Sea-run cutthroat starting to "key" into top water sand lance patterns

Each week the top water sand lance fishing for sea-run keeps getting better. Yesterday I landed a measured 18 1/2 inch fish in photo below. It absolutely "crushed" a top water sand lance pattern as did a +20 inch fish that was LDR.

Most days I use a steady/moderate 1 to 1 1/2 ft. retrieve to get a nice v-wake and a few line mends when casting across tidal current. Yesterday I used a retrieve which proved to be very effective as most of the sea-run cutthroat "crushed" a top water sand lance pattern. If they took a "swipe" at the pattern, I would usually hook them or "sting" them. The retrieve consisted of a very fast 1 to 1/2 ft. strip at the end of which the fly rod was pulled back quickly a foot or so in unison with a quick flip of tbe fly rod tip like making a short line mend. It gave the pattern a nice twitch/hop which gave it the appearance of a fleeing sand lance. Since the pattern was constantly moving fairly rapidly, the sea-run cutthroat did not have time to "dilly-dally" if they wanted to "eat" the top water sand lance pattern.

Roger

Nice looking fish Roger, thanks for posting. How are the baitfish populations looking in your neck of the Sound? Are you seeing more sandlance than in 2011?

Roger, what is that metal?? thing I'm seeing behind the pelvic fin?
Jack

IMHO the baitfish populations look like they might be better than 2011 and the previous couple of years. In particular, I have been seeing more sea-run cutthroat lately chasing after sand lance on the water surface than previous years but not awhole lot more. I have seen a few schools of sand lance probably not that many more this year than others. In July it will be easier to get an indication if the sand lance populations are better this year.

Roger

It is a foam pencil popper head used for floation of the top water sand lance pattern. After netting the fish, the hook and pattern fell out of the fish's mouth.

Roger

Nice report! I was just getting a list of materials together to tie some of your pattern and Steve Rohrbach's topwater sand lance. My report isn't as impressive as yours, but I went out to a local spot last night for about an hour or so and caught two ~10" SRC and missed many more. They were playing around with the Miyawaki popper more than anything I think I did have one ~15" fish come completely out of the water chasing after it. After he missed it I paused, then did a couple twitches hoping he'd come back for it but he didn't. Anyways, they were my first SRC to hand when actually targetting SRC so I was excited!

Looks Like you tracked down some of the big boys Roger, nice work!

mtskibum, If you get a follow on top, many times speeding up the strip will trigger a second strike more than stopping the fly. If you see that wake behind your fly, or a fish misses, strip like a SOB, you won't outrun them!

Thanks for the report!
How big were the sand lance you saw?

Also, can you share with us your new knot presentation you've been using?

Thanks,
ben

Thanks for the tip! I did that some (over excited on the strip hook set ) and it's what got me my second one. Considering it was the first time I've actually seen a SRC while fishing for them, I was trying everything I could think of to get more hookups. I have a feeling they were mainly small fish just playing with the fly. It sure is exciting though!

Nice searun Roger, we have yet to see many sandlance up this way or the bigger searuns you are finding in the south however last Saturday we had a fair number of salmon fry in the area which kept things going. I also witnessed once again eel grass shrimp stunned and floating on the surface. There were several of us fishing that morning and everyone was into searun from 10 to 16” with two dollies. One dolly measured approximately 17” and after two runs into the backing another I estimated it at 24 to 26”. On its third run it headed for the bottom and broke off in the eel grass.

Yesterday morning produced a fair number of cutts from 10 to 15” between two of us. This time I fished an eel grass shrimp and was rewarded with a fair number of cutts but I think this pattern still needs some tweeking before I am completly satisfied.
Something I noticed yesterday and was strikingly noticeable that I had not seen before, the difference in coloration and the spotting.
Most are silvery with faint spotting which typically is the norm in the salt, one was very heavily spotted well below it's lateral line with the spots being unusually large and oblong with a dark olive back. I verified with the faint red markings on the throat that it was indeed a cutt. I didn’t take any photos but now I wish I had.

I have seen hundreds if not thousands on our rivers when they turn olive and gold this didn't look like the normal river searun. Below is a river searun although the spots are well below the lateral line they are not a large as the one I had witnessed yesterday.

They appeared to be about 21/2 inches and should be 3 1/2 to 4 inches in the next few months.

I am still working on refining the new leader presentation.

Roger

Dale, good observations as usual. Always look forward to read your thoughts. Gorgeous fly rod and sea-run cutthroat!

Roger

Dale, how long have you been rocking the bamboo in the salt? I have never tried one but I would love to learn more about your experience. Look forward to seeing you soon.
Steve

Not that it means he doesn't use it in the salt, but he said the image was of a river cutthroat.

Thanks Roger, looking forward to hooking up with you guys again but work is now all consuming for now.
Steve, I don’t use it in the salt; the photo is from a small creek up north with my Ray Gould bamboo and Hardy Sovereign 3/4/5 fits perfectly in this water, classic tackle for a classic fish.

Thanks Dale. I reread your post and figured out it was fresh water. I have a fascination with Bamboo but have never fished one. I am pretty sure I don't need another obsession in my life. Thanks for sharing a beautiful photo. I look forward to seeing you soon.
Best regards, Steve

Roger-
Great report. Good to see you on the water on Friday.
We caught 8 SRC's between the two of us.
Nothing big, but a great way to spend a few hours.
Ned

Ned:

Always good to see and chat with you. Your boat is awesome!

I got a couple of more sea-run cutthroat at the gravel bar after I saw you. i landed a couple of fish in the 16 to 18 inch range plus landed a lot of small to medium sized sea-run cutthroat for the day. I fished from shore at one location and landed 6 fish in 15 minutes plus had a +20 inch sea-run cutthroat on for a minute or so. This spot only fishes well during the middle 1 1/2 hours of ebb tides and is a perfect spot for top water sand lance patterns. It is an unlikely sea-run cutthroat location and over many years I have never see anyone else fish it.

All in all another great top water sand lance outing for sea-run cutthroat.

Roger

Awesome Roger! Are you fishing in the south sound mainly? I had a recent throat sample report of 3" sandlance in SRC. I think this was in the hood canal. I've been tying up some of Steve's beach poppers along with the tube fly beach combers. With that fish scale material they really look great in the water. Now I just need more time to fish!

I also have been seeing 3 inch sand lance. Steve Rohrbach's Pencil Puget Sound Slider is an awesome pattern! I have been using a modification of his pattern.

Roger