Sea-run cutthroat
Know your fish
Sea-run cutthroat trout
Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii
Typical size:30–50 cm, 0.3–1.5 kg
- Red-orange slash under the jaw (may be faint in silver sea-run fish)
- Small black spots all over, including below the lateral line and on the tail
- Teeth on the back of the tongue
Looks like: Juvenile steelhead/rainbow have no jaw slash and spots mostly above the lateral line.
0255075100125150
cm
OK to keep
- Hatchery-marked only, 2/day, minimum 30 cm; wild (adipose intact) fish must be released
- Single barbless hook
Must release
- Any wild cutthroat
- Under 30 cm
Best months
March, April, May, June, September, October, November
Rules
Wild (unclipped) cutthroat must be released; 2 hatchery-marked only, 30 cm min.
Fishing licences across Canada
Rig to tie
- 1Fly line 6 wt floating or intermediate line
- 2Leader 9 ft tapered leader to 8 lb tippet
- 3Fly Clouser Minnow olive/white size 4–6, Rolled Muddler, or epoxy sand lance; barbless
- 4Spin alternative Ultralight rod, 6 lb mono straight through
- 5Lure 1/8 oz Gibbs Croc, size 1 Mepps, or 1/8 oz pink jig for coho
How to tie and fish it
Tie it:Loop-to-loop the leader to the fly line. Tie the fly with a non-slip loop knot.
Fish it:Walk the beach on the first half of the flood at dawn. Cast along the drop-off and strip fast with pauses. Fish move with the tide, so keep walking.