Anyone here chase Searun Cutthroat trout?

I have read about them for years and now I have watched many good YouTube video about them.


Many years ago I think Chris Pasley hooked one on the Dear river in BC while we were fishing Steelhead.


Al Perryman told me he occasionally catches them on the Rogue river around Medford while fishing for Steelhead.

He is not sure these are Searuns and his largest is around 26 inches.


Lots of inspiring videos up around Seattle area where they wade for them in small bays.

I hear if you break 20 inches that is a big one.


Bob Borden, founder of Hareline products, was know to have chased them for a long time.


There have been some good books written about the beautiful fish.

We fish for sea runs in the Smith, Klamath, Winchuck, Chetco and Rogue River estuaries. We started during a inland heat wave (it's supposed to be 109 in Yreka today) because we wanted to fish where it was cool on the coast. Jay Nicholas has a book that I highly recommend: Sea-Run Cutthroat, Flies and Flyfishing. He focuses on the Oregon Coast which utilizes similar techniques to California. The Puget Sound fishery is different though we've had success with flies developed up there.

The coastal cutthroat in the upper Rogue do not go to the ocean, they use the main river to fatten up and spawn and rear in the tributaries. Their population seems to be on the uptick - they are fairly common from the Hatchery down to Dodge Bridge.

SRC's typically begin to show in estuaries about mid July and are around through early November or whenever the first significant rains hit. There's always a component of the population that stays in the estuary and fattens there instead of heading to the ocean so you can find them sometimes earlier in the summer. Along the Oregon coast, they move out of tidewater and into deep holes just above the tidal reach rather quickly after entering the estuary. We've not found they do that as much in California - maybe a summer temperature thing.

It's not a numbers game, you can fish all day and not find them and then the next day catch 4 or 5. We're pretty pumped when we can hook two or three. They tend to travel in schools so if you find one, keep fishing. Look around structure such as eelgrass beds, downed logs, rock piles, though of course they can be caught over sandy bottoms as well. If there's a small tributary feeding into tidewater - that's a great place to look for them. Also, dreary, dark drizzly days are best. They are feeding on smolts, sculpins, other small bait fish, amphipods, shrimp, crabs, marine worms so sometimes bonefish and permit flies work well. Brown is our favorite color and I personally prefer a clear intermediate line like Rio Coastal Quickshooter.

There are others on this board that probably have chased them longer than I have so hopefully more will weigh in.

Can't remember the reason for being there so cannot remember the exact time, but I think late spring or early summer found us on the Nestucca R. in Oregon. We were trying to pester steelhead I think. We found SRC's to be very willing to take #10 caddis or hopper immi's, though they seemed quite small at 12" or less. Very entertaining just the same and a pretty little fish.
....lee s.

I fished for them once on Hood Canal a few years ago. Pretty interesting fishing, the tide is powerful and the fish eat on a moving tide so it’s a bit like a giant river. They’re structure oriented and eat big flies. We fished a 6wt with a size 4-6 streamer and intermediate or type 3 line. Average fish was 15”, got a few over 18 and lots around 12. Beautiful fishery and very fertile waters up there.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bob Smith

We fish for sea runs in the Smith, Klamath, Winchuck, Chetco and Rogue River estuaries. We started during a inland heat wave (it's supposed to be 109 in Yreka today) because we wanted to fish where it was cool on the coast. Jay Nicholas has a book that I highly recommend: Sea-Run Cutthroat, Flies and Flyfishing. He focuses on the Oregon Coast which utilizes similar techniques to California. The Puget Sound fishery is different though we've had success with flies developed up there.

The coastal cutthroat in the upper Rogue do not go to the ocean, they use the main river to fatten up and spawn and rear in the tributaries. Their population seems to be on the uptick - they are fairly common from the Hatchery down to Dodge Bridge.

SRC's typically begin to show in estuaries about mid July and are around through early November or whenever the first significant rains hit. There's always a component of the population that stays in the estuary and fattens there instead of heading to the ocean so you can find them sometimes earlier in the summer. Along the Oregon coast, they move out of tidewater and into deep holes just above the tidal reach rather quickly after entering the estuary. We've not found they do that as much in California - maybe a summer temperature thing.

It's not a numbers game, you can fish all day and not find them and then the next day catch 4 or 5. We're pretty pumped when we can hook two or three. They tend to travel in schools so if you find one, keep fishing. Look around structure such as eelgrass beds, downed logs, rock piles, though of course they can be caught over sandy bottoms as well. If there's a small tributary feeding into tidewater - that's a great place to look for them. Also, dreary, dark drizzly days are best. They are feeding on smolts, sculpins, other small bait fish, amphipods, shrimp, crabs, marine worms so sometimes bonefish and permit flies work well. Brown is our favorite color and I personally prefer a clear intermediate line like Rio Coastal Quickshooter.

There are others on this board that probably have chased them longer than I have so hopefully more will weigh in.

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Thanks Bob......great info that should help some here.

Here are some images of sea run cutthroat we have caught in California estuaries:

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Nice Bob

What is the best river to try for them?

With the hot summer weather, success is best in the tidewater. As I mentioned above, the fish begin to show in mid July but August is a good month and usually a safer bet. The Smith and Klamath Rivers have the largest coastal cutthroat populations in California.

The Klamath estuary is best fished by boat. You'll want to try where creeks are coming into the tidewater (like Salt Creek) as well as sloughs and backwaters at high tide. A good way to fish is to drift along and cast into the flooded willows and downed trees. As a bonus, we've also hooked halfpounder steelhead while trying to find SRC's. Angler's Cove Campground will charge a small fee to launch but it's a great access point and a safe place to leave your rig for a day of fishing.

The Smith can be fished from shore. We like to go behind the old Ship A Shore Hotel and work towards the mouth. Ship A Shore and the RV and mobile home park are now owned by the Tolowa Tribe. You may want to check in at the office to make sure it's okay to access there (it's not been a problem in the past). There's public access at the end of Mouth of Smith River Road where you can wander all along the north bank of the estuary. Be careful jumping a levee to fish the sloughs above Ship A Shore - they are on private property where access is not allowed.

It's a fishery that's not for everyone. You can spend a lot of time not catching, picking seaweed off your fly or fly line, and dealing with wind. A stripping basket is a must! When you find them, they can be sometimes be incredibly difficult to hook, taking in and rejecting a fly before you can set the hook. When they go on an aggressive bite, it can be fast and furious. I guess I enjoy the challenge as well as fishing in a sweatshirt during the dog days of summer.

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