zac sexton
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Kelly and Mark: Very astute eyes, guys! It’s surely a Cuttbow, and it looks like I labeled the file as such, but didn’t realize it when I uploaded to the forum. Oops :-[. I wouldn’t say it is a Cuttbow, b/c of the light coloration, however, b/c most fish are lighter in lakes and get darker as they get upstream during spawning time (if anadromous or adfluvial). What looks to me like Rainbow hybridization in the noted individual, is the irregular spot shape — more “organic” less rounded. Generally Cutthroat spots are very round. Also there is a solid red stripe on the side. Even though Cutties have red stripes, they are usually splotchy, or broken, as seen in the examples below. Also, I wouldn’t use the white tips on fins as a deffinite characteristic for hybridization with Rainbows, either. I’ll detail why in the photos below. Thanks for being observant and pointing out the difference! 😎
Here is a genetically pure Westslope Cutthroat from central WASHINGTON! Yep. Washington. While exploring two seasons ago, I found a study that Dr. Behnke did for the Forest Service, stating that the fish in Cutthroat Lake, in the Cascades of Washington were genetically pure — as are the fish in the outlet stream. That was in the late 70s, but I believe this popn. is still an example of the pure WSCs in Washington. Note the white tips on the fins, and broken red stripe on the side. Very cool!
Here you can see the detail of the white tipped fins, as well as some “organic” spots closer to the tail. They are more round near the head, and less so, similar to a Rainbow, near the tail. There are so many differences in each popn., that it is hard to tell for sure a fish is hybridized without genetic tests. Even then, details get sketchy…
This is a Coastal Cutthroat trout from an isolated popn. on the east slope of the Cascades in south-central Washington. Notice the white tips on the fins! I found this a lot with the Coastal Cutts., and in the Westslope Cutt. popns. in Oregon and Washington. My theory is that the white tips on Cutthroat popns. become less common as the populations get farther from their original genetic ancestors (the Coastal Cutt.).So, we anglers used to seeing WSCs and YSC, in the Rocky Mountains tend to see no white spots. But anglers in Oregon and Washington, will. Yellowstone Park uses the white spots to determine if it’s a hybrid., but because of what I’ve seen in these photos, combined with genetic testing, I will often hold judgement until I get more info. I personally like to see combinations of phenotypic characteristics (i.e. spots and color), before I think it’s a hybrid. But, the mentioned…likely Cuttbow, in my post is most likely a hybrid, b/c of the solid stripe, combined with the “organic”/not-round, spots, in my opinion. Also, the Rock Creek system has had introgression with Rainbow trout. As soon as Rainbows get in a system, the genetic purity of the Cutties goes to hell; many times, even if they look like a pure Cutthroat, they can be very highly mixed with Rainbow genes. So, actually, every Cutthroat pictured is probably a Cuttbow, if looking just at genes… 😕
This is a lot of what I would like to point out in my book — the differences/similarities/variation, in each popn. of Cutthroat trout. The idea of what is a “pure” fish, is often changing, and a very interesting topic. In my mind, finding and catching the pure, native Cutthroat trout in it’s native — unreintroduced or stocked niche, is a highlight of fly fishing. It might be THE highlight of fly-fishing for me — if you throw in a good bottle of scotch and a bamboo fly rod ;). It just facinates the heck out of me!!!!!
Great trip Joel! But, I’m really glad you are back in Montana so you can boss me around some more! 😉
I’m glad you guys enjoyed the report. Thank you. Zach, Ariell is a Large Munsterlander, a German versatile hunting dog. I used to have Mojo, a Llewellen Setter who passed away this Jan., and who I miss very much. Ariell is a great pup, at almost three years. She has a similar disposition to Setters, great hunting drive, but a bit better coat for cold/wet weather, and a bit more tendency to go after waterfowl–which Mojo wasn’t too fond of. She’s a great fishing companion, also!
Well, I finally got some photos edited, though they aren’t overal the best quality, and got some time to post a bit about my progress. I made it to Beaver Crk. in SE Utah, to catch some of the only genetically pure Greenback Cutthroat trout in the state. If you’ve been living in a cave, I’ll fill you in that the state found these fish to be pure in May of ’09. Apparently there have been several popns. found in the higher elevations of streams dumping in to the lower Colorado River, like Beaver Crk. in Utah.
The thought (according to the biologist I spoke with) is that the Greenback occupies/occupied the higher elevation tribs. and the Colorado River Cutt., populated the main valley rivers, i.e. Colorado and Dolores Rivers. To take that thinking further, then the Greenbacks on the eastslope of the Rockies, would have made it over the divide in the subbasin transfer previously theorized–the Greenback having an advantage of already living higher in the streams to make it over mountain passes. At any rate, I found the Utah cutties, after a ton of driving and some wayward hiking. The fish aren’t everywhere, but they are in a couple/few miles of stream. They don’t have much, but are doing well for the tiny amount of water they live in.
Gotta find the name of this mountain, but this is overlooking Beaver Crk., standing on a terrace just above the 100 yr. flood plain. Purdy!!!
Mojo and I sneaking a fly on to Beaver Crk. Not a whole lot of casting on this stream. Had to cut my leader down to about 2 1/2 feet long, so I could set the hook and not get tangled in the Alders!
A juvenille Beaver Crk. Greenback–about 2 inches long.
An above average adult, about 8 inches long.
A prototypical adult with big spots (the largest of any other subspecie on average), concentrated toward the tail. Note the orangish slashes under gills. I think these were overall the orangest slashes I have seen on a popn. of Greenbacks. Maybe any Cuttie…
The spots!
And some evidence that some stream restoration/protection work is badly needed…So, from SE Utah, I drove to east/central California to go back to a stream I fished last fall for the rarest trout in North America: the Piute!
This stream about did me in last season, as I suffered badly from exhaustion and dehydration. I had an eerie feeling about the trip, and took a variety of precautions to reduce my physical stress level on this trip. It’s about a 7 mile trip to get to the stream from the trailhead, going through three major drainages of the San Juaquin, up and down about 2K feet of elevation change, in a very short distance. About 2 1/2 miles I had to hike one-way to get to the stream, mostly off any trail, and down the steep canyon that cradles Stairway Crk.
Getting ready to leave the trailhead. Note the size of my pack! It weighed around 80 pounds, and included camping, photography, and fishing gear for three days.
The Wilderness boundary.
A rather non-wildernessque (but welcoming) bridge over the North Fork of the San Juaquin river. There were a handful of non-native
fishies the dogs and I watched for a while, below the bridge. It’s a beautiful river and valley!
North Fork San Juaquin river valley.I set camp on the first day, replenished my energy stores, and hiked almost two miles, following the western-most branch of
Stairway Crk., until I found fish. I didn’t find any life, until below the confluence with three other tributary streams.And they posed nicely for the camera!
But then I had to catch some for illustrations…
So much smoke from an apparent forest fire built in the atmosphere, that I got a little worried, I might get trapped in the wilderness.
I hoped I had enough good shots to finish my chapter on Piutes (and therefore, my book), and decided to stay one more night and
leave the next day. The dogs and I were pretty much exhausted from the strenuous hiking, and I didn’t feel safe pushing my luck
going in to the canyon again. I viewed my photos on the camera that night, and figured I got what I needed.The next morning, we packed up and headed back to the car. There was a set of mountain lion tracks following the trail we made going in!!! No one else had hiked in from the trailhead while we were gone. I figured the nearest human being was a minimum of 15 miles in any direction, and very likely closter to 25 miles, as the only people I saw driving in, were elk/deer hunters at trailheads five or more miles from where I entered the wilderness. Mojo did point a covey of quail, which was exciting. My supplies held up, I didn’t get too dehydrated, we stayed mostly warm, and the trip was very challenging and that much more rewarding once again! Maybe one of these days, I can ride a horse in, and not have to worry about lugging so much gear…Maybe. I know, life’s rough out West!
Since then, I have made it north to Portland, visited some friends, including Mr. Steve Kiley, who showed me his bamboo rod shop,
and some of the projects he had going. He was kind enough to let me borrow a 7 wt. rod for the Steelheading I am going to do, to celebrate
getting my field work done for my book. That was an enjoyable and educational experience, and I enjoyed casting Steve’s rods very much. I might even own one now… I have some other business to attend to here in Portland, then I’m off to the Dechutes, Wilson, Trask, Rogue, and who knows where else, to catch Chromeheads. Then, I will likely continue to SE Oregon to look in on the Whitehorse and Willow Crk. Cutties, to increase my illustrations, for those chapters–since I’m in the area. I’ll keep you in the know… I hope you enjoy the report, and are doing well.In Wild Waters,
Zac
Tim: That is awesome! Yes that spot is something else. And yes, we didn’t find any fish either;-( Not there, anyway.
Cole: I do have some videos. I’ll try and post them tomorrow.
And I would love to get more anglers involved. I haven’t done much marketing for the event, b/c I’ve been busy working on my book. But I should have that done soon, so will have more time to get the word out. Glad you all are interested! 🙂
A fly fishing marathon?  😮
Never heard such a thing, but sure sounds like fun.I don’t mean to change the subject, but here’s a bit about this year’s Cuttie-thon, that I posted on a bamboo blog. I believe Cameron Mortenson wrote a bit about it on his blog, and maybe here.
The 5th Annual Cuttie-thon is about to begin! Â Â Lead [-] Â
08/10/09 08:40:55
Well, I leave the evening of Aug. 10th, from western Montana and head for NW Wyoming, to Jackson Hole, then on to find camp and the starting line on the Greys River, to begin the 5th annual Cuttie-thon. For those who haven’t heard of the event, you can read a bit about it at: http://www.cuttiethon.org, but briefly, it is a true fly-fishing marathon where participants fish by wading upstream for a minimum of 26.2 miles in one continuous effort. I started the event to raise money for native Cutthroat trout populations, and to encourage those with diabetes to live adventurous lives; I am a type I diabetic. The first three ‘Thons were done on the Yellowstone River in the Paradise Valley. Last year I partnered with Wyoming Trout Unlimited and moved the event to the Greys River to help with TU’s fund-raising efforts for several projects they are working on.We will start Wed., Aug. 12th and continue well in to the 13th, finishing about 33 hours after we started. I figure it’s the most extreme fly-fishing event in the world, where participants fish a longer distance and time than anyone has documented, on foot. The Greys route is about 26.5 miles long.
I have custom-roasted coffee, for sale at $12/bag. It is roasted by Salmonfly Coffee Roasters in Butte, MT, and is some of the best French Roast I have had. It is whole bean to protect flavor and wake your ass up!
Also, film-maker Justin Stroup, will be filming a documentary on the Cuttie-thon and myself! I’m pretty stoked about this project and hope it will get people fired-up to help. Justin is starting his own filming business, and chose to donate time and equipment to do a documentary on me this year. The film will be shown at festivals around the country, hopefully including the fly-fishing film festival as well as other events. I’ll keep you updated, as the project builds speed. Interviews start this evening.
Please make checks payable to Cuttie-thon Foundation, 606 S. Main St., Buffalo, WY 82834. Just make a note of how many bags of coffee you want, and we’ll fire ’em off to you.
Mojo pointing a Snake River Cutthroat I caught after about 24 hours of fishing. The rod is a Matt Schliske creation: http://www.bamboo-fisher.com, he donated for my use last year on the Greys. It was a great rod that went all 26.5 miles for 33 1/2 hours, and caught more fish than any other rod on the river!
The 2009 Cuttie-thon route. ÂI finished the 5th annual Cuttie-thon on Aug. 13th, finishing the 26.5 mile course in a record time a bit more than 28 hours of fishing! My younger brother Robert and a buddy of his completed the event with me. We had a good time–considering we were exhausted. We finished filming for the documentary, which should be rough-edited in about a month. That was interesting to fish while on camera and do interviews. Don’t worry, I lied about the flies I used. We did do a little Q&A on the wonders of bamboo rods and why I make/fish ’em. That should be pretty cool. I ended up landing 26 fishies, 21 of which were Snake River Cutts., and the others were also native fish, but a bit whiter…. I fished the rod I’ve been working on to throw big flies/streamers, and my brother fished the Dickerson variation I made him for Christmas. That was pretty cool. Thanks for your support. It was a great event and will continue to build cfs, to a raging torrent of fishing craziness.
Below are some pics. from the event–note the shots with my new underwater camera!
A decent Snake River Cuttie late in the first day of the Cuttie-thon.
My biggest SRC, 16 1/2″, next to my newest creation, an 8′ 8″, 6 wt, hollow-built, big-bug tosser!Some underwater goodness…
Alex, Robert’s friend, fishing a log-jam on the Greys.
Robert, walking toward the finish line–only about 18 miles upstream from this point!
Robert and Ariell changing directions after running right in to (within a rod’s length) a cow moose and her calf! You can see
the cow in the left hand side of the picture. We re-routed and manage to make it upstream
without incident. Â…At any rate, I beat the hell out of gear during this event. It’s a good test to see how things work. Waders need to fit perfectly, gear needs to work perfectly, boots need to grip the frickin’ rocks, I need to tie better knots, etc… 😉 I do like a good pack. Some friends just used Osprey packs, and they liked ’em quite a bit. You can always just put a couple spools of tippet and a small box of flies in yer pocket. That with a lanyard should keep one from having to remove a pack too much. Water bladders sure help, however.
William Joseph, Exodus pack. I fished with this pack on for a 26.5 mile fly-fishing marathon for about 28 hours. Just need to take it off to change layers. Boxes, tippet, nippers, pocket knife, etc… all in front pockets. You can also unclip the vest pockets and just use it as a pack. This is my favorite fishing pack so far.
Me and my mutt, after about 22 hours of fishing.…or you can get a custom fiberglass or graphite rod from Sweetgrass for $850. ANY kind of rod you want–with agate stripping guide… http://www.sweetgrassrods.com
My 7′ 11″, 4/5 wt., 4 pc. beauty. I refer to this rod as my “Little Big Rod.” Love it. Made by Sam Drukman (past Scott employee), using his mandrels and blanks he rolled and cut to size.Thanks for the warm welcomes! Cameron: we missed you and Mike this year. Hopefully next year, eh. And unfortunately 😉 Cameron has me thinking about trying the fiberglass rod. I’ve been casting a few of Sam Drukman’s prototypes on his new line of glass, at Sweetgrass. They are pretty sweet.
I just got back from fishing for five days, throughout western Mont, (thanks to my wonderful bosses…), and will report back soon. It was tough fishing, and frickin’ cold and windy most the time, but it was fun, for sure. Thanks again for being so kind ;D.
Zac
