Cutthroat Trout Flies

[Taco]

Fer cry's sake they're cutthroat

 

1. Adams #12

2. Klinkhammer #12

3. Adams #14

4. Klinkhammer #14

5. Adams #16

6. Klinkhammer #16

7. Adams #18

8. Klinkhammer #10

9. Parachute Adams #14

10. Joe's Hopper

[greatbigdiddy]

Hmm 80% of the cutts I've landed in the last 3 years have been on one certain dry fly that I have not seen mentioned yet maybe I have discovered a secret weapon that's all my own ..... yeah right !!! But now I am afraid to mention it just in case LOL!! It is a popular fly ... I'm wondering why it's not on any ones list.

[SilverDoctor]

Cutties are pretty co-operative on dries, I've listed a couple but there is a large variety they will take. I've never found them to be picky like big browns. Been fishing CDC quite a bit lately. I am more a believer of a good presentation and a low profile with dries, nymphs or whatever fly you use. A bit of red is always a good idea. Also sticky sharp hooks and belief in the fly you are using goes a long way.

[ntsougri]

Great discussion on Cutty flies. Lots of good reliable pattern suggestions.

 

Now for something completely different and funny. Here is a fly that I have actually used in the fall (Sep & Oct) with some success. Usually not my first choice but Cutties and Bulls can't resist bumping this fly.

Check out the photo. The eyes say it all!!

 

 

[Conor]

A lot of similar answers, so I'm thinking peoples drivers for these chioces are similar.

 

 

What makes a good cutty fly?

 

 

I was out last week and my boxes are in a poor state of stocking, so I was thinking about this question quite a bit. Cutty fishing has me in faster water than I normally fish, so floatability and visability are important. With those two variables met, you often end up with something heavy-ish that makes your casting less fun. One of the things I like best about cutty fishing is the casting.

 

 

So I'm leaning toward stocking up on some H&L/CFF/Royal Wulff type paterns. Also was considering humpies. Some Usuals and possibly some other Betters' paterns (or Bi-visable).

 

Grifiths are always a go to for me, as well. Is that the one you were thinking of Diddy?

[Brookie]

I will leave out terrestrials for this thread. Of course terrestrials would be near the top when conditions are right.

 

EHC

Green Drake

Stimulators

Turks Tarantula

Royal Wulff

Parachute Adams

Irresistable Adams

H&L Variant

Griffiths Gnat

LIME TRUDE !!!!!

[alan2]

Ditto on the lime trude! Deadly when lime sallies are out.

[greatbigdiddy]

A lot of similar answers, so I'm thinking peoples drivers for these chioces are similar.

 

 

What makes a good cutty fly?

 

 

I was out last week and my boxes are in a poor state of stocking, so I was thinking about this question quite a bit. Cutty fishing has me in faster water than I normally fish, so floatability and visability are important. With those two variables met, you often end up with something heavy-ish that makes your casting less fun. One of the things I like best about cutty fishing is the casting.

 

 

So I'm leaning toward stocking up on some H&L/CFF/Royal Wulff type paterns. Also was considering humpies. Some Usuals and possibly some other Betters' paterns (or Bi-visable).

 

Grifiths are always a go to for me, as well. Is that the one you were thinking of Diddy?

nope not the Grifiths .... I was talking about these

 

[SilverDoctor]

Trudes and Bi-visables are also dandy, so many choices.

[ntsougri]

Holy moly - the one fly that no one mentioned and has saved the day time after time for us when dry fly-fishing especially busy Rivers like the Livingstone is the Tricorythodes Minutus (3 tails).

 

Yes they are size 18 to 22 but when the Cutts are rising to Tricos all hell breaks loose!!! For example right at sundown you can catch double digit amounts of Cutts during this hatch. We have experienced these hatches and frenzies a few times in the past few years and it is absolutely amazing to see and fish!!!!

 

My advice is to be smart and tie some tippet to your Trico flies ahead of time to avoid frustration and swearing during the hatch and Cutt frenzy especially in low light conditions.

 

The Trico Spinner is the pattern I like and when dead spinners are falling on the River (the Spinner Fall) you will witness the most aggressive Cutthroat feeding on the river making it look like every fish is rising to feed!!!

 

Tight lines,

 

L

 

 

 

 

[SilverDoctor]

Of course that is matching a "specific hatch" not just general Cutthroat Flies. the same can be said with a large Stonefly hatch I hit, nothing else worked. They where focused.

[Smitty]

Holy moly - the one fly that no one mentioned and has saved the day time after time for us when dry fly-fishing especially busy Rivers like the Livingstone is the Tricorythodes Minutus (3 tails).

 

Yes they are size 18 to 22 but when the Cutts are rising to Tricos all hell breaks loose!!! For example right at sundown you can catch double digit amounts of Cutts during this hatch. We have experienced these hatches and frenzies a few times in the past few years and it is absolutely amazing to see and fish!!!!

 

My advice is to be smart and tie some tippet to your Trico flies ahead of time to avoid frustration and swearing during the hatch and Cutt frenzy especially in low light conditions.

 

The Trico Spinner is the pattern I like and when dead spinners are falling on the River (the Spinner Fall) you will witness the most aggressive Cutthroat feeding on the river making it look like every fish is rising to feed!!!

 

Tight lines,

 

L

 

Lefty:

 

Thank-you very much for sharing this. I learned something very valuable today. Appreciate it. This is the best part of the FFC.

 

Smitty

(P.S. And one more kudos to Hawgs. ; who strongly hinted at this to me years back. Cheers)

[nathaniel]

cant go wrong with a red body turks tarantula!

[flyfishfairwx]

Italian Spider Fly , and TTFU.

[monger]

You guys are all confused about these wily Cutts....its not the fly type that is important...it is the secret, unique hook that gets them:

[SteveM]

 

You guys are all confused about these wily Cutts....its not the fly type that is important...it is the secret, unique hook that gets them:

Hey, Monger...

Would that hook be appropriate for tying my super-secret cutty-slayer fly???

[bigalcal]

Sadly...a SJW works well....it just ain't right!!

[monger]

Bob, you can only use a nymph hook if the barb is in the position of the hook I posted.....on the outside of the bend. Otherwise the Cutty police say it is appropriate to use a dry fly

[lamponius]

Let me explain what I don t like about nymphing...It is damn too efficient!

 

I was on a stream fishing cutties a few days ago. New stream, promising pools, and, in fact, it turned out that all of them were full of fish (meaning that I caught at least one fish in each). It was great. I lost some, I had refusals, miss takes...the usual stuff when your dry fly fishing.

I caught a good deal of fish. Enough to not being sure how many I caught (between 10 and 20, in 3 hours of wet wading).

 

On my way back (I usually don t fish), I met a guy fishing in one of the hole. He was actually pulling one nice cuttie out. I said hello and started to talk. He was nymphing and caught 3 more fish in that hole...I had only caught one. I asked him how was his day and told me it was stellar. Fish after fish.

 

The point is, I am not criticizing the way people fish. But I cannot help myself thinking that in streams, nymphing is a too easy way to catch them.

It is another story on the Bow, where fish are more difficult to catch, and the numbers greater.

 

Regarding the flies, I changed my mind...I was on a Lake in BNP, and there were cutts rising everywhere (size 10 to 18 inch.). I caught several on different patterns, but I was having several refusal. Once I tied the right pattern, it was crazy! So as Silver Doctor said, at least when a hatch is happening, they can be picky.

 

Enjoy, it is beautiful outside. Hot weather and cool water...good mix for wet wadding!

[DonAndersen]

So what was the result. Just got back from a week of southern AB cutthroat fishing. Only resorted to a nymph for several hours to determine effectiveness. Did get one decent one of 20" + several others of decent size. With the flood a lot of bugs were absent. Didn't see any stones or drakes. Some very small mayflies + black flies seemed to be the only food sources. Still there were rising fish and a Usual or a CFF would get at least a refusal. The "blue water" produced less well than riffles. There will be a huge caddis hatch over the next while on the Livingstone if the billions of caddis cases attached to the rocks can be believed. This must be a multi-year hatch as this years new channels were also extensively used. Over the week fishing the West Castle, South Castle, Dutch, Oldman & Livingstone few fish were landed over 18", a lot @ 13" and some @ 4". Many days were slow with the best days having catches <>15.

To sum up, dries worked in spite of the lack of bugs.

 

Catch ya'

 

Don

 

 

[RunnyD]

Let me explain what I don t like about nymphing...It is damn too efficient!

 

I was on a stream fishing cutties a few days ago. New stream, promising pools, and, in fact, it turned out that all of them were full of fish (meaning that I caught at least one fish in each). It was great. I lost some, I had refusals, miss takes...the usual stuff when your dry fly fishing.

I caught a good deal of fish. Enough to not being sure how many I caught (between 10 and 20, in 3 hours of wet wading).

 

On my way back (I usually don t fish), I met a guy fishing in one of the hole. He was actually pulling one nice cuttie out. I said hello and started to talk. He was nymphing and caught 3 more fish in that hole...I had only caught one. I asked him how was his day and told me it was stellar. Fish after fish.

 

The point is, I am not criticizing the way people fish. But I cannot help myself thinking that in streams, nymphing is a too easy way to catch them.

It is another story on the Bow, where fish are more difficult to catch, and the numbers greater.

 

Regarding the flies, I changed my mind...I was on a Lake in BNP, and there were cutts rising everywhere (size 10 to 18 inch.). I caught several on different patterns, but I was having several refusal. Once I tied the right pattern, it was crazy! So as Silver Doctor said, at least when a hatch is happening, they can be picky.

 

Enjoy, it is beautiful outside. Hot weather and cool water...good mix for wet wadding!

I too was wet wading this weekend. Well at least my left leg was. My right leg was dry. I hate it when you discover a hole in your waders when the car (with duct tape) is 1km away.

 

I had a productive weekend with dry flies. I only resort to nymphin' when nothing is clearly rising and only after prospecting with a dry. Cuttys, I find are not as selective in what they go for. Either a flashy red or orange fly is usually the ticket when they're rising. An orange foam rubber legged stimulator pattern was killin' it for me. Also had luck with a Royal Wulff style dry fly.