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 Waters in the Northwest are starting to cool back down again. With the certain exception of a few throwback days to the heart of July, we'll experience comfortable days with cooler nights and some overcast weather thrown in to keep us grounded. As a result, our river temperatures will begin to tip the mercury downward. Traditionally, this shift in water temperature always touches off the best of late summer's anadramous fish runs. Northwest waters begin to fill with Fall Chinook, Silver Salmon, early Chums, Sockeye and of course...Steelhead. However, our region also hosts a highly unusual and often overlooked species of anadramous fish, the Coastal Cutthroat Trout or Sea-Run Cutts as we call them here.
 Sea-Run's are widely regarded as one of the most elusive fish in the States. A misunderstood fish, coastal cutthroat typically migrate somewhere in the range of 10 – 50 miles between their spawning birth in freshwater to their primary life residence in saltwater. Unlike their fellow anadramous cousins, sea-run's do not follow a migratory path throughout the ocean. Born in freshwater, cutt's feed extensively on insect life available to them in their home watershed. As they grow they begin to move downstream to estuary waters and to some extent the beginning reaches of the open oceans, the variety of their diet increases vastly. Once in saltwater, sea-run's are highly predatory, feasting on a plethora of small baitfish, shrimp, and invertebrates. A typical coastal fish will travel in the 40-50 mile range for their route, though some fish will travel considerably more.
Sea-Run Cutthroat are typically caught in freshwater or estuary environs. Good fishing for these fish begins in midsummer along the Columbia Basin and progresses throughout the year finding a height along both Washington and Oregon Coasts during the fall. It's likely to catch these fish incidentally, in winter searching for steelhead.
 Like any other salmonid, successful fishing for Sea-run's can happen several different ways. When in freshwater, swinging small wet-flies (Spiders, Spruce Fly, Borden's) and muddlers through slow water to the inside of traditional salmon and steelhead passages is a notable method. There might be a surprise at the end of the line from a larger fish as well! Stripping wets and small streamers in areas of cover and slower water will be productive. From a dry fly perspective, attractors in hot colors as well as October Caddis will work for the purist among us.
Anglers pursuing Sea-Run's in Saltwater should consider stripping up and down the beaches and estuaries using small baitfish patterns. The Puget Sound and Hood Canal areas are ideal for this type of fishing. Intermediate tipped lines, striper style lines or floaters are all held in high regard in this style.
If you find yourself looking for something new and fun to try, get out this late summer and fall and get in the hunt for some Sea-Run Cutthroat. This is a beautiful, aggressive and fun fish indigenous to our waters. They are a diminishing resource deserving of our respect and conservation.
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