Northwest Fishing Reports

I am kinda new to fly fishing....just bought new rod/reel etc.....my question is.... we plan on hiking up to some high mountain lake to fish for cutthrout......which flys work best now...

I've fished a lot of mountain lakes for cutthroat and have found that they are often willing customers! Due to the pristine environment and general lack of food, they'll often hit just about anything. Keep your pattern small, say size 12-16. Basic nymph patterns like hares ears, pheasant tails and prince nymphs have worked fine for me. Dries that I've had success with are Adams, Yellow Humpies, renegades and elk hair caddis. Use nymphs in the absence of surface activity, then switch to dries when fish begin rising.

Don't panic if at first nothing works. I've seen cutthroat turn on and off the feed, just like other fish. I once fished a high mountain lake without a strike for over 3 hours. I didn't see a single fish rise and, being that it was my first time there, became convinced that it was a "dead" lake. Suddenly it happened...fish began rising, and I began catching and releasing for the next 2 hours. A size 16 Adams worked on this occasion.

The advice about perseverance and keeping the patterns small is very good.

In addition, go to your local fly shop and see if anyone there has experience at the lakes you are targeting. A good shop will offer some good advice and show you the patterns that you should start with.

Something I do each time I go to a new lake (alpine or otherwise) is look for evidence of the food sources for the fish. Look for husks on the water to see if there has been a recent hatch. Look for weed or grass beds and see if there is any evidence of insects that can give you a clue as to the size and color of pattern you should use.

As mentioned above, small nymph patterns and small dry flys usually will work well. In my experience, Cutthroat tend to go for patterns with a little color in them. I have used a flashback pheasant tail pattern that has a small chartreuse or red bead head with a lot of success in the past for Cutthroat on small streams and alpine lake.

Good luck.

Tight lines!

Raffensg64 hit it on the head. I grew up catching cutt's they are willing eater. Basic beadhead nymphs always work on them. I have found they like a little flash and the color red as well

Since most Alpine lakes do not have major hatches trout rely on terrestrials mainly as a food source, with that being said fish ants,beetles and the like. Also cuttys love black and yellow streamers. Just cause the fish may be small does not mean that they wont eat big. My Alpine lake box has: caddis, Parachute adams,humpies,Hoppers,ants(my fav.),beetles, streamers,royal wolfs, and beaded nymphs.Sizes from 18 to 10 in dries and 18 to 14 in nymphs and 6 for streamers. Good Luck!!

One thing that I have found in fishing for cutthroat. They seem to have an appetite for orange=p~, similar to an international orange. Try a fly with a bit of golden pheasant tied into it.