Each year fly fishing buddies meets us for a couple of days for trout fishing. In the past, we have ranged from Montana to Northern California trying to fool the salmonids into taking a dry flies. Recently, we have centered on the Fall River in California for the prolific Hexagenia combata hatch. This year the hatch did not materialize as expected and so we choose to try something new.
My eldest son's, Nick, was the project manager for the University's concrete canoe national engineering competition in Seattle. I thought a side trip to the OP trying for sea run cutts, a sub species we had always want to try. I had never tried it and so we felt the opportunity was going to be a learning experience. I looked for guides but none could pass a security check in time and so we decided to try the Indian res where the service couldn't block us from using local talent. And so we when we meant in Neah Bay there was no fan fair and no one even recognized my friends as we went about our search for Cutts.
We had a our best luck in several streams that held some big cutts and they were as aggressive as the West Slopes. They took a white deceiver without question. We we in heaven for the day and next morning before he had to depart for a conference. In town that evening we learn from several first nation fishers that no one ever went after cutts has this was salmon and steelhead waters. Reminded me of fishing Scotland and the Isle....who wanted browns when Atlantic salmon were available.
I slept in the camper down at Hobuck Beach and our guest had to hole up in the town of Hoh. They almost made it "in cognito" until breakfast the next morning. Helicopter sure can put distance and by 8:30, I heard the blade of the chopper over the mountain range and we were on for the hunt. By 9:00 they were five of us walking the beauitful sand beaches looking for bait and cutts that attack the school. His son was the first to score with a 12 incher and then I was lucky to cast into a school of bait fish about 12 feet off shore . My retrieve was a creep and the take was as strong as any rainbow. My seven weight seemed just right and yet the cutt was only 16 inches. Salt infusion helps the electrolytes. More later
I was enchanted by the native Mekah culture a side angle always to my global travels. I meant a local artist who sells his cedar masks for over $3,500 amd is an astute fly fishing steelhead addict. We chatted for hours on the fineraspects to steeheading and I was invited to return in November for a go. Maybe but the Canadian and Dakota Praires are alway on the agendas at laest for the past 25 years
