The case for smaller (and fewer) fly boxes.

When the rest of the world zigs, Steve Culton usually zags. Nowhere is this more evident than in my fly fishing (wet flies, anyone?).

When I was researching the Fly Fishing Guide to the Farmington River, I spent a significant amount of time on and off the water with other guides and serious, highly skilled anglers. One thing they all had in common: they carried lots and lots of fly patterns. They also tended to have multiple fly boxes. Even a see-through plastic-lidded nymph box a little larger than a letter-size envelope has room for over a hundred flies, and many of those boxes they carried were filled. What they didn’t carry, they kept in more boxes in their vehicle. Out west, my good friend Pat Dorsey also has a — I think the scientific term is “shit ton” — of fly boxes stuffed with fly patterns. (He may have more midge patterns than I have total flies!) Pat’s one of the best guides on the planet, so he’s doing something right.

One of Joey Takeman’s many nymph boxes. I was impressed by the sheer volume of patterns he carries, and clearly, as a skilled Euro-nympher, he needs more variance in bead weights to match water speed and depth than a drop-shot nymph guy like me. But this cannot be understated: Joey has a system that works, and works very well for him.

There are two points of consequence that must now be stated.

The first is that clearly, these people have a system that works for them. They will likely be prepared for any situation with any number of patterns, variants, sizes, and colors. They believe in their system.

The second is that this approach is not for me (see “Steve Culton zags,” above).

I don’t want to carry that many patterns, let alone tie them. It’s not a matter of brain freeze, or fear of paralysis by analysis. Clearly, I do not suffer in the slightest from FOMO. It’s simply this: I have, over time, curated a selection of high confidence patterns that consistently produce. Yes, I do occasionally add new patterns into the mix. But many of the patterns I use on the Farmington have been in my rotation for decades: the Magic Fly, BHSHPT, and Squirrel and Ginger, just to name a few. I’m in good company. Legendary guide and Catskills trout angler extraordinaire Ed Van Put was famous for using precious few flies over the course of the season, even on highly technical rivers like the Delaware.

I’m a huge fan of this “day’s worth” size box, right, from C&F Design. I have several of them, each filled with seasonal patterns and fly types. This is my early season nymphs and wet flies box. Note the incredible lack of selection, though to be fair, some rows are out of sight. I’ve since migrated the nymphs to a more traditional nymph box, the kind with the see-through cover. I keep that in my pack 24/7, along with a few of these small C&F boxes, to keep me covered for various scenarios. I attach the C&F box to my pack with a Velcro patch; they’re easy to rotate in and out, so I have what I need at my fingertips, and right in front of my face. Photo from the “Fly Fishing Guide to the Farmington River,” coming August 4, 2026.

Use the system that works for you. Because this is true: confidence catches fish.

Seven early season fly fishing strategies

Happy Tuesday. I’m sure we’re all chuffed that it’s April, with winter (despite subfreezing temps tonight) in the rearview mirror. The glorious promise of a new season is spread before us like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Since I haven’t written anything instructional in a while, here are some considerations for April fly fishing in the northeast, submitted for your approval.

A handsome April rainbow, taken on a mini-jig streamer. Run silent, run deep. Photo by Toby Lapinski
  1. Be prepared to go deep. The water is still plenty cold, and will be even on the warmest, sunniest April day. It may also be high. Which means that unless the trout have a reason to be active surface feeders, dries will be challenging. Your highest percentage plays are going to be dead-drifted nymphs and jig or traditional streamers, dead drifted, swung, or stripped.
  2. The fish aren’t spread out. Generally speaking, the fish aren’t everywhere; rather, they will pod up. So where you catch one, you’ll likely catch another. An exception would be large, alpha wild browns. Look for them in the prime lies at the heads of pools, dump-ins, and even some whitewater.
  3. Pick and choose your dry fly days. Just because it’s warm and sunny doesn’t mean the fish will be feeding on the surface. Rather, look for specific hatches and hatch windows. Hendricksons, caddis, and BWOs will all be hatching and, in the case of the mayflies, spinning and falling. If you must prospect with a dry, a nymph or wet fly dropper is almost never a bad idea this time of year. Of course, if there is hatch and feeding activity, rock on.
  4. Don’t poo-poo junk flies. High water, off-color water, stupid stockers — these are all compelling reasons to fish Squirmy Works, Mops, and other ghastly creations.
  5. Be (ware/aware) of shadow hatches. I write about this in greater detail in the book. Just because the Hendrickson are hatching doesn’t mean that the trout are eating Hendricksons. Know everything that is likely to be a food source and you’ll catch more fish.
  6. Be courteous to other anglers. It can get crowded out there. Try to share the water when possible. Ask if you can fish near someone. Good fishing karma comes to those who are polite. And in a matter of weeks, the crowds will begin to thin out.
  7. May comes next. Another topic that’s covered in the book. You think it’s going to be high 70s and sunny, and all too often it’s 50s and cloudy and windy. May is caddis month. So get those boxes filled on your April off days.

Is this a great time of year to be a fly fisher, or what?

Here I am: book stuff, fishing stuff, schedule stuff…

A little random potpourri day on currentseams. I had written a post similar to this one, which was supposed to go live on Tuesday, but somehow WordPress ate my draft (don’t you just love when technology fails?). So here we are.

I received about two dozen requests for personalized copies of the book through me, and that’s enough for me to proceed. My next steps are to figure out how much all this will cost me (mailers, postage — probably media mail) so I can then pass the cost along to you. (How’s that for transparent business practice?) I’m hoping to have that information out by the end of the month, and if you want a signed copy from me, you still have plenty of time to let me know. I won’t ask for money until I get all those ducks in a row, and hopefully I can get books out to you before the official release day of August 4.

Fishing time has been scarce for me this spring, especially on the striper front. I didn’t go once from January through March. Normally, I’d go at least once a month in January and February. But every time I had a time and tide window, it was either sub-freezing cold front misery or a disgustingly high water. I’m really looking forward to being able to swing some flatwings in April. If the elements allow!

March can be a productive big-bass-on-the-fly-from-shore window. Not this year. At least, not for me.

On our local trout waters, it’s a tricky time of year. You basically have two options: targeting stocked trout or targeting wild and holdover trout. I must confess that playing the stocker game is fun for a while; however, I have a limited interest for that. Wild or stocked, the trout will tend to remain stacked up this time of year, even though it’s beginning to warm up and we’re seeing more bug activity. They’ll begin to spread out sometime in April. Bug-wise, think little dark stone flies and midges and caddis, which are plentiful food supplies. Of course, the Hendricksons will be the first big glamour hatch of the year, starting on the lower Farmington in about two weeks. But after last year‘s disappointing showing, that hatch remains a big question mark. We shall see.

Mrs. H, missing the middle fork of her tail.

I did get out to a small stream last week after the rains, but the water was high and cold. There were no bugs and the air temp in the 30s didn’t help. I went out this week in much warmer temperatures and a little bit lower water, and what a difference a week made. But I’ll give you more on that in a post next week.

As a newly minted member of the Regal Vise Pro-Staff, I’m working on a wet fly piece for their website (which is currently under reconstruction). I have no idea when it will post but I’ll let you know. Also look for a future blog post for me on the J. Stockard website, where I’m also a Pro Tyer.

Finally, many thanks to the Yale Fishing Club for hosting me on Tuesday night. It’s always a good time, and I’m a sucker for New Haven style pizza — well done, group! They’re going to fish the Salmon River in New York in a couple weeks, so we tied up some Blood Dot eggs which will serve them well.

Farmington River book news: August 4 it is, pre-orders, and who wants to buy a signed copy directly from me?

The Fly Fishing Guide to the Farmington River is getting closer. I had my first conversation yesterday with my book publicist. (I’m going to let the fact that I have a book publicist go to my head for about 15 seconds — it feels good — and now I can get over it and move along.) We have a lot to talk about.

As was foretold by fearless forecaster Chuck G., the official release date is Tuesday, August 4. That’s about 4 months of wait time. If we keep busy fishing this spring and summer, it’ll be here before we know it.

There will be multiple ways for you to get a copy. The first is to pre-order from your favorite bookseller. (The publisher encourages pre-orders.) You can also inquire at your favorite fly shop to make sure they’re aware of the book release. I will be reaching out to several popular fly shops in the state to set up book signing/promo events. (Naturally, I’ll tell you about those here and on social media as they come to fruition.) If you attend the Fly Fishing Shows in Marlborough, Edison, and Lancaster, the book store at those shows will certainly be selling copies. If you’re taking a lesson from me, or having me speak at your club, I’ll try to always have a few copies with me.

Then, there’s this way, which is beginning to roughly take shape: get a copy directly from me, which I will personalize and sign and ship to you. The cost is TBD; the cover price is $39.95, plus I’ll have to add on shipping/materials cost. While I’m researching that, if you’re interested in going this route, please do this: Send me an email or reply to this thread saying that you’re planning on getting a personalized copy from me. I need to gauge the interest before I commit to this. Also, please note, if this happens, it will be a one-time situation deal. I have no desire to be an online merchant. Payment will likely be by cash, check, or P2P payment app like Venmo or PayPal. There may be a chance that I can get these copies out before the official release date, but don’t quote me on that. Sorry, no international orders — way too hard.

It’s all tremendously exciting. And I thank everyone for your patience and interest and readership.

The new official release date for the Farmington River book is…

August 2026. I know we were all hoping for June, but it is what it is. Believe me, I’m ready to have the Fly Fishing Guide to the Farmington River out right now, but I don’t get to make these decisions. So we’ll all have to be patient.

I do have a call scheduled tomorrow with the publicist, and if I learn anything new I will pass it on post haste. I’m still working on how to make a limited number of copies available on currentseams — the idea being to get you a personalized, signed copy of the book. I need to work out the numbers and then gauge interest. That’s all I have to share right now, other than Tom Petty being right (I you know, you know.)

I don’t know if it will be August 1, but I’ll try to find out tomorrow. Good thing we’ll have four months of prime fishing between now and then to keep us busy!

Thank you Cape Cod Flyrodders, an Instagram special, and news next week on the Farmington River book

A hale and heart thank you to the Cape Cod Flyrodders, who hosted me last night at their March Meeting. I was warmly greeted and treated to a ~most excellent~ meal at the Yarmouth House. (It’s always a pleasure to speak to a group that understands that a fed presenter is a happy presenter.) My Old-Fashioned Lobster Stuffed Sole was delicious, and washed down with a pint of Fiddlehead IPA. The talk, the OG “The Little Things” was similarly enjoyable — this is a dedicated, passionate group of anglers, and we had an engaging Q&A session afterward. I was also gifted some flies and a unique horseshoe crab bodkin, which was generous and also very much appreciated. I had fun. They had fun. Gentlemen, I say again: thank you very much!

Several of the group decided to follow me on Instagram — @stevecultonflyfishing — and that means that today, they get to see a Steve Culton Instagram exclusive, the Gummy Crane fly. I almost always post unique content on Instagram, like this fly pattern, so if you’re not already following me there, hop to it and you won’t miss out.

Finally, the teaser: I will have some better information for you next week on the publishing date for The Fly Fishing Guide to the Farmington River. So stay tuned!

Is it soup yet? Not quite. But it’s coming.

Lancaster Redux and no fishing today.

I should be out on the river today with two clients, but I could tell yesterday from the rising gauge heights and the rain yet to come, we’d be cancelling. So here we are today at currentseams.com headquarters. Aside from high water, I’m sure this cold front and wind isn’t doing the bite any favors. We’re looking at almost 1,800cfs in the PTMA. It feels really good not to be second guessing my decision.

Back from Lancaster, and it’s bittersweet now that show season is officially over for me. I still have three talks this spring — one this week at the Cape Cod Flyrodders — but I never realized how much I love doing the Fly Fishing Show until I thought about this being the last blast until IFTS in November. I’d never done the Lancaster Show before this year. Here’s what I can tell you. It has a very chill, comforting vibe. The people are pleasant and inquisitive and enthusiastic. It’s a small show, which adds to its charm. I can’t wait to do it again.

Saturday was typical busy for me at the FFS, with two talks and a class. The wild card this weekend was that my wife was with me. She planned to golf while I was doing my thing. At 10am Saturday, I made my way up from my tying table to the seminar room. That’s when I discovered that my laptop was missing. Rut-roh. It’s in the Jeep! Fortunately, I had the talk on a thumb drive, was able to borrow a laptop (thanks, Emily!) and get it configured with the projector (thanks, Frank!) and start just about on time. I can’t thank the show staff enough for coming to my rescue. I didn’t know what to expect, but I drew a great crowd for my 10:30am Modern Wet Fly Strategies talk. The post-talk Q&A was likewise excellent. Meantime, my wonderful wife came back to the show to drop off my laptop, which I had in time for my noon Farmington River talk. Another strong showing, so, as they say during a rock concert, “Thank you, Lancaster!”
Sunday was far more relaxed; I had only my tying table (a FFS first for me) and another noon Farmington talk. I took the time to put my money where my mouth is when it comes to learning. I had Lou DiGena show me how to tie his wonderful crayfish jig pattern, the CE (Close Enough) Crayfish. I had Fritz Miller demonstrate how he ties in bucktail to form a thin, veiled collar (Fritz also sells some exceptional bucktail). I asked Bart Lombardo about tying small poppers for smallmouth. The Fly Fishing Show remains a tremendous opportunity to watch and talk and ask questions and learn from the best.

And then, it was over. Thank you to everyone who stopped by to chat about wet flies. Thank you to the girl who was so excited to see a Snipe and Purple that she was jumping up and down (you made my weekend!). Thank you to Fritz Miller and Alan Rupp for being such swell tablemates. Thank you Heather Purvis for the fly. Thank you for the opportunity to talk and teach and share the wonderful sport of fly fishing. See you at the IFTS in November.

Steve Culton Lancaster Fly Fishing Show Schedule and class space still available!

Come one, come all to my debut appearance at the Lancaster, PA, Fly Fishing Show. I’m really looking forward to this, and as usual, I have a fairly tight schedule on Saturday, March 14. It starts with my 10:30am Seminar in the Release Room, Modern Wet Fly Strategies. At noon, I’m in Destination Theater Room E, presenting The Farmington River. And from 2:00pm-4:30pm, it’s Classes With The Experts: Tying & Fishing Wet Flies with Steve Culton. These classes are a tremendous opportunity to learn in a very favorable student:teacher ratio environment. Click HERE for more info or to register.

Sunday gives me a wee bit more breathing room. At 12 noon, I’m Destination Theater Room D, The Farmington River. And at this show, I’m be doing something I’ve never done at any Fly Fishing Show: tying at table on the main show floor. You’ll find me there both days when I’m not talking. Please come say hello!

Here’s a PDF of the above image:

Farmington River Report 3/9/26: “These two guys walk into a river….and nothing happens.”

It seems ridiculous to say — especially since I wrote the book — but yesterday was my first day in 2026 fishing the Farmington River. I was going to go last Friday, but I deemed it too cold, and decided to wait for more clement conditions. Turns out, the giddy sun and warmth had zero impact on the catching.

We (Farmington River guide Steve Hogan and I) decided to fish above Riverton based on two factors: the water would be warmest there (we took two readings and got 38.5 and 44(!) degrees), and it would be lowest and clearest due to it being above the Still River. As you can imagine, the false late spring weather drew crowds of anglers; I can’t remember the last time the Riverton town lot next to the bridge was jammed so full of vehicles. Nymphing was the game, and we hit multiple pockets and runs between the dam and the town. Parking wasn’t easy as there was still a substantial amount of snow lining Hogback Road.

I told Hogan that I grade myself when I’m fishing and not catching, and I gave me a B+/A-. I do this because If I’m not catching, I want to make sure that it’s not because I’m committing some fundamental error or missing strikes. Folks, I was on the bottom all day and I no longer have the flies to prove it. I dredged up several nice sticks. We saw midges and olives and couple other un-IDed bugs. What we didn’t see was a fish caught. Not us. Not anyone. But, better fishing is coming. A lot happens this month. We’re just three weeks away from April!

Early March is one of the toughest windows to fish on the Farmington. We gave it about 3 hours, then called it a day, which, given the sunshine and warmth and cigars, was not bad at all despite not having even a courtesy tap.

Erie Tribs Steelhead report 2/25: “Please sir, I want some more…”

I don’t mean to sound greedy. But after potting 23 steelhead and breaking 300 on Tuesday, all I could think about was landing more.

Fair enough, but things don’t always work out the way you hope they would. How many times have you planned a fishing trip, only to see Mother Nature and the elements conspire to crush your dreams with cruel indifference? We were supposed to get 3-5 inched of snow overnight, which would mean slush-filled creeks for most of the morning. And with temperatures predicted in the upper 30s/low 40s, melting would follow, then runoff. I didn’t have a good feeling.

But forecasts change, weather people are notoriously often not right, and we got only an inch of snow, if that. We were so optimistic, we started the day an hour earlier than yesterday. There was a little slush in the system, but far less than the day before, and it was all gone within an hour. Best of all: no one was out fishing. We saw three other anglers all day, and then only for a couple hours. That meant I could bounce around the creek and fish wherever my little heart desired. (My phone later told me that I’d walked and waded nearly 3 miles).

The suckers are in! Or singular, if you like, as this was the only one I found over two days. It was a little early to be matching the hatch with sucker spawn or Crystal Meths, although the patterns absolutely work any time during the season.
Despite the lamprey scar, a breathtakingly beautiful fish. The water was still barely above freezing, but on this day the steelhead had a lot more fight in them. We worked upstream, targeting likely holding areas, concentrating on the ones that held fish and presenting flies until the bite stopped. I went from one landed to a half dozen, and then a dozen by about 1pm. It was already a fantastic day.
One tank of a hen steelhead. While there were several good battles, I had three over the course of the day that truly tested my landing skills. I really wanted to land this fish, as she kept bulldogging me and running and refusing to come civilly. By early afternoon, a front began moving through; it got gusty and noticeably colder, and while it didn’t shut down the bite, it definitely tapped the brakes. The water began to take on color. And then, there were no more eats. It was time for lunch and another section of river.
As you can see, the final section of river had a tea-with-a-few-drops-of-milk opacity. My batting average was not the best in this last mark, as I went 2-for-5. But I have no right to kvetch. The hump day total was 17 steelhead in the hoop, giving me 40 for the two-day trip. Did this really happen? Wasn’t I trapped by hundreds of feet of deep, wet snow a few days before? Weren’t conditions supposed to be entirely unfavorable? This is the argument for, “You don’t know if you don’t go” — and this is steelhead number 322.

Onward to 400.