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Picture Of The Month



SD2OR with a trophy fall walleye

Topic: Puget Sound SRC  (Read 2958 times)

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Saltycutt

  • Herring
  • **
  • Location: Tacoma, WA
  • Date Registered: Aug 2019
  • Posts: 23
Hey guys, I'm one of the new guys around here and have scoured the site for tips and tricks as I get set up. Thanks for all the info! My main use for the kayak will be fly fishing Puget Sound for searuns. I'd like to get into salmon but will probably fish gear.

 Anyway, a trip report. The fall SRC season has started and its fantastic. There are big aggressive SRC feeding on many of our beaches. I've had a blast the last couple weeks figuring out how to effectively fish from the kayak for them. So far the biggest thing is keeping a clean deck, which can be difficult with pedal drives. I've managed pretty well and have found plenty of cutthroat willing to play. I'm playing with different stripping baskets, but for now I'll just deal with chaos.
Cheers,
Steve
WS Radar 135


Rockbottom

  • Perch
  • ***
  • Date Registered: May 2018
  • Posts: 79
SRC are why I got a kayak.  Opens up so much water and its an all year fishery.  They fight like mini chinook. The by catch of rezzie coho isn't bad either, and of course, the occasional pink and chinook.  Puget Sound is such a gift.


conquestdz

  • Perch
  • ***
  • Location: WA
  • Date Registered: Jan 2019
  • Posts: 55
I have only fished for cutts in lakes.  What is the general strategy in the sound for those of us that don't fly fish?


Saltycutt

  • Herring
  • **
  • Location: Tacoma, WA
  • Date Registered: Aug 2019
  • Posts: 23
I have only fished for cutts in lakes.  What is the general strategy in the sound for those of us that don't fly fish?

I would think small kastmasters or spinners on light tackle would be deadly.  SRC like to stick close to shore, so you're casting to the shoreline. Look for good rocky beaches with good current and avoid sandy areas.


Rockbottom

  • Perch
  • ***
  • Date Registered: May 2018
  • Posts: 79
SRC are making a huge comeback due to a strong catch and release program all along the west coast.  Please handle them as gently as you can.  They are such a great and unpredictable fishery.  Have fun!


conquestdz

  • Perch
  • ***
  • Location: WA
  • Date Registered: Jan 2019
  • Posts: 55
Thanks for the info.  That might be something good to keep me busy once the salmon finish up.


Nobaddays

  • Lingcod
  • *****
  • Location: Central Oregon
  • Date Registered: Jul 2014
  • Posts: 409
I’m down in Oregon, but like to try targeting SRC.  Could you post photos of some of your favorite flies that you use.
Being retired, they pay me when I go fishing, therefore I am kind of a professional fisherman.


Rockbottom

  • Perch
  • ***
  • Date Registered: May 2018
  • Posts: 79
My go to flies are generally chartreuse over white clousers.  Nick Clayton has several youtube videos for effective SRC flies.  I use a full sink line from the kayak and an intermediate from the beach.  From the kayak, I cast to shore, then with surprisingly quick strips all the way to the leader.  If in a little deeper water, generally no deeper than 8 feet in the areas I fish, I'll let the fly sink first, then start stripping.  I stopped using a stripping basket on the kayak as it got in the way too much and I think would make a self rescue next to impossible.  I simply strip the line between my legs or off to one side of the kayak into the water.  It is amazing though, how It will find SOMETHING to get snagged on.  It's a real pain in the ass if I don't pay attention, usually if I'm untangling my line, and the current will take my fly and leader under the kayak and tangle around the turbofins.  Snagging a fly on the bow handle is the worst, especially in rougher water.  I break the fly off rather than try to scoot up there and retrieve it.
I still have yet to learn how to use surface flies for SRC, but it sounds like a blast.  I carry a second rod strung up with a floating line and a popper for that purpose.


Tinker

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Kevin
  • Location: 42.74°N 124.5°W
  • Date Registered: May 2013
  • Posts: 3304
I’m down in Oregon, but like to try targeting SRC.  Could you post photos of some of your favorite flies that you use.

Do they come in close enough down here to target them or are you talking about fishing the bays?  I've always thought they would be fun to catch other than from a lake or the banks of a river.  I've had luck in freshwater using the same flies I'd use for salmon, just tied an inch or so shorter - if that's any help.

Nick's YouTube channel is here: https://www.youtube.com/user/Thewolf981/videos
« Last Edit: September 04, 2019, 06:02:15 AM by Tinker »
I expected the worst, but it was worse than I expected...


Saltycutt

  • Herring
  • **
  • Location: Tacoma, WA
  • Date Registered: Aug 2019
  • Posts: 23
Rockbottom nailed it. Olive over white and chartreuse over white clousers are hard to beat. Deliahs squid (google) is a favorite and very easy to tie and modify. Essentially a gold cone, pearl chenille, and tan marabou tail. A Gami SC15 #4 is hard to beat for a searun hook, Ahrex shrimp hooks in 8 and 10 are great too.

Top water is one of the funnest ways to find fish, but hookup ratio can be pretty low sometimes. They'll chase the fly down and swipe at it 3 or 4 times and miss every time!!! You want constant motion on the fly, to create skating v wake. Miyawaki popper is the baseline fly, I tie my poppers on tubes.

In WA they are all catch and release, so pinch those barbs and keep our population growing.


C_Run

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Location: Independence, OR
  • Date Registered: Apr 2011
  • Posts: 1214
I’m down in Oregon, but like to try targeting SRC.  Could you post photos of some of your favorite flies that you use.

Do they come in close enough down here to target them or are you talking about fishing the bays?  I've always thought they would be fun to catch other than from a lake or the banks of a river.  I've had luck in freshwater using the same flies I'd use for salmon, just tied an inch or so shorter - if that's any help.


I recall reading a paper on searun cutts once and it said they don't stray very far from their river if they go in the ocean at all and may just stay in large bays. I suppose Puget Sound is different than the Oregon coast, though.


[WR]

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • VFW, Life Member at Large, since 1997.
  • ADTA.org
  • Location: West of Auburn, East of the Sound
  • Date Registered: Jan 2008
  • Posts: 4716
McAllister Creek feeds into the lower sound at Luhr Beach next to the,mouth of the Nisqually. Not sure if the hatchery there at the,base of Nisqually hill is still open or not, but that's one of the places I used to be able to catch Cutts. (basically in front of the river mouth and just north towards Dupont)

Also, with the revision of the marshland there in the Nisqually Delta in the past 10 years  I'm not sure if they even run there any more.  Yeah it's been a while...
Why so many odd typos ? You try typing on 6 mm virtual keys with 26 mm thumbs....


 

anything