Coastal Sea-Run Cutthroat Trout

Here is a picture of a nice coastal sea-run cutthroat trout caught out of Hood Canal while fishing for early Coho salmon. This fish bit a small Puglisi minnow. These fish are always a fun bonus to catch even when targeting other species. Look for cutthroat fishing to really start picking up in March and should just get better until the end of May. Your best bet is to throw patterns that match the outward migrating salmon fry, mainly Chum salmon fry. 

Fishing Trip to Seiku, Washington

We had a great fishing trip to Sekiu, Washington last August. My nephews Grant, Campbell, and Gavin were in from Hawaii. Chris Taylor from Trout Unlimited Chapter 383 President and a member of the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife Puget Sound Sportfishing Advisory Group also joined us. 

Here the group of us were getting ready to launch the boats. 

This is Grant with a 20+ pound King salmon that he caught on the first day. He used a Lamiglas Kenai Quick 15-30 lb class rod and an Abu Garcia Ambassadeur Record reel spooled with 30 lb test Tufline XP braid. He was using an 11" green Luhr-Jensen Flasher with a 26" leader attached to a 3" Danielson glow green and white splatter hooch.

Here's a nice flounder that Cam caught on a drop-shot style rockcod rig.  He was using a Lamiglas Classic Glass rod with Abu Garcia Ambassadeur Line Counter reel spooled with 30 lb test Tuf-Line XP braid. 

This is at the end of the first day. Gavin and Chris with the Sekiu Eagle outside Olson's Marina Mini Mart.   

Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group

This smolt trap is used to count outwardly migrating salmonid species, such as ocean-run coastal cutthroat trout, steelhead, Coho or Silver salmon, Chum and King salmon. Pictured in this photo are an Evergreen College/Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group intern that is majoring in Fisheries Biology and myself. 

Here we have Chris Taylor, President of Trout Unlimited, Kitsap/Bainbridge Island Chapter 383 and the intern doing DNA testing on some of the outwardly migrating fish and cataloging DNA samples to monitor genetic stock and hybridization. We've seen hybridization between ocean-run cutthroat and steelhead stock as indicated by physical genetic identification and examination. 

These fish are tranquilized and ready for DNA sampling. A few scales are scraped off each fish and a very small cutting off the tip of one of the fins is taken. Then the fish are weighed and released, healthy, back into the river system. The Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group is dedicated to ethical and ecological restoration, study and monitoring of Hood Canal fresh water tributaries as well as Hood Canal estuaries and wetlands. 

The Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group is seeking volunteers for many of its projects. If you would like to help out, please contact them at 360-275-3575. They are located in Belfair.