Sea run cutthroat are the forgotten fish of the Pacific Northwest, to me that’s sad. They are named after William Clark of Lewis and Clark fame (Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii) which is always a fun fact I try to throw out when I’m talking about these fish. They are under researched, luckily that is slowly changing. And they are mostly treated as a by-catch by steelhead and salmon anglers. They are one of the highlights of my year so as soon as that first cold rain of late summer/early fall hits the hairs on my arms start to bristle and I know the fish are ready to go. 

I have written lots of blog posts about SRCs and how to fish for them, but I haven’t really gotten into the flies to use when fishing for them in Oregon rivers. SRCs in Oregon are targeted differently than SRC’s in other areas. River fish are more reactive and less food focused and the flies used are old school, but still hold their own in the world of ever evolving fly patterns. Below I’m going to go over my top 5 producing patterns for sea run cutthroat.

Borden Special:

Hook: 2x long nymph hook, size 10-8
Tail: Yellow & pink hackle fibers
Body: Pink dubbing that you like
Rib: Silver tinsel
Wing: Arctic fox, white
Collar: Yellow & pink soft hackle

This has to be the number one fly for SRCs. Bob Bordern, the founder of Hareline, knew his audience and delivered a fly that just plain catches fish. The first fish of every season is on a Borden Special. The fly is traditionally tied with a chenille body like most classic SRC flies but to keep a slim look to it I have switched over to dubbing. Oval silver tinsel is used as a rib but I switch between that and holographic tinsel to throw off more light. I use arctic fox tail for the wing but calf tail is more traditional. The fly catches fish and is hard to buy in the sizes I like to fish 10s and 8s. I fish smaller flies than what is typically commercially available because I don’t want to damage these fish. I stay away from steelhead style hooks for the same reason. If I could only have one fly for blueblacks this would be it.

Spruce Fly:

Hook: 3x long nymph hook, size 10-8
Tail: Peacock sword
Body: Red floss
Rib: Silver wire
Thorax: Peacock herl
Wing: Badger Hackle
Collar: Badger Hackle

If I could have two flies for sea runs then I would fish a Spruce fly. This is an old streamer that has been used for every trout out there, but here in Oregon we use this fly mostly for SRCs. The biggest issue with this fly nowadays is that it uses badger hackles traditionally. Badger is hard to come by, and quality badger is even harder to get. Most guys switched to coq de leon as a sub but that is also hard to get. If you really want to tie this fly I would find a cream colored feather for a wing and collar and call it good. It’s a simple fly for the most part and the biggest deviation I do from the original is I run the wire over the floss and peacock part of the body to increase durability. Bluebacks have sharp teeth and you really notice it when you tie your own flies.

Mickey Finn:

Hook: 3x long nymph hook, size 10-8
Tag: Red thread
Body: Holographic or mylar, silver tinsel
Rib: Silver wire
Wing: Yellow/red/yellow bucktail, layered

Another classic fly that I really like fishing for bluebacks. This fly is easy to tie and takes just a few materials. Anyone who doesn’t fish bucktail flies that often are always shocked how well it moves when it is wet. If you can’t find an affordable bucktail or quality bucktails then you can use craft fur as a substitute. Just be sure to taper the craft fur so the fly flows. When you cut synthetics all the same length they have this tendency to clump and not flow. This is because synthetic fibers don’t taper like naturals so as they react to water and water tension they clump. To avoid that you have to taper the length of the fibers.

October Caddis:

Hook: 2x long nymph hook, size 10-8
Body: October caddis orange dubbing
Rib: Oval or holographic gold tinsel
Collar: Partridge hackle
Wing: Natural Elk

This pattern is great when the fish are hot and fresh and willing to chase flies. I fish this fly on the swing or just under the surface. Takes on this fly can be aggressive so hold on. I like using the Arizona dub in steelhead orange for this fly and the only hackle I use is a sparse partridge collar. I sometimes grease this fly up. Most of the time I’m fishing this fly on a sinking line and letting the line pull the fly just under the surface.

Black Knight:

Hook: 2x long nymph hook, size 10-8
Tail: Black krystal flash
Body: Black krystal flash w/ thin layer of glue under body
Collar: Black hen hackle
Wing: Black krystal flash

This fly is my backup fly. When the water is off color, the fish are shy, or when the classics aren’t working I break this fly out. It is almost tied with just black krystal flash but I do add a black hen collar to add some movement. It’s a simple sparse fly that just seems to work.

These flies are really all you need when it comes to SRC fly fishing. There are loads of other patterns out there, classic and modern, but this will get the average angler off to the races. As always reach out on social media, down below, or shoot us an email if you have any questions or comments on what is above or any other fly tying or fishing related topics.