Sea Run Cutthroat in rivers. What's your jam?

[Cowlitz Bottomfeeder]

What are your favorite streamers for SRCs once they've entered freshwater? In the past, I've used stuff like the standard reverse spiders, spruce, and sometimes borden specials. What else do you folks like using? I plan on actually targeting them a little bit prior to N coast rivers shutting down for trout and looking for other options (even though I kinda already have some ideas). It's been a few years since I've ventured out after them.

The Pistol Pete was my favorite on the Cowlitz back when it was overstocked with cutthroat. Size 8, black with a red tail.

 

[Brian]

Since 2018 for SRC & resident CC in coastal streams...
#12 my "confidence" searching (wet) fly, has fooled hundreds of fish.

#12 variation

#10, Beadhead Dazzleair for deep pools and has fooled my largest to date.

 

[Pink Nighty]

Since 2018 View attachment 192187 for SRC & resident CC in coastal streams...
#12 my "confidence" searching (wet) fly, has fooled hundreds of fish.
View attachment 192184
#12 variation
View attachment 192185
#10, Beadhead Dazzleair for deep pools and has fooled my largest to date.
View attachment 192182

Do you use those on tenkara? Cool ties

 

[Wadin' Boot]

Often once in the rivers they are stacked up in small schools so if one short strikes stop your retrieve, wait a few seconds, and start retrieve, many times they will have already struck .... it makes the short strike more fun to try this out

 

[FinLuver]

Where do you get those fly holders?

You can find em online. But in the case of the ones pictured, I went to every Radio Shack from Tigard to Eugene/Springfield…before they closed their doors for good. Probably hit 6 - 8 stores in one day’s worth of road trip.

The stand was wood scraps from a buddy’s wood shop.

 

[DerekWhipple]

99% of the time I use an October caddis colored muddler variant, usually a euphoric muddler/muddled euphoria. On the surface, in the film, on a sink tip, I fish it however I'm feeling.

If you want to find bruisers instead of numbers, big leechy things can be worth trying. My largest SRC was an incidental catch on a black and purple MOAL leech.

 

[Breck]

One of my favorite fisheries is the SRC run on the Cowlitz (happening now). I tie up reverse spiders on tubes. This gives you a couple of advantages. One being that the trailer hook helps with more hook-ups due to their short-striking nature. Another is that the reverse hackle causes the fly to spin and will twist your leader up pretty badly. The tube alleviates this issue. Most of the SRCs on the Cowlitz are hatchery fish and I’ll happily retain a limit for the table and smoker. I typically just use an intermediate sinking line, let out the line to the backing, put the rods in rod holders, and then row as if I’m pulling plugs. It’s a great way to fish with folks that don’t know how to fly cast but want to go “fly fishing”.