A few questions about searun cutts

[CurtisP87]

Im fairly new to fishing in Oregon, and have never targeted Sea Run Cutthroats before, so Im hoping to get a little tactical advice about 'em...

Are they moving up the river much this time of year, or still holding down in tide waters? I dont have a boat, so Im hoping to target them more in the middle reaches of the system, where bank access is more plentiful.

Ive never fly fished, so Ill be using a 7ft spinning setup. All the info I can find about fishing for these fish talks about fly methods, nothing about spinners, spoons, jigs, bait...Anyone have any advice about how to go for the cutties with these methods?

Thanks in advance for any help, and good fishing!

 

[C_Run]

I'm not sure about the life cycle but I did read a good article on it a long time ago (found it quickly with a Google search) that told about the timing of their upstream migration. I have generally fished for them in the lower reaches of rivers and tidewater from about June through the end of the season. I've never been to the Wilson. Any small spinners and spoons will work. I use small blue foxes, mepps, cleos etc. They all work fine. Good luck.

 

[troutdude]

Hot pink Rooster Tails are a good choice too.

You can also use a bobber and fly set up, with a fly called the Borden Special. That fly was specifically designed for SRC's. If you can't find any in your area; look for Two Rivers Fly Shop in Albany. Mitch makes them, and sells DOZENS every year at this time.

BTW, most SRC's are now staging at the heads of the Tidewater areas. When rain starts up, they start moving upstream.

Welcome to OFF!

 

[CurtisP87]

OK great, thanks for the info. I've only explored the Wilson to about mp12 or so but I've been looking at some maps, and it looks like if I could access the water where it flows under hwy 101 there might be some action to be had in the tidewaters...anyone more familiar with this area than I am know if its possible (and legal) to fish from the bank around that area?

 

[troutdude]

Have you looked in the archives, for Wilson River threads? If you don't get any answers here; that would be a good place to look. I'd help; but have never fished that river.

 

[halibuthitman]

OK great, thanks for the info. I've only explored the Wilson to about mp12 or so but I've been looking at some maps, and it looks like if I could access the water where it flows under hwy 101 there might be some action to be had in the tidewaters...anyone more familiar with this area than I am know if its possible (and legal) to fish from the bank around that area?

the river above tidewater has plenty of cutts, the wilson below tidewater is almost strictly a boat show. Now myself I would suggest going to the trask and fishing above and below Lorens drift, mountains of bank access and wading, the nestucca also has spectacular run of cutts. But without any doubt in my mind the tidewater on the Kilchis has the most large cutts ive ever encountered on the coast. All you need is a no.2 pink bodied vibrex, or any jig or fly that contains shades of white or pink. The tilmook river has mind blowing numbers of cutts but acces is tricky and im gonna leave it up to you to figure that out. If you can find access to a boat side drifting an 8mm plastic bead under an indicator in the tide water of the kilches will produce an astonishing number of fish ( some to 5lbs ) in a good day.

 

[rippin fish lips]

From one of my experience on 1 particular river while chasing winter steelhead, is the sea run cuts seamed to love a red bead above a green beed, drift fished with about 1-2 feet of leader. any small spinner and small spoons should work.

 

[rum runner]

small spinners are my fav. take the treble hook off and replace it with a single point to mach. or find weighted eye flys that resemble a shrimp or small bullhead/sculpin red,brown,olive... the src's love them little sculpin's iv caught tons of them with there tails hanging out of there mouths and have an assortment of them just for src's use 4-5 lb test and with a 7' spin rod you can cast them or get a tinny float for the extra weight to cast. this is all i used for them in wa. and should do just as good here as up there