We were looking for yellow perch. Launched at the mouth of the Cedar R. Was using ultralite rod and reel and 4 LB line. Fished 1/16 oz jigs and 2" grubs. Started fishing at Coleman point over drop offs in 25 to 30' of water. Hooked a fish which was heavy but didn't feel like a bass. Had it on for a couple of minutes and it shook the little jig. Had no idea what it was.

Later fishing the NE tip of Mercer, got a similar take. I used more pressure (it was the first time I had fished this gear and was still trying to figure out how hard I could sit on them). The fish jumped and was clearly a trout. It looked like a small steelhead. It turned out to be a cutthroat of about 20" and was in perfect shape. It could have passed for sea run in saltwater. The throat slashes were barely visible. We later fished Coleman pt. again and wound up catching and releasing 4 more, all about the same size and condition. It was great test for the new gear and my first experience with L.WA CTs. They're a great fish.

Alas, still no perch. Jack

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