Just Before the Salmon Run

Sea run cutthroat trout to me are underestimated. This is one I caught just before the pinks moved into the system. Very early summer I switch to a smaller rod and search for these yellow bellies for some catch and release fun. To experience their full greatness I always aim to hook into them closer to the sea, although March-April can be a great time for cutthroat trout fishing (because of the emerging fry) , they generally aren't at their best. Thin from the spawn and letahargic you don't get a chance to see what they are made of perse. I find going to some hot spots before any salmon run a good time and the closer to the sea the better, what I find is: no other angler and a beautiful fish or two. They will agressivesly take a fly in an instant and jump clear out of the water peeling your line. Some on occasion will just gulp your fly and swim straight down and you'll know it's a yellow belly when it finally tires enough to roll and you see the shimmer of gold below the surface. That is a great feeling. A simple mickey finn pattern works wonders, and in the early summer almost any dry natural will entice them, I switch to darker bug patterns the further I get from the salt. When they are there in ideal conditions they aren't picky...