Sea-Run Cutties

[paguy]

Another good searun cutthroat fly in the river if I remember correctly it was called a spruce fly.

 

[o_clarki]

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

As mentioned, I fish spoons in the 1/8 or 1/6 oz size. I will go up to 1/4 if it's windy and I need to cut the wind but my preference is to go small and relatively light.

For two decades, my spoon of choice has been the Gibbs Ultra. They stopped producing the Ultra several years ago but I still have a few left. It will be a sad day on God's green earth when I lose my last one. I asked Gibbs about producing more and I have to commit to a run of several thousand blanks. Anyone want to do a group buy?

The Gibb's Prism Croc is good. I don't like it as much as it's a little dense/compact, and doesn't do as nice a flutter as the Ultra, but it does produce fish too.

When I lose my last Ultra, I'm going to try again the Little Cleo made by Acme Tackle. Some of my early coho and cutthroat off the beach came on a Little Cleo that I brought with me from back east. Someday i'll think I'll try it again.

 

[Wildvanisle]

For two decades, my spoon of choice has been the Gibbs Ultra. They stopped producing the Ultra several years ago but I still have a few left. It will be a sad day on God's green earth when I lose my last one....

You should take a look at Luhr Jensen Krokodile spoons. I think they are a little more expensive than Gibbs Crocs but they are amazing spoons and come in just about any colour you can think of.

 

[o_clarki]

You should take a look at Luhr Jensen Krokodile spoons. I think they are a little more expensive than Gibbs Crocs but they are amazing spoons and come in just about any colour you can think of.

Good reminder. I forgot about those. I have fished them in the past with good results.

 

[RalphH]

Another good searun cutthroat fly in the river if I remember correctly it was called a spruce fly.

That's a nice looking and very fishy pattern that never caught on in Canada. I use to fish a variation of it called the Spruce Bunny that replaced the badger hackle wing with a strip of tan rabbit strip tied zonker style.

 

[azzdoc]

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!

Awesome advice. Thanks!