Favorite fish

[metlhead]

Called off today's tuna/salmon trip, loaded up the sled and hit the river this morning for some summer runs and SRCs. Wasn't let down. Went through about 20 fish to get some jumbos for tacos tonight. Solitude on a river that is loaded with aggressive fish that are not managed under some BS magic number quota. Sea runs really got me hooked about 20 years ago and are the one fishery I look most forward to every year.

[Buckhunter24]

Those are some fat ones 

[castie2504]

Dude, those are some good looking cuts

[Alchase]

Very nice!

[C-Money]

Looks like you had a great time!

[metlhead]

Yes, I very much enjoy chasing sea runs. I will spend 2 or 3 evenings each week casting tiny spoons for them. Now and then I tangle with a steelhead or king jack. Many times my wife will enjoy the sunshine and supper on the boat with an occasional swim. The dogs run rampant on the gravel bars. For some time I'd stick a blacktail during early archery. I'll pile up a bunch of cutthroat fillets and smoke them all for the holidays.

[birdshooter1189]

That's awesome. I love catching cutthroat trout.  I've caught a couple SRC's incidentally from shore on hood canal and bainbridge island in the salt water. Are you catching them in the rivers?  That sounds like my kind of fishing!  A couple weeks ago I caught some (non sea run) westslope cut's in a high lake in olympic national park.  In a few weeks i'll be fishing for westslope cut's in rivers in Idaho.

[metlhead]

Yes, these are river fish. Allowed 5 hatchery fish and it seems about 50/50 with the wilds. Summer is traditionally when many cutts will follow salmon into the rivers to gorge on eggs and flesh then back out into the estuary. On this river, the average is 13-15". I will keep 16" and up. Biggest to date was just over 21". As a kid, I clipped the adipose of sea runs at the hatchery with the Olympia chapter of Steelheaders. Even shoveled the place out after St. Helens.

[GASoline71]

Nice fish!  SRC's in the salt up here on Whidbey are a blast off the shore.

Used to catch them in the lower Skagit, and also in the Swinomish Channel.

Haven't been able to keep any up here for over 25 years thpough.

Gary

[metlhead]

Spent the afternoon with the wife and kids. Really put the hurt on the sea runs and fooled with a nice summer run for a few minutes. Take out dinner on shore with drinks made for a splendid end to a great weekend

[Caseknife]

Looks like the dogs were helping you fish:)

[Blacklab]

Great stuff👍

[metlhead]

They actually do help/hinder! From the bank, they are the net. From the boat, that darn spaniel will jump out and cause grief for the wife

[Limhangerslayer]

Spent the afternoon with the wife and kids. Really put the hurt on the sea runs and fooled with a nice summer run for a few minutes. Take out dinner on shore with drinks made for a splendid end to a great weekend

are you hitting bouy 10 this year?  We left some fish for you!

[metlhead]

No rodeo this year. Keeping to Willapa/GH/MA13 for salmon. If the ocean will calm down, a few trips out for coho/tuna.