APS Sea-Run Cutthroat Fishing Party???

[Northwoods]

Since I now have a job all lined up and will be starting it on Tuesday, I figure what better way to spend my Monday than going fishing. 

I just picked up a 6wt fly rod and anodized reel (I was going to spend the money from my sale of an AR complete lower on a CZ 453, but SWMBO said to get the fly rod now, and we'd just budget out for the rimfire later).  So, I'm all set for fishing the saltwater for Cutthroats and if I'm lucky maybe even hook into a resident Coho. 

Anybody who'd like to join me just post here, or send me a PM so we can work out details.  I'm flexible on location, but the guys at the fly shop said that for close spots to try Richmond Beach, Medowdale, Carkeek Park, and Lincoln Park.  If one wants to take the ferry to some other spots, Southworth and anywhere you can get access on the east side of Vashon Is were also recommended as were some areas around Sequim.  I'm thinking about sticking to the first set unless someone with experience in some of the other areas mentioned (or even any that weren't mentioned) wants to hit them.

[stevelyn]

That sounds more fun than going after pirates.

I love going after the sea-run dollies up here. A lot of folks turn their noses up at them, but they're as good as any other fish in the salmonid and char families as tablefare. I also like hitting the resident dollies when they're chasing spawning salmon upstream. They're absolute suckers for anything with an egg look to it.

I have a new flyrod and reel on my 'list' for sometime between now and June. I got an Orvis catalogue the other day and thumbed through it. Holy Crappola! I thought Loomis and Sage rods were spendy. They had a couple that were $1050.00 and they weren't ashamed of the price either.

I think I'm going to stick with my original plan and get either a Cabela's or Fenwick with a Cabela's or Scientific Anglers reel. I'd like to have some money left over so I can actually fish.

[Northwoods]

I spent about $520 (including WA sales tax) and got a Temple Forks Outfitters 6wt TiCr rod and a Ross Cimmeron Large Arbor 3 reel along with an intermediate sinking line (Rio Aqualux 6wt), a flurocarbon tapered leader (3x) a 25yd spool of 2X tippet and 5 flies.

Yeah, you can spend more than that just on a reel, and pretty easilly.  But for my purposes there's no reason.  I'm not anywhere close to good enough to tell the difference, and that rod/reel will last me a lifetime, and probably my kids and grandkids lifetimes too.  And catch just as many fish as a package that cost three times as much.

There's not a huge number of dollies around here.  Some, but probably not like AK.  I did hook into a bull trout (fresh water only version of Dolly Vardens) in the Twisp River in eastern WA.  Sumbitch was 10-15# and ate a rainbow I'd hooked a few seconds earlier.  All I had was my 4/5wt rod with (IIRC) 5wt line and a 6x leader.  Fought him for 20 minutes or so before he ran downstream and I had to break it off.

Apparently there's a population of coho that stick around the Puget Sound rather than migrate out to the open sea.  They tend to mix with the sea-run cutthroat from time to time.  The trout are entirely catch and release since they're aren't any hatcheries producing them.  The coho have a good number of planters, so if you luck into them you can keep 2 per day.  And the spring run Chinook should get started in a few weeks or so.  Then about the time they're done running the summer steelhead should be ramping up. 

[stevelyn]

I more or less stopped sportfishing for salmon when I moved to the bush and figured out I can subsistence fish for them with a gillnet. Salmon fishing for me is strictly a grocery gathering affair that ends up being a labor intensive period involving knives, brine, smokehouses, pressure canning and vacuum sealing.

I hook into a few now and then, especially cohos in the fall when targeting other species and they are fun to catch, but I don't purposely go after them very often.

Just about all of our clearwater streams and main glacier fed rivers have dollies. On the other side of the Brooks on North Slope all the rivers feeding into the Arctic Ocean are full of char (basically a bigger, prettier dolly) including ones that are pretty much sea run.

A couple of my old flyfishing buds are flyfishing gear snobs and would think nothing of throwing that $520 you spent, on a Fin-Nor reel alone and an equal amount on a Loomis rod.

[Northwoods]

Well, not even a nibble today.  But it was a good chance to get the rod and reel broken in.  I did have plenty of fun, and now have a sore right shoulder. 

One thing that torqued me off severly though was that the damn fly line kept tangeling as it was in the water while I was stripping the line.  I'd be trying to cast and huge birds nest of line would hit my hand about every 10th time.  I was always able to untangle it without great difficulty, but still.  I've never had that happen before - not with my 4/5wt rod and floating line, nor with my 8wt rod and Rio Versi-tip line (it comes with 6 different tips that are attached by loops - one floating, one neutral, and 4 different sinking weights).  I'll have to talk to the guys at the fly shop about that. 

[stevelyn]

Sorry you went home empty handed. A fresh coho or cutts would be good meal right now. I never had an issue with line tangling either unless it got hung up on something sticking out of the water. Of course I've never used a sinking, sink-tip or interchangeable tipped line before. I think I could make use of a sink-tip line in some situations especially when pike fishing.  How secure are inter-changeable tips fighting bigger fish?

I did find one item from Orvis that I am going to buy and that's their flyline. They have a loop already welded into it so you don't have to worry about tying on leaders.

http://www.orvis.com/store/productchoice.aspx?pf_id=94GK&dir_id=758&group_id=10657&cat_id=5402&subcat_id=6008

[41magsnub]

I did find one item from Orvis that I am going to buy and that's their flyline. They have a loop already welded into it so you don't have to worry about tying on leaders.

http://www.orvis.com/store/productchoice.aspx?pf_id=94GK&dir_id=758&group_id=10657&cat_id=5402&subcat_id=6008

Ever see the needle and super glue method?  Warm up the end of the fly line, insert a needle as far as you can into the end to open it up.  Rough up a corresponding part of your tipet material and then put super glue on it, insert into the fly line.  Tie a loop in the tipet material for quick leader changes.  There supposedly is a dedicated tool to do this but I have never seen it.

It's probably not as strong as the fancy pants Orvis stuff but in 20 years I've never had one fail on fish up to 25 lbs.

[41magsnub]

Well, not even a nibble today.  But it was a good chance to get the rod and reel broken in.  I did have plenty of fun, and now have a sore right shoulder. 

One thing that torqued me off severly though was that the damn fly line kept tangeling as it was in the water while I was stripping the line.  I'd be trying to cast and huge birds nest of line would hit my hand about every 10th time.  I was always able to untangle it without great difficulty, but still.  I've never had that happen before - not with my 4/5wt rod and floating line, nor with my 8wt rod and Rio Versi-tip line (it comes with 6 different tips that are attached by loops - one floating, one neutral, and 4 different sinking weights).  I'll have to talk to the guys at the fly shop about that. 

That is weird on the tangling thing.  I've never had that happen unless there is something in the water or boat it catches on (or when the dog got into it once).

[charby]

sounds like fun

I currently fish with a 5wt 8' Fish Eagle Rod from Cabela's and a Cabela's reel (I can recall the name off hand). I think the whole outfit cost me $125 several years ago. I have fished with much more expensive Fly rods and reels but I sure like this one a lot better.

[41magsnub]

sounds like fun

I currently fish with a 5wt 8' Fish Eagle Rod from Cabela's and a Cabela's reel (I can recall the name off hand). I think the whole outfit cost me $125 several years ago. I have fished with much more expensive Fly rods and reels but I sure like this one a lot better.

I fished with the Cortland beginner 6 wt fly rod and reel kit that is still $100 at most any sporting goods store since I started at 12 (you know the one, the tightly packed rod, line, leader, reel, small box with a couple of random flies, and a DVD).  I finally broke it in a car door 2 years ago.  I kept the reel and got a new cabelas house brand 6wt 5 pc pack rod for about $125 that is doing quite well.  Good value for my dad's money!

I also bought a more expensive 4 wt pack rod for my cabin where the fish are pretty stunted and the lighter rod makes it more fun.  I'm debating a 2 wt rod for this summer.

[Lennyjoe]

And I'm using a 5wt Field and Stream special.  Cost a whopping $40 bucks. 

Since I've never fly fished in my life I didn't want to spend a large amount of dollars until I knew I liked it.

Needess to say, I'm hooked.  Now I'm shopping for quality gear.  Wife's gonna love that.  Another expensive hobby.

[41magsnub]

I don't buy into all the high end gear for fly fishing myself.  I imagine it makes some difference but less difference than the ability of the fisherman and the conditions.  You can say that about a lot of things really...

It drives my dad nuts that I get by on a trip with a single rod (with the other in the truck just in case) and a small convertible belt or chest pack with a assortment of flies appropriate for the area, a match book of twist on lead weight, spare strike indicators, fish hook remover on a retractable line, dry fly floatant, a small tube of sun block, old razor sharp Swiss army knife for gutting fish, a couple of spare leaders, and a micro leatherman with pliers also on a retractable line for utility work and bending down barbs if doing catch and release.  Plus a single AAA led flashlight and a water bottle in a cargo pocket.  The whole thing weighs about a pound and a half.  This is of course close to civilization or at least to the truck fishing.  If going a ways I use the same little pack plus my small hunting pack with a poncho and some survival gear minus the hunting specific stuff.

He goes all out with a huge fishing vest plus camelback pouch that he manages to put something in each pocket and weighs about 25 lbs.  I have one of those he bought me that I have never used.  He also has his "bling" (his words, I grit my teeth when he calls it that) around his neck with snippers, pliers, fish hook remover, eye glass cleaner, floatant, and god knows what else.  He bought me one of those too, I took it apart for the retractable line deals for my small pack.

We stay roughly even on # of fish caught...

[Northwoods]

Sorry you went home empty handed. A fresh coho or cutts would be good meal right now. I never had an issue with line tangling either unless it got hung up on something sticking out of the water. Of course I've never used a sinking, sink-tip or interchangeable tipped line before. I think I could make use of a sink-tip line in some situations especially when pike fishing.  How secure are inter-changeable tips fighting bigger fish?

I did find one item from Orvis that I am going to buy and that's their flyline. They have a loop already welded into it so you don't have to worry about tying on leaders.

http://www.orvis.com/store/productchoice.aspx?pf_id=94GK&dir_id=758&group_id=10657&cat_id=5402&subcat_id=6008

It was catch and release only on the cutthroats, and the coho's aren't in season so they'd have to be let go too right now (and when in season you can only keep the hatchery fish).

Virtually all of the fly lines I've seen lately come with the loop at the tip.  If not most any fly shop will tie on a short piece of monofiliment and put a loop in the end of that.  I haven't had to mess with tying anything directly onto the fly line ever.

I don't buy into all the high end gear for fly fishing myself.  I imagine it makes some difference but less difference than the ability of the fisherman and the conditions.  You can say that about a lot of things really...

I still fish the rivers for smaller trout with my 4/5wt St Croix rod/reel that I got as part an intro to fly fishing class I took with my dad when I was 17 or 18.  It probably cost $100 back then with the line included.  It fishes well enough.  The only reason I'd replace it would be to get a 4 piece rod that would be easier to take on a back-packing trip. 

My 6wt and 8wt rods and reels, with line could all be replaced for under $1000.  Could I have gone with cheaper stuff?  Yes.  But after landing a couple 15# or bigger fish the drags reels on the cheaper set ups would be trashed, and if fishing in saltwater there'd also be a lot more corrosion than I'd be willing to tolerate.  And in that size the cheaper rods are hard to find without going so cheap that whatever it is just won't last with even moderate use.