How To Catch Sea-Run Cutthroat Trout in Washington’s Puget Sound

A beautiful coast sea-run cutthroat trout.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST TIME FISHING FOR COASTAL CUTTHROAT LIKE?

Bob Triggs: When I came here (from New England in 2000) I was keen to learn as much about these wild fish as I could. And before I ever caught one I had it in mind that they are a precious thing. I went down to a local beach on the bay with a five-weight trout rod and a few old-time cutthroat flies. I tied on a Knudsen's Spider, and began fishing the tidal currents as though I were fishing a river. It was an outgoing tide, maybe half way out, and the sun was low in the afternoon sky. I had only fished for a brief time when I caught that first fish. It was a very bright little trout, maybe 12 inches long, and I was amazed at how hard it fought. This fish is unforgettable for me. Up until that moment I had certainly caught thousands of fish in my life. But there was something so unique about this beautiful, fierce little wild cutthroat in the saltwater. It really had an impact on me. And I have spent the better part of the years since chasing these fish in all kinds of weather, all kinds of conditions, spring, summer, winter, autumn, etc. There is a fine line between obsession and dedication. I think it is safe to say that I became obsessed with these beautiful wild fish.

There are, literally, thousands of miles of public shorelines to wander in western Washington. The south sound is know for numbers; the north sound can dish out some tankers.

COASTALS HAVE A VARIETY OF FEEDING HABITS. DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE “HATCH” THAT YOU LIKE TO FISH?

Triggs: There is a range of forage that these fish prey upon throughout the year. And each species has varying stages of life history, seasonal shifts in abundance, size, etc., that may make one or more of them available to the fish at particular times of year. So, generally, I use a chum fry and pink salmon fry pattern, like my little stone's Chum Baby early in the season, when we see great numbers of those fry in our estuaries and nearshore areas and tidal lagoons. And at the same time we have some juvenile herring around here in the spring, so I use a very small herring imitation then, too. And I would say that chum fry, pink salmon fry, herring and sandlance, and sculpin are probably a major aspect of our cutthroat forage here. I use my Beach Baby fly, and Leland Miyawaki's Beach Popper fly quite a lot here to imitate baitfish on the surface. We sometimes have a very big “hatch” of tent caterpillar moths here, in late summer or early fall, right around the same time that we get big numbers of termites falling on the water. The trout feed on these bugs with gusto. And I find it particularly fun to fish with a big, fluffy #6 Stimulator, Elk-Hair Caddis or Steelhead Caddis this time of year. This is something unique I feel, to dry-fly fish in saltwater. I tie these flies to imitate the naturals as closely as possible.

Points where the tide charges by are always a good bet for sea-run cutthroat.

WHAT SORTS OF STRUCTURE DO YOU PREFER TO FISH FOR COASTALS? OYSTER BEDS, ROCK STRUCTURE, EELGRASS?

Triggs: I have caught sea-run cutthroat trout in just about every kind of nearshore situation. Everything from the bulkheads, pilings, docks and pier structures, over the cobble bottomed shellfish beaches, over shallow eelgrass beds, off of drop-off ledges, in rocky depths, in slack water over a muddy bottom, in tidal rips and riffles, and in water just a few inches deep. I don't think that I have a solid preference as far as this is concerned. I do like a cobble bottom, a shellfish area, some tidal current. But I am always trying new places and unlikely situations. One thing that I am looking for is complexity of habitat and a broad range of possible forage species that the more complex habitats support. That's what the trout are looking for too.

WHAT IS THE LARGEST COASTAL YOU HAVE SEEN WITH YOUR OWN EYES?

Triggs: It was around 2004, and we were fishing for cutts from a popular local salmon fishing beach. Salmon season was not open yet. I had two guests with me, a father and son. The father was about 80 years old. They were not beginners, but they were green as far as fly-fishing skills. It was very hot and humid, the air was still. We could hear thunder from a long ways off. This made me nervous. I came from a part of the country where dangerous lightning is much more commonplace than it is here, so I take it seriously. At one point the storm came up from behind us, a sudden cold downdraft that rushed across the bay, with some huge blasts of thunder from lightning striking the ridge behind us. It was now only a mile or so away and moving fast. But we had feeding fish in front of us, and that affected our judgment. I finally yelled to my guests to lay their rods on a beach log and run for the cars. They didn't really take me seriously until they saw me running to the cars. By the time we got to the parking lot the storm was thrashing down upon us. I convinced the men to get in their car, don't touch anything. Once they were safe I got into my little truck. Problem was, a bolt of lightning hit a fence nearby and a finger of that diffuse lightning hit me before I could get into the truck. That was an unbelievably painful, paralytic moment. It felt like an eternity. The cosmic stun gun! I was able to sit down in the truck afterward, astonished, but otherwise seemingly unharmed. We did wait a while for the storm to pass and after it blew out across Admiralty Inlet, across Whidbey Island and to the west, we resumed fishing. We could still see the lightning flashes in the sky, and we could hear thunder in the distance, amid the dark storm-clouds.

After only a few casts the father hooked a big fish. He was using a fast-action six-weight rod and it was noodled over. He was lifting the rod up, really hanging onto it, and I assumed he had hooked a salmon. He hauled the thing right into the shallows, until it was at his feet in about six inches of water on the gravel beach. We all just stared down at this beautiful huge, chrome-bright cutthroat that had to be every bit of 25 or 26 inches. And the old man is still bending the hell out of his rod. I tried to get him to angle the rod to the side, to ease up a bit. But he was transfixed on this fish. He was utterly cut off from anything but the sight of that fish, and his need to hang onto it for dear life. And all in a moment, in a single pop the tippet broke and the fish turned and shot away from the shallows in a streak of light and spray. And it was gone. We all stood there stupefied for a minute. I like to say that this was the day that lightning hit me twice in one hour. 

DO YOU PREFER TO PURSUE COASTALS ON FOOT OR FROM A WATERCRAFT (IF SO, WHAT TYPE OF BOAT)?

Triggs: I have a very old wooden rowing dory that I restored myself. I use it on the beaches here for my own fishing, and occasionally and with friends. But I don't guide out of it. Even when I do use the boat, I end up beaching it and fishing from shore. It is a fun way to get around. But for a guided trip with guests I prefer using the beaches on foot, walking and wading. This permits greater opportunities through a day, and we can get in the vehicles and quickly relocate to another spot if conditions change. And that happens often around here. The waters in this region can change from flat and calm to steep, near-vertical chop in the proverbial blink of an eye. So even with a substantial powerboat you can get caught in troubled waters here. There are other areas on Puget Sound and Hood Canal where using a vessel is more feasible. 

WHAT CHALLENGES DO OUR COASTAL POPULATIONS FACE RIGHT NOW?

Triggs: There are so many things that these fish have to survive, throughout their lives, from the moment that they hatch out of the egg in the gravel redds in their natal streams. There are a host of man-made agents, agricultural chemicals, waste water, storm water runoff, combined storm water and sewerage overflows, industrial pollution, residential pollutants, shipping traffic pollutants, bottom paint on boats and ships, pet wastes on the beaches, and on and on. We have a growing problem of mercury here, delivered on atmospheric winds from the west, which is clearly originating in coal-burning plants in China. And this is serious enough now that Olympic National Park has fish consumption advisories. Soot and combustion chemical pollutants are accumulating in our snow in the mountains, only to end up in lakes and streams. So I would say that environmental pollution is the big issue of our day.

WHAT IS BEING DONE TO PROTECT THIS FISHERY?

Triggs: I think that the catch-and-release-only law, for the sea-run fish in saltwater, is their only hope for longterm survival. I just wish they (Washington Department of Fish and Game) would protect them in freshwater as well. There is no ongoing program to adequately research these fish, to manage the freshwater harvest, to ensure adequate escapement of spawning fish, etc. I see this as a huge problem. On the brighter side, we have the regional fisheries enhancement groups, for salmon restoration. And they are doing good things. All of these salmon stream, estuary and shoreline enhancement efforts have resulted in improvements to habitat that is supporting greater numbers of salmon, and steelhead and cutthroat too. 

WOULD YOU PLEASE SHARE WITH US SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE OR MEMORABLE FISH YOU HAVE CAUGHT OR LOST?

Triggs: In a sense I remember them all now. They are all memorable. It wasn't always that way. But around the time that I hit 40 years of age I began to really appreciate that every fish I caught was a kind of a miracle in its own right, especially wild fish. Virtually none of the hatchery fish that I have ever caught are memorable to me. I have been fishing for over 56 years, and fly fishing now for over 33 years, and I have guided in New England, New York, southwest Alaska, Kamchatka, Russia, and here on the Olympic Peninsula. So there are so many moments, great fish, frustrating fish, landed fish, lost fish . . . . . I think that as far as sea-run coastal cutthroat trout are concerned I have to say that I often muse on that first one. It was just so special. I have had some good days. I had a 40-fish day here once, all sea run cutthroat, all on a dry fly—a #12 Royal Wulff. And I have caught quite a few fish well over 20 inches. I get a big charge out of seeing my guests catch sea-run cutts with me. I have some great memories of those fish, big and small. I can even remember the colorations. 

THERE IS A WIDE VARIETY OF FISH TO PURSUE IN THE SOUND, WHAT MAKES COASTAL FISHING UNIQUE FROM YOUR VIEWPOINT?

Triggs: I am a trout fisherman at heart. I grew up on the streams, rivers and lakes and ponds of the Northeast region. And I am also a water rat. I have sailed, canoed, kayaked and boated all of my life. And I love saltwater fishing too. I do enjoy salmon fishing from the beaches here, and even saltwater steelhead fishing. But the combination of trout fishing, for real wild trout, in the saltwater nearshore environs, is just intoxicating. There are very few places on earth where you can fly-fish for wild trout in saltwater. It is truly unique. And it is a challenge. I have guests who come from overseas just to fish for these trout. 

WHAT SORT OF EXPECTATIONS SHOULD AN ANGLER HAVE IF THEY WANT TO JOIN YOU A TRIP AND WHAT BASIC GEAR TO YOU RECOMMEND FOR TARGETING COASTAL CUTTHROAT?

Triggs: One of the first things that people ask me is: “How many fish am I going to catch and how big are they?” And right away I know that this person has read a magazine article by some expert somewhere. This is an outgrowth of the hatchery fishing culture. The answer is that we do not know. You could come here and have the best day of your life, and catch just a few fish. You could come here and catch nothing. You could come here and catch a dozen or more fish. Spring and fall are generally considered the best times of year here for sea-runs. And of course early mornings and late afternoons are usually better, too. But almost all of the very big fish that I have seen have been caught in shallow, fast water, in bright sunlight, sometimes in the middle of summer, and not a few of them were caught by beginners. Just about the time that you think you have these fish figured out, and especially if you have been getting into them on a regular basis, in the same place for any regularity, they will leave you cold. Just like trout anywhere, you can condition them to not continue to take any particular fly. So I have to keep moving to keep up with them. And I work on fly patterns constantly, which I share with my guests.

So, if you come here for a day we will be visiting several locations, miles of beach, lots of differing situations, tidal flows, habitats. And each locale has its own subtle nuance. We do a lot of unusual, atypical presentations. Especially with surface and dry-fly fishing. And these are easy walking trips, on firm, fairly flat gravel and sand beaches, and very shallow wading. So it is manageable for any level of physical ability, any degree of experience. We take a few breaks in a day—it’s not a military assault. We have a nice healthy picnic lunch. It's supposed to be fun. I am an amateur naturalist biologist so that is an aspect of the trips. I share what I know about the habitat, wind and weather, tides and currents, and the fish and the fishing. Most people learn some new things. And this is a dynamic environment, so it can be exhilarating. As much as I enjoy catching fish myself, I get a real thrill out of guiding someone to the fish that they did not know that they would catch.

As for tackle, I think a five or six-weight rod, around nine feet long, with a medium-to fast action, is fine. You might find a five-weight a bit light if you get into a bigger fish, especially in faster water. And if you are fishing over salmon you will definitely want the six-weights. Some of my guests show up with switch rods now, and even the lighter six-weight spey rods, and these do work well, with less stress on the caster all day. The basic approach is with a floating line and a nine foot factory tapered monofilament leader. I like to use tippets from 4X to 3X. This reduces overplaying and lost fish. If I am dry-fly fishing, with Stimulators, Wulff’s, caddis, etc., I will often get down to a 4X or 5X tippet. We can use sink tips, full sink lines, intermediate lines, shorter, sinking leaders, short level mono leaders, too. It all depends upon water and wind and what we are doing. Since we can move from one beach to another beach at times, and because things change dynamically with the tidal changes through a day, having a range of line tips can help cover most situations. But I am getting old and lazy. And I have found that if I just use a floating line, I can adjust my leader and fly accordingly, and cover just about any situation by manipulating fly weight, leader length, and presentation. 

If you want to book a trip with Bob Triggs call Little Stone Flyfisher at 360-385-9618.