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What is your favorite historic Sea-Run Cutthroat Fly?

10K views 82 replies 33 participants last post by  jimmyz 
#1 ·
A recent lacrosse trip to British Columbia allowed me to spend a couple of hours exploring the fly selection at several shops including Sea Run Fly & Tackle in Coquitlam. It was interesting to see the wide variety of small flies that dominate the beach fishing in BC. Flies like the Hurst Handlebar, size 8 Rolled Muddlers in 6 different colors and a wide variety of top water flies featuring deer hair.

I went back to reread Fishing the Sea-Run Cutthroat Trout that Les Johnson first published in 1971. It also sent me back to some of my older fly boxes to examine tried and true patterns that have fallen into disuse. Old favorites like the Allard Orange and Allard Yellow emerged. I tied on an Allard Orange on a recent outting and found that it was very successful in landing some large Coastal Cutthroat. This morning Norm Norlander posted a tweet of him tying the Cutthroat Coachman. It made me wonder what other great old patterns should be brought back and fished in the coming year.

I would love to hear what historic flies are used in your Coastal Cutthroat fishing.
 
#32 ·
How old does a fly need to be to be a "historic fly"? I often tie knudsen spiders because they last longer. Kinney's reverse spider is very different from most flies and I have a lot of confidence in that fly both in the salt and fresh water. I wonder if Mike would like to hear it called a historical fly.

Kelvin - nice flat wings. I am starting to explore them and got to believe they will be awesome for SRCs. I am going to take some to florida and see if I can take some sea trout with them.

Joe
 
#33 ·
cant remember the name of the fly, here is the material list.
tail: red & yellow hackle mixed.
body: peacock herl .
rib: flat silver tinsel.
hackle: red & yellow mix.
wing: white calf or bucktail ( I use white marabou ).
on a long shank hook.
but really my #1 is .
Soft hackle in many shades.
 
#34 ·
I want to thank everyone for contributing to this thread. It reinforces just what a vibrant, creative group of fly fisherman participate here. We are so lucky to have people like Preston who is so willing to share his talent and knowledge. The creativity of kelvin with his double reverse spider. Curt Kraemer has taught me a lot with his tremendous understanding of our diverse fisheries. I have been lucky to fish with Roger Stephens who is the epitome of creativity. Roger brought my Slider to lunch today with junction tubing attached to the front of the tube with the leader trapped out the side (like a riffle hitch) to increase the motion on the retrieve. I am stunned by how much Steve Knapp has grown in his skills in just a year of fishing Puget Sound. His interest in Letcher Lambuth's Candlefish will contribute to the evolution of this historically important fly. Double D's willingness to share his flat wings this summer inspired me. Dry Fly Larry, I look forward to meeting you and fishing your Popsicle, which in time is sure to become "a historical SRC fly." And a thank you to Leland for his already historic Popper.
Thank you all for contributing to a special early Christmas gift. Roger and I are already scheming about how to update some of these lost treasures with adaptation to tube flies or.......?
 
#36 ·
Letcher Lambuth was an innovative and imaginative fly tier. In the late forties and fifties he (and others, including Roy Patrick) pioneered salt water fly fishing for salmon and cutthroat. He netted baitfish in Elliot Bay and kept them in a cold, saltwater aquarium in his basement, observing them under differing lighting conditions. This was the basis for his baitfish series (candlefish and herring). I tied this candlefish (actually, a sandlance, the true candlefish being the eulachon, commonly called the Columbia River smelt) using bucktail, though I'm sure Letcher used polar bear hair. The pattern is from an early edition of Roy Patrick's fly pattern book and, if memory serves, the wing consists of three stacked layers; an underwing of mixed pale blue and pale green, a midwing of red, and a topping of mixed olive and French blue. This is one is tied much more sparsely than the one I tied for Les' book and, I think, much better looking.

View attachment 46635
 
#47 ·
:thumb:

Probably the best thread on WFF in the last few years. It is awesome that so many people have been sharing their knowledge and wisdom. When this type of interaction occurs on WFF, it more than makes up for the negativity and opinionated attitudes which are occassionally expressed in some threads.

Roger
 
#40 ·
John, the Dead Chicken is a great "historic fly" that sadly has been deceased in my Coastal Cutthroat box. It will return to an honored spot. I had a hard time going to sleep last night thinking of all the patterns that this thread will result in my tying in the coming weeks. I encourage all of you to post your efforts in the Salt Gallery so we can all benefit from your efforts.

Preston's photo this morning is a perfect example of a fly that was a true game changer when tied by Letcher. Preston has taken the inspiration of Letcher's work and tied a fly that will bring many fish to hand this coming year.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and that you treat yourselves to some special time at the vise.
 
#44 ·
I would also add a white or black caif tail wing to it as a change. All work great. I met ED FOSS a couple of times when I was a kid. What a great guy. I've been very luck in my fishing time to have meet so my great fisherman that gave me some of there time. I've started going back to some of the old great patterns. It's been a lot of fun.
 
#45 ·
In Enos Bradner's book "Northwest Angling," there are two patterns listed which incorporate a strip of chamois for the tail - the "Shammy Royal" and "Shammy Bee." Bradner says " These "shammy" flies with their enticing action are very effective on sea-run cutthroats."

I've always been curious. Has anyone ever tried them?

Tom
 
#51 ·
That is some fine looking Cutt flies Kelvin and I will agree, a great thread topic.
To expand on this topic just a bit further and probably should be another thread topic by itself "Observations of Coastal Cutt Feeding Habits"

This last August I observed some unusual but probably common feeding characteristics by salt standards.

As my partner and I were standing in the boat and looking down into the water at that moment a grass shrimp scrambles to the surface with two to three cutts chasing from behind as soon as the cutts spotted us they shot back to the bottom with the shrimp left on the surface and obviously stunned.
I quickly grabbed the net and plucked it from the surface it was already motionless, I took it home studied it and took a couple photos. After some research I determined it to be a grass shrimp, much of the area I fish has lots of eel grass and can only surmise this is his home.

I have always been fascinated with the feeding habits of Coastal Cutts in the salt and just when you think you've seen it all up comes another one.

The result is a good excuse to come up with another pattern to add to the box for the upcoming year and hopefully another favorite.
Apologize for the first photo, its a clip from my video camera and doesnt do well with closeups.

View attachment 46699 View attachment 46700 View attachment 46701 View attachment 46702
 
#57 ·
Double-D:

Great post and outstanding tied grass shrimp pattern:thumb:.

In the areas which I fish for sea-run cutthroat there are none or few eel grass beds as such I have not seen any eel grass shrimp. However, I have often seen sand shrimp(light tan color) in the stomachs of resident coho which were kept for the dinner table. The sand shrimp were often found/seen in areas near good sea-run cutthroat location. IMHO sea-run cutthroat probably take advantage of this available found source. I have had excellent success fishing for resident coho and sea-run cutthroat using a sand shrimp pattern. Also, I have often seen **** stripe shrimp(reddish/brown color) in relatively shallow water and had excellent success fishing for sea-run cuthroat and coho using a **** stripe shrimp pattern.

Roger
 
#52 ·
This thread just keeps getting better. Preston, thanks for posting that Lambuth Candlefish, its just what I was looking for.

Double-D, thanks for the pattern, I have seen a ton of small shrimp at different beaches and always thought they must get hammered. Start up your thread idea, I bet it will take off!
 
#54 ·
iagreeGotta agree with Steve Knapp. This thread just keeps getting better and better! All these flies posted are works of art. I was already contemplating a double-hackle reversed spider, and Kelvin has shown us the way! Those squid patterns are purty! And then along comes Double D with his new grass shrimp impostor. This is good stuff, and additive to all the patterns in Les Johnson's book.

By the way, an old (73) country boy I met, who's been fly fishing since he was a kid has been fooling searun cutts upstream from tidewater quite a ways recently with Chum Babies! His ties looked a little fuller than Bob Triggs' original (which is destined to become a classic), but they were definitely beauties, and close enough to the original pattern to bear the name.
 
#56 ·
always like using a yellow fly for sea runs.
Double D, thanks for the nice shots of those shrimp. its kinda of amazing what will pop up if you slow down and look around in the shallow salt.
anyone use the bright steelhead colors when fishing sea runs?
seems i have moved toward the more earthy tones with sea runs.
 
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