Mountain Top Cutties

The tug at the end of my line lately has been dominated by one species of fish. Coastal Cutthroat. These trout are beautiful. Their colour’s are bright. Yellowish-green with heavy spotting all over their bodies. In the spring their gill cover shines bright red to signify spawning. Their fight is exciting to watch.

They are for the most part only in the lakes that are off in the woods around here. I’ve never caught a glimpse of one of these until I put the boat on the roof of the truck and hit the dirt roads to find a secluded lake in the middle of nowhere. No powerlines, no traffic, and most importantly no reception. Exactly the way I like it, cut off from everything. Days like these mean getting to unplug and enjoy my surroundings.

Cutthroat trout are native to cold-water tributaries and deep, cold well oxygenated lakes around the Pacific Ocean, the Rockies, and the Great Basin in North America. They are easily recognizable due to the red marking on the underside of their jaws. These fish are popular among fly fishers as they are most popularly found in the river and stream systems.

My favorite lake I have fished this past year is about 1.5 hours on the old logging roads. A series of logging roads guide me up to just below the peaks of the mountains. At this point I look up and see two raging waterfalls on the southwest side of the lake. The snow here takes a while to melt so it runs most of the year. It is cooler. Early in the morning it is still. The lake is flat enough that the bottom and fish are visible through most of the lake. As the north westerly rolls in the fish begin rising and come to life with the forest around them.

So how have I been catching them? Lately, I’ve been up in the mountains looking for lakes with good fishing opportunities. I have my little car top boat, and electric motor. You could easily row as well. My 6’7 spinning rod and reel loaded with 10lb mono. For the other tackle, I use a 1/4oz weight, a swivel, then a leader of about 18-20inches attached to my lure. The best lure working for me right now is the Gibbs Wedding Band. In the yellow & pink colour, or just plain green. Put a little piece of worm on the hook, toss it out and start trolling. Basic yet effective setup that has me constantly pulling these beautiful fish in this year.

Tight Lines!