Coastal Cutthroat - A primer

A cool but sunny winter day. Your breath turning into puffs of steam as you crawl over that big boulder, rod clutched in your teeth so you can get a grip on the slippery rock. You slide down beside the rock and you find them--milling about in a pool you could almost reach across. You slip the line into the water--no need to cast and potentially scatter them, just let the current carry your small rolled muddler into the midst of them. The long leader straightens, and the line goes taught. A quick twitch or two at the right moment. A bright silver flash and you've got one dancing across the pool's surface. The rod, heavy in case the wind had come up, is really too much for the little trout and the fight ends sooner than you would like. You bring the fish to hand--a fat wild ten inches. A quick photo and it's back into the stream.

Standing up you stretch your back and for the first time take in the almost pristine surroundings. You think to yourself that this is the best place in the world--right here, right now--and you know that while you might talk about your trip, you're never going to give up the little pool to anyone.

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I wrote this as a tongue-in-cheek response to someone asking about where to fish for cutthroat in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia. Now don't get me wrong-I'm not about keeping every spot I fish a secret, but when it comes to Coastal cutthroat (or cutts as we sometimes call them) there is a reason to be a little stingy with information...

When most western North American fishermen hear the word "cutthroat", visions of gentle Rocky Mountain streams, high sun and lively colourful trout usually spring to mind. But their coastal cousins conjure different images: mist capped Cascade mountains, cold spring air and sleek silver fish. They also conjure images of frustrated fly fisherman, shivering and looking at broad expanses of empty water, for this rare gem of a gamefish is notoriously nomadic.

The Coastal cutthroat, or Salmo clarki clarki, is one of two anadromous trout species on the west coast of North America (the other being Steelhead) and the only one recognized as a separate subspecies in its family. While Steelhead can range far inland, Coastal cutthroat are pretty well confined to coastal waterways, including estuaries, rivers and small streams from Northern California to Prince William Sound in Alaska.

Distinguished from their Rainbow relatives by the tell-tale red slashes on the lower jaw, coastal cutthroat at maturity range in size from as little as a few ounces to as much as 17 pounds or more depending on their environment. Like their relatives the anadromous steelhead, migratory Coastal cutthroat are generally larger than the resident fish in almost every system, the exception being lake-locked individuals which reach sizes far in excess of stream fish. While the larger fish can be targeted in some reservoirs such as those along the BC Sunshine Coast, the more common and usually more accessible individuals are the smaller migratory and stream resident fish--the former reaching sizes up to four pounds and the latter often topping out in the one to one and half pound range.

The Coastal cutthroat is really the alpha and omega of trout through much of its range. While the Pacific Northwest doesn't have a winter closure on most streams, it's really the cutthroat fishery that defines the fly fishing season here. In the early part of the year they forage sporadically for insect and small baitfish, but really become aggressive as the salmon fry hatch from February onward. In the latter part of the year as December rolls in they are usually the last to retire, gorging on the remaining flesh and eggs from the salmon migration.

The reference to the relationship between salmon and cutthroat is not accidental. Many of the high gradient streams in which the Coastal cutthroat live have relatively low PH and nutrient levels. The salmon play a key roll in re-energizing the nutrient levels in these streams, and Cutthroat have adapted closely to the life cycle of the salmon. Unfortunately the decline in many salmon runs coupled with overfishing of cutthroat in some regions during the 1960's and 70's has negatively impacted populations. Through proper management this trend is being reversed or at least curtailed, but the fact remains that these fish can be very sporadically distributed.

Couple this last fact with the nomadic tendencies of the Coastal cutthroat and it should come as no surprise that fisherman are loath to give up their sacred spots. Vague hints and directions to historical cutthroat spots are usually all one can expect when someone asks about where to fish for cutthroat, and also explains my initial response to the question at the start of this article.

Aaron

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Basic Equipment for Coastal Cutthroat:

• Rods: For larger water bodies where wind and distance are a factor a medium action, 9' to 9'6", 5 or 4wt rod is appropriate. For smaller streams and more protected waters 000 to 3wt rods are ideal. Most of my small stream fishing is done using a 8' 1wt rod.
• Lines: A floating line is a must, particularly on smaller waters--Dave Hughes called the cutthroat the perfect dry fly fish and you do not want to miss the opportunity to fish them dry if it arises. For winter fishing in larger waters a clear intermediate or a clear tip line (particularly during the fry migration) is a useful addition.
• Leaders: With floating lines (unless nymphing) keep them long and fine. While the Coastal cutthroat is not usually that fussy about flies, they can be leader shy. A 5x-6X fluoro or good quality mono is usually appropriate for tippet size.
• Flies: At a very minimum you should carry a range of baitfish and fry patterns, a selection of dries and soft hackles suitable for most hatches you might encounter (these can be fairly generic, but of an appropriate size and colour), a few colourful classic wets, and nymphs ranging from lightly weighted hare's ears to very heavy, beaded czech nymphs.
  

Where to look:

• In the early parts of the spring look to the back waters of major Salmon river systems, usually close to the mouths of known salmon spawning tributaries. In smaller systems deeper slow moving pools and salmon fry rearing habitat are good locations to concentrate.
  
• In the spring and summer look to estuaries and larger tributary streams for anadromous fish, and in smaller tributary streams for resident fish. Insects, sculpin, baitfish and crustaceans are major food sources.
  
• Coastal cutthroat seem to prefer gradually sloping pebble and rock beaches in larger water systems, but in smaller streams and tributaries they can be found primarily in pools, pocket water, back eddies and along seams.
• Cutthroat are sensitive to temperature variations. In warmer periods or during low water it's useful to concentrate on white water flows and plunge pools that provide both cover, cooler oxygenated water and ready feeding lies. Often the fish will lie right in the heaviest water and presentations need to be able to sink quickly.
• Fall heralds the return of the salmon and during this period look to waters immediately down stream of salmon spawning beds. At this time Cutthroat will take up position and concentrate on the abundant salmon eggs (initially) and flesh (later) that tumble down. At this time cutthroat can also be found in and around the salmon redds, but fishing for them here can be very difficult as you're just as likely to find a very large salmon as a cutthroat dancing at the end of your lightweight rod.
  
• In the early winter months, after the salmon spawning period, larger anadromous fish will migrate up streams to stage prior to their own spawning period. Larger fish can be found in even the smallest streams at this time and egg patterns can usually produce well.

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Postscript: The fellow who originally asked where to look for cutthroat, did eventually manage to find and catch his first one just a little while ago. Time and effort well spent on his part.