Northwest Fishing Reports

I was around the Gig Harbor area with a buddy fishing for salmon last weekend. We couldn't keep the sea-run cutts off of our line. Yet, the regulations state that you can never keep these fish anywhere anytime. Just wondering why that is since they were biting like yellow perch out there. It just doesn't seem to make sense that you can keep salmon, but not these guys. Is there a scientific reason or something?

For some reason they are considered threatened. I can't keep the dollies off the line fishing shallow around Camano Island either...same reason, threatened. I guess the numbers are down in some regions enough to cause the game dept to close it statewide.

They are open for retention in the rivers.

You can keep them in Lk Wash. too.They follow the salmon /steelhead runs .

There 100% native and an amazing sports fish. Look at it this way, if you can keep salmon, why worry about keeping sea run cutts?

fishndude wrote: Just wondering why that is since they were biting like yellow perch out there. It just doesn't seem to make sense that you can keep salmon, but not these guys. Is there a scientific reason or something?

Salmon and SRCs are a completely different fish. Just cause they were biting well for ya, doesn't mean you should be able to keep em. They seem to be heavily concentrated in certain areas and often are found in pods. If you find one, then fishing can be great. There aren't a ton of em, and if we could keep em in the salt, their population would be heavily reduced b/c these fish are such eager biters...

A9 wrote:

fishndude wrote: Just wondering why that is since they were biting like yellow perch out there. It just doesn't seem to make sense that you can keep salmon, but not these guys. Is there a scientific reason or something?

Salmon and SRCs are a completely different fish. Just cause they were biting well for ya, doesn't mean you should be able to keep em. They seem to be heavily concentrated in certain areas and often are found in pods. If you find one, then fishing can be great. There aren't a ton of em, and if we could keep em in the salt, their population would be heavily reduced b/c these fish are such eager biters...

Yeah, I was probably just at an area where there were a lot of em. Thanks for the insight everyone.

fishndude wrote:I was around the Gig Harbor area with a buddy fishing for salmon last weekend. We couldn't keep the sea-run cutts off of our line. Yet, the regulations state that you can never keep these fish anywhere anytime. Just wondering why that is since they were biting like yellow perch out there. It just doesn't seem to make sense that you can keep salmon, but not these guys. Is there a scientific reason or something?

This is a hugley sought after salt water fly fishery. Like was stated earlier, if you couldn't keep em off your line, then you got real lucky. I see it as kind of like the bass fishery..... people who really dig fishing for them have a lot of respect for the fishery, and therefor catch and release bass and so goes with the cutthroat. Thanks for releasing what you got.

On the other side of the picture is that Cutthroat can really destroy alarge ammount of smolt very quickly.Smolt(salmon,steelhead fry)get munched heavily by Cutthroat.I know you think they are such a great sportfish and they are totally fun to catch on ultra light gear.I worry that by releasing them back all the time will take its toll on other game fishing speicies.The other thing is Cutthroat eggs are the best drifting eggs for steelies.Especially in low clear rivers.Im all for CnR as long as other species arent desimated by them.

It is my understanding that at one time sea-run cutthroat populations in Washington were dangerously low (like many or most salmon populations are now). So WDFW instituted C n' R only in the salt. Many runs have since totally rebounded, and it is a great wildlife comeback story. In many areas in Puget Sound, or around the south sound atleast, the sea run cutthroat fly fishery is considered a world class fishery.

Never caught one, but i do know they are doing ok in the northern waters (salt/rivers). I can keep 2 over 14", so there must be a fair amount of them around here...

There are 2 that I know of of types of Cutthroats.There is the Sea -Run Cutthroat that like Steelhead get to spawn more then once.The migrate from salt to fresh each year.Then there is the land locked variety.They are usually a bit smaller and I dont know theyre mating rituals .This is what I remember from this. There may be alot of other types but the those are the two types I catch around here.The Lk Wa cuttys get to grow over 5 lbs each.There are nice fat Cuttys to be had in the lakes that are fed by the salt.

as mentioned some rivers cutthroat are fair game (2 fish 14 inch minimum size limit usually). The rub is that the status of the various cutthroat populations is a mixed bag. When you catch fish in the salt you do not know whether they are from a population that is doing well or not. To protect those weak stocks the salt water fishery is CnR; once the fish sort themselves out by returning to the river you are allowed to keep them in some rivers..

Tight lines
Curt