love fishing for them, but they are so easily over fished, even when practicing CR. That said, any shallow beaches in your are will have them. Lots of exploring and observing to do. They will show themselves. With the enhancements in the Oyster River there should be a ton of them around there. Shallow, pebble or cobble beaches. Some times mud. As far as which tide, it depends on the beach, but I do find a big tide with lots of flow the best.
Fry flies at the moment, but they will take all sorts, from fast stripped streamers to a big dry dead on the surface.

 

[Ripperoflips]

I don't know what the reg's. on the Isl. is for Sea Run Cutties but on the mainland it's catch and release all the way up to Cape Caution, thats past the top of Van Isl. going north.

 

[azzdoc]

It's tough to advise someone since they move & move & move-so what does a person do fish the same great looking spot on all tides to try and determine a pattern or 'get restless' start moving themself?

Maybe ask for some advice from the Nile Creek fly shop.

Thanks for the advice. I will give Nile Creek a shout.

 

[azzdoc]

Sea Run Cutties are kind of like "Fight Club" rule #1. I love fishing for them, but they are so easily over fished, even when practicing CR. That said, any shallow beaches in your are will have them. Lots of exploring and observing to do. They will show themselves. With the enhancements in the Oyster River there should be a ton of them around there. Shallow, pebble or cobble beaches. Some times mud. As far as which tide, it depends on the beach, but I do find a big tide with lots of flow the best.
Fry flies at the moment, but they will take all sorts, from fast stripped streamers to a big dry dead on the surface.

Great advice. Thanks !

 

[Kildonan]

I find the best part of searun cutthroat fishing is the hunting. Lots of looking and watching, a few casts here and there, the signs can be very subtle. It's awesome when you find them, the big reward for all the hunting. You will sometimes find them in very unlikely places. Some of the best searun cutthroat fishing I have found in my time was in an irrigation pond at a golf course when I was a kid. I caught a LOT of nice ones in there.

One thing is for sure, a cutthroat fisher will never divulge their good spots. They've worked too hard to find them.

Courtney at Nile Creek Fly Shop will get you pointed in the right direction for success.

 

[paguy]

We used to do best in the lower tidal influenced part of the river on a high tide with sculpin or fry patterns striped slow. And if you don't fly fish, A chunk of bullhead meat with a small split shot drifted was deadly. I miss cutthroat fishing.

 

[jim morrow]

Matt Sharp of Pacific Angler tackle store vancouver has a video on you tube called what's in my cutthroat fly box.

 

[RalphH]

We used to do best in the lower tidal influenced part of the river on a high tide with sculpin or fry patterns striped slow. And if you don't fly fish, A chunk of bullhead meat with a small split shot drifted was deadly. I miss cutthroat fishing.

Use of Finfish or parts of Finfish is prohibited in BC with 2 exceptions:

The use of fin fish (dead or alive) or parts of fin fish other than roe is prohibited throughout the province...
You may use the head of fin fish or the headless body of fin fish as bait, only:

(a) when sport fishing for sturgeon in
Region 2 only on the Fraser River, Lower Pitt River (CPR bridge upstream to Pitt Lake), Lower Harrison River (Fraser River upstream to Harrison
Lake), or
(b) when set lining in lakes of Region 6 orin lakes of Zone A of Region 7.

see Pg 9 of the current synopsis

 

[OldBlackDog]

Freshwater regulations, not salt water regulations.
I believe he was talking about in the ocean.

Use of Finfish or parts of Finfish is prohibited in BC with 2 exceptions:



see Pg 9 of the current synopsis

 

[eroyd]

IMO. Shouldn't been chucking bait at fish you are expected to release. I have personally witnessed the high mortality of a certain dude using bobber and worm for SRC. Even with fishing barbless flies or spoons there is some mortality. Be gentle with these babies, killing just a few can mean a lot to a tiny creeks run.

 

[Wildvanisle]

IMO. Shouldn't been chucking bait at fish you are expected to release. I have personally witnessed the high mortality of a certain dude using bobber and worm for SRC. Even with fishing barbless flies or spoons there is some mortality. Be gentle with these babies, killing just a few can mean a lot to a tiny creeks run.

Not to mention it’s actually illegal to use bait on almost all Island rivers

 

[o_clarki]

I've only fished sea run ct up-island in your neck of the woods once. Aug 17, 1997 to be exact. Family reunion at Mount Washington and I snuck away one evening. Hooked 4 ct, landed 2; a wild and a clipped, both around 13-14". Been hankering to get back ever since.

I don't flyfish for sea run ct; I use ultralight spinning gear and 1/6 or 1/8 oz spoons. But I think my observations may be helpful, when taken with a grain of salt!

I like to fish a flood tide and I prefer the couple of hours before and after high slack. My strong hunch is that the cool flood of water stirs up the life in the intertidal zone and the cutthroat come closer into shore to partake in that stirring.

Also, I tend to see my catch increase in low light conditions. Although I have caught many fish in the blazing sunshine, when I fish in the evenings, the ct activity tends to pick up near and after sunset.

The few hatchery ct I have harvested over the years have been full of needlefish. Flyfisherman fish flies that imitate sculpins, crab larvae, shrimp... but in my experience the main ct food source is baitfish and that's why my spoons are so productive. All my spoons have a little bit of prism tape on them and I fish them erractically for maximum flash. If you've ever seen a school of needlefish when they are startled, their silver sides flash as they move to evade. I think the ct can see the bright flash of my little spoons from a distance and that rings their dinner bell. So yes, fry patterns work this time of year, but my experience is that bright baitfish imitating flies would be most productive.

If you see a ct jump, don't just say to yourself "I guess they are here". Hunt that fish! My truism is that jumping ct is a catchable ct. I can't count how many times I have cast to a fish that just jumped and hooked it. Happens several times a season. Twice in the same night last year, for example. If I see a jumper nearby, I will hurry in my retrieve and rip a cast in the his direction. If I see a jumper down the beach, I will likely pull up stakes and move to cast. More than once I have dropped my spoon in the middle of the rings and he hit the spoon on the drop before I could even engage the reel.

Ct are notorious for tapping at my spoon on the retrieve. Tap, tap , tap... all the way in. I can feel him, I know he's there. I'm just poised waiting for him to commit. Be patient and don't set your hook on the tap. Inevitably the strike does come.

And to echo eroyd, be gentle with these babies. I have a net on my on my waders and I never go into shore to land a fish. They are netted, and released, while I am in the water. I don't take pictures either, or pull out a measuring tape. I would love to record each catch with a pic but that just adds more stress to the fish. For what? I have 12" marked on the butt of my rod. I hold him up to the rod for a quick measurement, check for the adipose, and send him on his way.

Enjoy the pursuit. I do!

 

[Big Green Machine]

Not to mention it’s actually illegal to use bait on almost all Island rivers

As stated in an earlier post, he’s fishing tidal waters.

 

[RalphH]

Freshwater regulations, not salt water regulations.
I believe he was talking about in the ocean.

Perhaps but he specifically talked about fishing rivers.

In BC most Rivers are defined as non-tidal even with in sections that are influenced by tidal action. The tidal zone is usually the end of the point of land at high tide. Exceptions will be defined by a known landmark such as a bridge. In the Fraser for example it is the Mission Bridge but even there use of fin fish is only legal when fishing for sturgeon.

The major point is when going to fish a river, consult the regulations.

 

[RalphH]

I've only fished sea run ct up-island in your neck of the woods once. Aug 17, 1997 to be exact. Family reunion at Mount Washington and I snuck away one evening. Hooked 4 ct, landed 2; a wild and a clipped, both around 13-14". Been hankering to get back ever since.

I don't flyfish for sea run ct; I use ultralight spinning gear and 1/6 or 1/8 oz spoons. But I think my observations may be helpful, when taken with a grain of salt!

I like to fish a flood tide and I prefer the couple of hours before and after high slack. My strong hunch is that the cool flood of water stirs up the life in the intertidal zone and the cutthroat come closer into shore to partake in that stirring.

Also, I tend to see my catch increase in low light conditions. Although I have caught many fish in the blazing sunshine, when I fish in the evenings, the ct activity tends to pick up near and after sunset.

The few hatchery ct I have harvested over the years have been full of needlefish. Flyfisherman fish flies that imitate sculpins, crab larvae, shrimp... but in my experience the main ct food source is baitfish and that's why my spoons are so productive.

So Scott what size spoon do you use? Any particular type or brands?

Back many years ago Roger Turner showed me a sample of his favorite beach fly for the Island and it was tied on a slow shank hook with a silver body and lime green hair wing. That would be close to a needle fish. Another long popular standard and one of the most versatile patterns for coastal BC is the Rolled Muddler which was 1st meant to imitate a saltwater stickleback but many people fish long shank versions in #8 & #6 for coho and they catch cutthroat as well. Mickey Finn - same idea.

Cheers

 

[Wildvanisle]

Another long popular standard and one of the most versatile patterns for coastal BC is the Rolled Muddler which was 1st meant to imitate a saltwater stickleback...

Im fairly certain the Muddler was originally a sculpin imitation for Brook trout in Ontario, but it does make a passable stickleback imitation.

 

[paguy]

Perhaps but he specifically talked about fishing rivers.

In BC most Rivers are defined as non-tidal even with in sections that are influenced by tidal action. The tidal zone is usually the end of the point of land at high tide. Exceptions will be defined by a known landmark such as a bridge. In the Fraser for example it is the Mission Bridge but even there use of fin fish is only legal when fishing for sturgeon.

The major point is when going to fish a river, consult the regulations.

I was talking about twenty, thirty years ago over here on the Olympic peninsula when we used to fry em up for dinner. Sorry for the confusion. When fishing over here for cutthroat in the salt we used #2 Canadian wonder spoons and small dick night spoons with good success.

 

[RalphH]

Im fairly certain the Muddler was originally a sculpin imitation for Brook trout in Ontario, but it does make a passable stickleback imitation.

You are right the Muddler Minnow was tied by Don Gapen for the large brook trout in the Nipigon River.

The Rolled Muddler was originated by Tom Murray right here is BC for fishing for beach cutthroat.

The Original Muddler as tied by Gapen was large and bulky with a wing of squirrel tail and turkey quill. The head was large made of bulky deer hair

The Rolled muddler was slim & sparse with wing of rolled mallard flank and sparse head of sparse deer hair

https://cutthroatsgalore.wordpress.com/tag/rolled-muddler/

https://globalflyfisher.com/patterns-tie-better/gapens-muddler-minnow