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Large sea-run cutthroat "willing" players

3K views 17 replies 11 participants last post by  Jason Chadick 
#1 · (Edited)
Yesterday the weather and tides were perfect for chasing after sea-run cutthroat and resident coho as there was a nice cloud cover and little wind. They are the kind of conditions that you look forward to when fly fishing on Puget Sound.

IMHO the resident coho fishing seems to be slowing down compared to excellent success for the last couple of months. It is the best resident coho fishing which I have had in the past 12 to 15 years. The fish seem to be spreading out/scattered and not in big school like in the past several months. I kept two resident coho and again their stomachs were full of sand/ghost shrimp.

The sea-run cutthroat fishing is now finally getting great with many large fish(16 to 19 inches) landed yesterday. IMHO this fisheries should remain good for the next 1 1/2 months or longer until the water temperatures reach lower 60 degrees F. and above. The largest sea-run cutthroat was in the 19 to 20 inch range as shown in photo below.

Water Bait Lake Fish Fishing bait


Many 16 to 18 inch sea-run cutthroat were landed at numerous locations. The top water action is just starting as I landed a 16 inch fish on a tube top water Delia's squid pattern.

Water Liquid Fluid Body of water Lake


I will be switching almost exclusively to top water patterns from now on.

All this year I have been using a single sequin tube olive/white clouser minnow pattern. The photo below shows the wear and tear of landing well over 100 sea-run cutthroat and resident coho. It is probably time to replace this well used fly! The peacock herl and olive Flashabou are about all gone as compared to a new clouser minnow in second photo.

Twig Plant Fashion accessory Natural material Bait


Natural material Circuit component Liquid Creative arts Fashion accessory


The end of the day was topped off by spotting a humpback whale blowing as shown in distance below the
house.

Water Sky Plant Natural landscape Tree


Roger
 
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#3 ·
Great report Roger! I had a floater setup and some topwater patterns with me last week, but never pulled it out. That clouser certainly has had some use it looks like.

Do you have the star effect turned on on you phone/camera on purpose or accidentally adding a filter at some point? Something to look in to if you're not meaning for it to do that.
 
#6 ·
Looks like I missed it by a day! I finally was able to make it out yesterday and after 8 straight months of rain/clouds I got the 1 blue sky/sunny day in forever... Hard to complain about fishing in 70+ degree sun but some overcast would been appreciated. I hooked up with several nice Coho, fat and in the 17-18 inch range and just a few small SRC. I did get a great farmer's tan/burn :)
 
#7 ·
Great report Roger! I had a floater setup and some topwater patterns with me last week, but never pulled it out. That clouser certainly has had some use it looks like.

Do you have the star effect turned on on you phone/camera on purpose or accidentally adding a filter at some point? Something to look in to if you're not meaning for it to do that.
Large sea-run cutthroat sure liked the chewed up pattern maybe because it was so sparse. Sand lance schools have been seen so a top water sand lance or Delia's squid patterns should work well until next Fall.

I turned the star effect off in the camera. Thanks for your comment about it which I didn't realize the camera had and was annoying to see in photos.

Looks like I missed it by a day! I finally was able to make it out yesterday and after 8 straight months of rain/clouds I got the 1 blue sky/sunny day in forever.
There is the well known fishing saying that is often said that "You should have been there the day before.;)"

Roger
 
#8 ·
Hi:
I'm fairly new to salt water fly fishing having moved to Everett area a couple of years ago. I fished clousers for pinks and cohos in 2015 and did ok - still learning a lot. Roger, could I get tying instructions for the sequin tube clouser in your posting?

Thank you
Mike
 
#9 ·
Just tie a normal clouser but on a tube and thread a sequin on the line before the fly. There are tons of material you can use for the body/wing of the clouser but a few common ones are bucktail, SF Blend, Craft Fur, Flash N Slinky, etc. IMO, tube clousers limit one of the main benefits of clousers and that's the nose dive between strips. The line running through the tube counteracts the diving from the eyes and they get less motion. The eyes still work well for getting the fly down and helping it ride belly down, but they don't dip and dive as much. Search the fly tying forum for clousers and you'll see plenty of options.
 
#11 ·
Roger,
Maybe it is just the view of the picture, but it doesn't appear you have an angle cut on the front of the tube on that clouser.

Are you still doing that or do you find it isn't really needed any longer for the sequin to work properly?
Thanks,
SF
 
#14 ·
Roger,
Maybe it is just the view of the picture, but it doesn't appear you have an angle cut on the front of the tube on that clouser.

Are you still doing that or do you find it isn't really needed any longer for the sequin to work properly?
I am still using a 10 mm pearl sequin at front of a tube clouser minnow pattern. But I am also using a sequin with all subsurface tube patterns since a sequin will give a pattern 1 to 2 inches of side -to -side wiggle.

If I remember correctly, Roger places angled junction tubing over the tube on the fly to achieve the angled sequin. that way you can adjust the direction of the fly (right or left) based on the swing/retreive.

You are correct, I forgot about the junction tubing part of the equation.
Thanks,/QUOTE]

Correct. I use about 1/4 inch length of junction tubing which has one end of it cut at a 45 degree angle. It is attached to the front of the tube. When the pattern is retrieved, the sequin will snug up to the junction tubing at a 45 degree angle and give the pattern 1 to 2 inches of side-to-side wiggle.

Roger
 
#12 ·
If I remember correctly, Roger places angled junction tubing over the tube on the fly to achieve the angled sequin. that way you can adjust the direction of the fly (right or left) based on the swing/retreive angle.

When I tried Roger's method, I was able to get the fly to swim in kind of an "S" pattern like a disoriented baitfish...super fun to make little adjustments to impart different action.
 
#13 ·
If I remember correctly, Roger places angled junction tubing over the tube on the fly to achieve the angled sequin. that way you can adjust the direction of the fly (right or left) based on the swing/retreive angle.

When I tried Roger's method, I was able to get the fly to swim in kind of an "S" pattern like a disoriented baitfish...super fun to make little adjustments to impart different action.
You are correct, I forgot about the junction tubing part of the equation.
Thanks,
SF
 
#16 · (Edited)
Roger, no idea if this was covered in another thread. But, is replacing angled tubing with a smooth, round, glass or plastic bead for sequin to pivot on as effective for random, tube fly movement?

I tried a DIY wiggle fin in front of a fly recently. Wind resistance when casting was very evident, even during a calm day. Decent wiggle to fly when stripped through water.

Does having a sequin at an angle help lessen wind resistance during casting as well as produce fly action?
 
#17 ·
I don't know what happens to movement of a fly pattern if angled junction tubing is replaced by a head. However, junction tube cut at a 45 degree angle off to one side and a 10 mm sequin gives excellent 1 t0 2 inches of side-to-side movement during retrieve of a fly pattern.

IMHO an angled sequin causes minimal wind resistance during casting.

Roger
 
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