Sea-Run Cuttys.

Howdy friends! I have been wanting to share some of my methods that I have discovered/learned/picked up along the way for fishing for those wonderful Sea-run Cutthroat trout.

Sea-run Cuttys are a very peculiar fish. They can be extremely elusive one day and the next they are jumping and striking the fly 5 feet in front of you. No matter the case, you need to know several things about these fish.

Firstly, they have a wide range of food options in the wild. Choosing the right source is always a challenge but I hope I can help a little. I have found in the colder months they desire a moving target. You should be able to set aside those dry flies that work wonders in the summer months. I tend to use Clouser minnows in the chartreuse or olive color variants. Another great fly, which I have discovered is like candy recently, is the brass beaded orange wooly bugger. This fly has been a killer lately. I am going to attempt to tie a few of these in the next couple of days. I will be trying a couple other variations using perhaps some pink and possibly olive.

Another tip is location. Location, location, location. These fish aren't lazy. They are constantly moving and you should be too. I typically look for new areas during times of super low tides. This is so I can scope out the underwater structures and search for those oyster beds. Areas with a few larger boulders and a strong current usually are prime. During the incoming and outgoing tides, these guys sit near the boulders and just chomp up any food that is drifting by. I try and allow my fly to swing into these pockets and strikes often occur shortly after the bottom of your swing so be ready. Oyster beds and other rocky and shell...y...? areas are also a good indicator of have fish. I must warn you, be careful when fishing over oyster beds as they will eat your flys, tippet, leader, fly line, waders and possibly you. Those things are razor sharp! Another thing I look for are down trees and leaning trees.

After fishing for a while you may notice less action on the surface. I prefer to take note and cast a couple more before moving. If you see surface action down the beach you may want to move. Tide plays a huge roll on feeding cycles of the fish. I prefer different tides for different areas.

A piece of advice: Find a spot that is close to you and fish it as often as possible in all condiitons and tide heights. Get to know a spot and you will learn very quickly what works and what to look for.

Overall, get out, find new spots, and throw those lines. But always remember, Tight Lines!

The man, the waders and the fly.

Hello all. Jonathan here, I am extremely excited to start this new page all about my adventures while fly fishing the great Pacific Northwest. I'd like to firstly thank you for coming and reading this post. I realized that there aren't too many blogs about the PNW fly fisher so I thought why not start one my own. I plan on updating this as often as possible, sharing stories, ideas, fly patterns and also my take on the great sport.

Now a little bit about me, I grew up in the beautiful western  side of Washington about 35 miles north of the Emerald City. I was raised to enjoy and appreciate the outdoors and have luckily kept that trait throughout my life thus far. When I was little boy my father would take me fishing nearly every weekend on our 26 foot Olympic Glass-ply. In the beginning, I was taught how to fish anything from salmon using jigging techniques, all the way to halibut and shark fishing. My father was adamant about teaching me anything and everything. I think he saw my true passion for fishing and therefore continued to teach me his ways of fishing and how to treat these creatures. Many of the fish we caught were released shortly after bringing them aboard and I continue to practice this "micro observance of life" as J.T. Van Zandt so eloquently put it in the amazing documentary "Low and Clear".

After my father passed away, I lost a lot of the drive to fish. I seemed to have lost the passion by losing my fishing buddy. I went years without fishing or even wanting to fish until recently my friend Colin and I moved to a new area of the state that has surrounded us by the Puget Sound. Once we moved Colin began fishing the upper alpine lakes off of the scenic Mountain Loop Highway. Shortly after summer ended, I began fishing with Colin in the middle of Mason County for trout. I started up using spoons and Meps lures which had some luck, but it just wasn't doing it for me. I had remembered about an old fly rod my dad had gotten me about 13 or 14 years back and decided to give it a try. I hadn't really ever used it, let alone caught anything on a fly rod. This was a new learning experience that I was extremely excited to begin.

We began fishing the lakes with not much luck (other than Colin landing a Giant 5 pound Rainbow with a red Caddis on a bobber). Soon after, I headed into Peninsula Outfitters in Poulsbo to grab some flies for a trip I was making to the Sol Duc. Little did I know, but this was going to be the turning point in my fishing career. After talking to Lance (an awesome guide at Peninsula Outfitters) he mentioned that I should try fishing for Sea-Run Cutthroat. I had never fished for these and had no clue where to even attempt such a thing. After some pointers and a few Chartreuse Clouser Minnows, I was on my way. While I was headed to the beach I realized that I hadn't fished the salt since the passing of my father. It kind of hit me in a certain way; nostalgia, heartache, excitement... I couldn't put a finger on it, but I knew it was a good thing. Each day that I am out on the water I think of the times I shared with my father, I think those memories help me through what would be depression from not catching anything for the day haha.

Well that is a little bit about me and I am excited to share my experiences with you all. Until next time. Tight Lines!