King of the Hole - Small Stream Strategy for Big Cutthroats

I am fortunate enough to have property on one of the bigger tributaries of the St. Joe River in North Idaho, and have been fishing it for over 10 years.  With the main river so close, most anglers don't venture up the tributaries, and I rarely see any one else fishing my stream called Big Creek. To say the least I know it like the back of my hand.

One of my favorite holes on Big Creek

In the years that I have been fishing it I have caught hundreds of West Slope Cutthroats ranging from 2" to the largest at 19.5".  Every year I am able to land nearly a dozen that are 16"+ and I have noticed a clear pattern in the behavior of the bigger fish.

To sum up this pattern, in nearly every 'fishy' looking hole, there are either a bunch of small ones, or one big one.  When I first get to a good looking hole, one of two scenarios usually plays out.  The most typical is that on one of my first casts I will get a strike by a smaller fish, by that I mean a dinker or one up to about 12 inches.  After the release of the first fish I am able to cast back into the pool and catch a couple more before the action dries up.

The other scenario that plays out less often will go like this.  Cast after cast into the hole with no sign of fish.  In the first few years I would scratch my head then move on to the next hole.  However, now after seeing this pattern play out, this is the scenario that gets me the most excited.  You see, after gaining more experience I have realized that nearly every hole will hold fish, and as I said earlier, it is either a bunch of small ones or one big one.  Now big fish don't get big by being stupid.  In order to get the one big one to strike, you need to be patient and perfect.  The right fly, with the right cast and most importantly the right drift.

Now when I go into a fishy looking hole and don't immediately catch a small one, my adrenaline goes up and I really start focusing because I know there is a good chance I have found the King of a Hole. I believe when these large fish move into a hole, they either chase the smaller ones out, or dominate the food source so they will leave.  

My strategy when entering a new hole is to start with what has been working, typically a dry in a mayfly or caddisfly pattern.  When I don't get the early small strike, I start looking and thinking about what is going on around me.  I look for the food source of the day, grasshoppers, spruce moths, yellow jackets, ants etc... and try and match that pattern.  If I can't easily identify it, I will start changing flies and throw 10 to 15 casts with each, with the selected fly getting progressively bigger and/or more flashy like stimulators and attractors, but really concentrating on my presentation and drift.  

When this kind of scenario plays out, many times the result will by a strike by a fish that is longer in inches than the creek is wide in feet.  I consider this to be a trophy.

It doesn't always happen, and just like every other fisherman, I don't always connect, but when it does, look out.  An 18 inch cutthroat in a 10 foot wide stream is a hoot.  They only have two ways to run, upstream or down, and many times they will try both.  

My friend Mike, with a 16" cutty caught in the hole behind

When the fish is longer in inches than the creek is wide in feet, I call it a trophy.  This one is a 17 incher out of a 10 foot creek.

I am not sure that this pattern holds true for all small streams, but if you work into a very fishy looking small stream hole and don't get any immediate action, a little patience, focus and luck might land you the best fish of the day.