Cutthroat from kayak in sound?

[No More Ice Fishin]

Thanks again guys, I am excited to try a little more active approach. It gets old trolling deep.

What do you recommend for spinning gear? 7 foot light action rod, 6 pound test?

[ravdakot]

7' light action with 6lb line would be about ideal. The SRC would be a blast on a 6' ultra light, but youd have a hard time if you Hung a big resi coho or a black mouth. Your still gonna have an epic battle should you hang a nice black mouth, but you stand a fighting chance.

-Dino-
We'll go out this spring when all the lakes are slam full of planters. That will be the perfect setting to teach you the basics, and let you get a feel for fighting/landing fish on the fly. I've got a couple rods in the right weight class for it, so no need to spend any cash until you've tried it once or twice. Got a couple good beaches for SRC too once you get casting under your belt. It's far easier to cast little bugs than clouser minnows.

[islandson671]

Dick

Sounds like a plan Bro! How difficult is it to cast in a dry suit? My new Bpod came in while I was gone and I tried it on the other day and found the whole zipper thing a bit constricting.

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[islandson671]

I think I need to take up fly fishing this year. Rav you're gonna have to teach me to fly fish this year

Dino - I've got a spare 5wt.  It needs fresh line as what's on the reel right now is probably 15 years old, but it would be plenty for SRC's.  I suck in general as a fisherman, but I'm OK at casting fly's.  It might be the visually impared leading the blind, but I'd be happy to teach you what I know.

Andrew-thanks for the offer, we can definitely try it out too and get that kayak you bought from me bloody as well. Have you taken her out yet? I still haven't gotten Zee's T13 that I picked up in the water.

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[sumpnz]

Andrew-thanks for the offer, we can definitely try it out too and get that kayak you bought from me bloody as well. Have you taken her out yet? I still haven't gotten Zee's T13 that I picked up in the water.

Nope.  Have not yet splashed that Prowler.  Trying to get enough firewood sold to cover the cost of a drysuit and booties.  Had a guy come by yesterday and pick up a cord.  He wants to keep coming back every Saturday until it's all gone, so by next weekend I'll have enough to make the order with Outdoorplay.com.

SWMBO is probably heading down to OR again with the kids over President's Day weekend, and since I do get that Monday off, if I don't go with them, that'll probably be the time for a maiden voyage.

[demonick]

The north end of Richmond Beach Park has a cobblestone flat on which I have seen fly-fishermen.  I would guess that Picnic Point and  Mukilteo have something similar. 

Someone in some other thread mentioned the SRC bible and prophet (Les Johnson):

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=sea+run+cutthroat&x=0&y=0

[No More Ice Fishin]

Thanks guys.

I've never checked out Richmond. Can you slip a kayak in there?

I'm guessing the most productive beaches are ones that you can't access through a park, but have to paddle to.

[ravdakot]

Dick

Sounds like a plan Bro! How difficult is it to cast in a dry suit? My new Bpod came in while I was gone and I tried it on the other day and found the whole zipper thing a bit constricting.

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Not too bad, you'll be fine. Congrats on the new suit!!

Sorry for the thread hijack NMIF

[demonick]

I've never checked out Richmond. Can you slip a kayak in there?

Not any harder than Picnic Point, though no switchbacks.  Has a similar overpass over the railroad tracks.  Like Picnic Point, going down is easier than going up.  Google Earth is your friend.

[Zee]

Richmond beach isn't that productive since it's mostly sand. Picnic Point is definitely better but you'll have to stay in very shallow water (4' or less) to be able to target them. I usually catch these guys in just a few feet of water. I think there's better spots in the south sound that are flatter that would be more conducive to getting after them by kayak.

[Zoea]

A couple years back I used to spend a lot of time in Hood Canal trolling in a little aluminum boat.  The areas north and south of Dewatto bay were always very productive.  Also across from the Point Whitney Shellfish lab and launch is Bolton penninsula where I also did quite well.  We used to just toss a silver crocodile over the side and troll in 20-15 feet of water through the Eel Grass.  Up north the Coho net pens release a lot of smolts so you will pick up a lot of these guys as well.

[No More Ice Fishin]

Richmond beach isn't that productive since it's mostly sand. Picnic Point is definitely better but you'll have to stay in very shallow water (4' or less) to be able to target them. I usually catch these guys in just a few feet of water. I think there's better spots in the south sound that are flatter that would be more conducive to getting after them by kayak.

Thanks...I know I'll have to do some leg work.

[sumpnz]

I've wade fished Picnic Point a couple times, along with Richmond Beach, Carkeek, and probably one or two other beaches in the area.  Apparently I suck at catching fish as I couldn't even hook a pink durinig the 2009 run.

[ConeHeadMuddler]

I occasionally fish the S Sound and the Canal for cutts, as well as around Pt Townsend and Sequim. Not as much in the S sound as I'd like, though. Plan to do more of it this year from my Tarpon or U-12, starting in late March, when the Chum fry start to appear. Late March thru early May, Chum fry imitations work really well.

 Bob Triggs' Chum Baby, the Thorn River Emerger, developed by Les Johnson and Dan Lamaich, & Doug Rose's Keta Rose are all good Chum fry imitations. Strip 'em in with short-to-medium quick strips, with brief pauses after every 3rd or 4th strip.
You can fish these off a floating line with a long leader, a clear intermediate sink tip, or a clear intermediate slow sinking line.
I fished in front of a creek mouth in the S Sound from my anchored canoe one Spring, in late April, using Chum Babies, and I had some great action. I lost count of the cutts I hooked, but probably released a good dozen in an hour or so anchored there in the rain. Picked up a few more along the beaches both ways between there and the ramp I launched at.

I fish my local estuaries and tidal creeks for cutts from July thru early Oct from my Ultimate 12. Its mainly mud flats and high muddy banks around here,though. No cobble or rocky bottoms in these coastal estuaries. Everything's a mud flat around here at low tide. It took me a while to learn how to fish the cutts down in the estuaries. Was easier to figure out the tidal creeks.

I think one of the most rewarding and fun aspects of searun cutt fishing is the discovery process. You have to learn about each different tidal creek and estuary one at a time, as they all have different mixes of characteristics, sort of their own "personalities." This process involves just figuring out a plan, then going out and fishing for them, and observing, learning, and applying the knowledge gained.

 I wouldn't want to take that experience away from anyone by just telling them where or when to fish, since the cutts move around anyway and may not always be where you expect to find them, or found them last time. In the estuary, I often look for birds working bait. I keep my eyes and ears peeled for any splashing or surface activity. I am observing and studying everything around me. Having to pay attention to what is going on and hunt them down is one of the best parts of chasing searun cutts, IMHO.

If any of you fly fishers like to paddle and want to fish with me, though you're welcome to come along. I would never show a bait slinger my cutthroat waters! 
 Starts here in late July. Until then, its much better fishing for them in the Sound, Canal, and inner Straits. In fact its almost always better fishing for searun cutts in the Salish Sea waters than it is out here in the coastal estuaries and tidal creeks.

Like Rav advised, look for tidal movement, rocky bottoms, oyster beds, depressions in the bottom, water moving over bars, and riplines. A ripline coming off a small point or creekmouth bar or spit can be golden. Some places fish better on the ebb, some on the flood, and some both ways. Dead high and dead low tides usually are not productive.

When I'm paddling from one location to another, I'm usually trolling a streamer or baitfish pattern on a clear intermediate line, and sometimes a floating line. I just paddle like I'm trying to make some time. I think they hit a fast moving fly because of their strike-response instinct to go after fleeing baitfish. Also, this gives them little time to inspect the impostor that you are dragging. They will hit surface patterns like gurglers, and I plan to try trolling one of those on right the surface this year, just to see if it works.

I usually refrain from outing any of my better spots (or how/when to fish them) on the webz.  I'm willing to share fly patterns and techniques with anyone, but I'm careful with whom I share my hard won logistical info.