Sea Run Cutthroat are much like their brethren that live in fresh water; except for the fact they inhabit the salt water. They spend their time cruising the shoreline looking for an easy meal. They are voracious, opportunistic feeders that will chomp just about anything down. Common prey include baitfish, sand lance, crab, shrimp and marine worms. The Sea Run Cutthroat fishery is great in the Puget Sound with lots of opportunity for fun. If you live near the Puget Sound, you should certainly not overlook the Sea Run Cutthroat.

Tides: A key factor in fishing for Sea Runs is the tide. They will hunt and feed during the times when the tide moves the strongest. Those times occur during the greatest difference between high tide and low tide. Fishing during a slack tide is all but useless (except for practicing your cast). Check a tide table before you head out. Any change greater than 10 feet is considered a good tide. Keep in mind; certain areas will fish better with tides that are not that strong. It really all depends on the area. The reason for this is sometimes too strong of a tide will just push the baitfish out of the area and if the baitfish are not there - the Sea Runs will not be. Also, account for your driving time and gear-up time when you get to the beach. Ideally, it's a good idea to be at the beach a bit after slack tide. This will give you time to gear-up, get to the beach and see out the best structure.

Research: One of the best tools we have in fishing for Sea Run Cutthroat is the research that we can conduct before we hit the beach. The easiest method is to scope out a beach using Google Maps (satellite function) or Google Earth. Another great resource is the State of Washington Department of Ecology Shoreline Aerial Photos program. From a bird's eye view you should be able to get an idea of what the structure looks like before you show up. An even better method is to see a beach at low tide. Make sure to take notes and photos to refer to later.

Sunlight: Keep in mind that if the best tide for the day is right in the middle of the day and it's blue skies out; the fish are going to hold deeper. They might not be in as shallow of water cruising for their meal. However; the biggest thing to remember is: where the baitfish are the Sea Runs are. They're bold fish.

Gear: Sea Run Cutthroat range in size from baitfish to 24+ inches. A standard 5-6 weight rod with a weight forward or double taper floating line and intermediate sink tip line will work fine. Chose a line color that is natural, camo is best. Some days you will be casting into the wind, so practice your hauling. Typically a 3x to 5x seven foot leader is adequate. A stripping basket is also highly recommended. It will keep your line under control so you won't have to worry about the current sweeping it away from you or the rocks and barnacles destroying it. A less-expensive option to a commercial stripping basket is to purchase a plastic bin and drill holes in the bottom to let water out. The nice thing about this option is you can pick the exact size of stripping basket you want.

Flies: Any fly that imitates baitfish is a good start. Clousers are a must have. Also Lefty's Deceiver pattern is a great fly to have. Wooly Buggers in white, olive, black and brown are good as well. Remember that you don't need an exact match, most likely the fish will be eating baitfish or some sort so tie something on that looks like a baitfish, sand lance or shrimp. Or just use an attractor pattern. Don't get too scientific here. Where you put your fly in the water is a greater concern. However; keep in mind that sometimes the fish will be keying in on a specific target. Try to keep your eyes open and see what they're chasing after. Sometimes that's as easy as watching the surface and seeing the baitfish get chased by trout. At other times you can look in the water around you and see what is swimming at your feet. If you see small crabs on the bottom, try a crab pattern. If you see sand lance or marine worms hanging out, give that a shot. During the Chum spawning months a Chum Fry imitation is killer. Or you can use a searching pattern. Or a popper. Experiment. Be bold.

Game Plan: Rather than fishing structure on a river or lake, when you fish the beach you're fishing the tide and structure. Look for beaches with oyster beds or a rocky bottom. These are very important. Do not waste your time fishing beaches with just sand, silt or mud. Beaches with points, troughs, shallows or anything else that will cause a break in the flow of the tide or good to look out for. A nearby creek, river or estuary is big plus as well. The fish will hunt and hold along this structure in search of food. Start at one end of the intended beach and cast to where you think the fish will be hanging out. Remember that Sea Runs don't need a lot of water, most of the time they will be in just a few feet of water. A good practice is to not even step foot in to the water until you've plied the area with a few probing casts. Once you're in the water, make a cast or two, then take a step down the beach, cast again; then repeat the process until you run out of time or beach. Sea Runs move around a lot, if you don't find them at one beach during a certain tide it doesn't mean they won't ever be there. Come back at the opposite tide and try again. Remember: the trout are after baitfish. Baitfish want structure to get out of the tide. Think about the water flowing from one point to another and what it will do when it encounters the bottom and other obstacles. How the water behaves is an indicator of where the baitfish will seek shelter in structure created by the moving tide.

Final Thoughts: Sea Run Cutthroat fly fishing is a frustrating yet addicting aspect of fly fishing. Keep at it. Try new things. Learn all you can. It will pay off and when it does it's incredibly rewarding to know that such an amazing fishery is right in our backyards.