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Cutthroat Fishing On Lake Sammamish

23K views 147 replies 56 participants last post by  Deceased 
#1 ·
I live at the north end of Lake Sammamish, and have been watching several boats each day go slowly down the middle of the lake fishing for Cutthroat, but they have not had much luck. I am interested in trying this fishing myself, and wanted to ask the forum if anyone fly fishes the lake for cutthroat, what flies they use, and the method they use to catch the cutthroat....
 
#77 ·
Not sure how I missed this thread for so long, but this issue has been troubling me as well ever since I noticed the guide reports and pictures of up to 17 native cutts in one picture. I'm no biologist but these days it blows my mind that such a beautiful unique fishery with so many potential environmental issues would have such a liberal limit. Hard fighting wild cutthroat right in the middle of our Eastside cities! It's not easy but I have caught a few on the fly and it was a great experience. I have a buddy with a nice boat for Sammamish and we have enjoyed some great days catching and releasing these beautiful trout when our favorite rivers were blown out. I trust others have some childhood memories of this fishery.

I am not experienced in these kinds of battles but have been told that a good first step is to reach out to WDWF and inquire what kind of information they have that supports the notion that this management is not excessive.

SF- I'm not sure how the comments on regulation cycles work, but I am willing to do my part if you or anyone here has advice on what's needed and the timing.

Thanks,
Beckler
 
#88 ·
#91 ·
I think not. LS cutthroat aren't imperiled the way LS kokanee are. Not that the cutthroat aren't important but there are way fewer existing native kokanee populations left vs. cutthroat populations. Save Lake Sammamish kokanee!

Though to be honest, I fear they and the Southern resident orca share an inevitable outcome.
 
#95 · (Edited)
We used to drop by the hatchery and ask when the smolts would be released, and then wait a week to go fish the south end off the creek mouth.....lots of big cutties gorging.
Even back then (early 80's and late 70's ), it was a well known fishery, and at times well attended...for that era.
:)
 
#102 · (Edited)
IMHO, eating anything Wild, that is less than super plentiful, is a disgrace. Add more cows to the feedlot then, the excuses many sportsmen make to eat populations of wild animals holds no logical weight in my thoughts.

We have a lot of deer, one deer is equal to, what, about 200 wild cutthroat out of Sammamish?
I have local idiot hunters that say "we need to have a swan season, there are so many"..Well, there are 200 right in front of you, but how many elsewhere? THESE are the kind of people that have been running Fish and Game for decades.

We have screwed with things aplenty, and how many times has it really worked out for the best?
Darn near zero.

Human beings are the reason 99% of the fish and wildlife are gone, one way or another, in the past few hundred years and more.
 
#105 · (Edited)
The amount of wild cutthroat slaughtered on lake samm (usually no less than 2 full limits) posted as business advertisements from guides is truly a sickening sight to see. Especially with the frequency...

I'm curious to know how many fish per year guides are taking from the fishery. Anyone know of they are required to keep records of numbers caught and can the public request to view them?
 
#107 ·
Got a real kick from a post of a dude with a stringer of lake samm cutthroat and "coho".

I bet the Chinook tasted great!
I saw the photo also. It appears from reports that the lake has developed quite the winter hatchery coho fishery. i wonder if these fish will become lifetime residents or will migrate to saltwater. at least it appears some of the retention is moveing more towards coho.
 
G
#125 ·
"Facts" are rarely such.
My information came straight from USFW, so you can go see for yourself if you should feel so inclined.

Considering the swan population out here was hunted to a mere 5,000 birds before commercial hunting of the species was stopped, It proves that a species can recover if conservation is practiced properly. It shows a stark contrast to the way the state is managing our fish out of existence,
 
#127 ·
The swan recovery is a real wildlife success story. Of course there is a major difference between them and the salmon/steelhead situation. The swan nesting habitat is largely intact and their winter needs are well taking care of from the agriculture situation on the wintering grounds. To recovery the population all that was required was to quite kill them. However the salmon's spawning habitat is severely compromised and getting worst and at the same time their freshwater and saltwater feeding areas are also compromised.

Curt
 
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