Eric, is that a searun or a yellow belly? And whats the difference? I always thought the searuns were more chrome colored, and the yellowbellies were the cutts with the vibrant colors and leopard spots that stayed in the river all year long? not tryin to jack this tread, just curious as I've been trying for several summers to land a 22" cutt on the upper part of one of my local rivers. I know big ones exist because i saw one while snorkeling that at first glance I thought was a steelhead. Football shaped and way bigger than 20" with big big spots. I've also heard many stories and seen mounts of bigger ones. I've hooked a few big fish but never got a look them. My biggest to date is 20.5" caught 3 summer ago, it was the most beautiful fish I've ever caught, I'll post a pic when I find it.
MunchR,
It is a sea-run in mid-winter coloration. Caught in Feb., It had likely been in the river since late summer/early fall. As the months progress in the river, the spots become more defined and vibrant. This specimen was approx. 18" and caught from a coastal stream known for it's historically good SRC fishing. Also, the fish was actually quite a bit brighter than it appears in the photo....more 2-toned (dark back/silver sides). It just wouldn't cooperate to rest at the right angle to display that brightness. The poor lighting that day didn't help either. I just had to get a pic of that spot pattern!
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