Monthly Archives: January 2025

CFFA tomorrow, Edison wrap-up, back to the Book

A reminder that tomorrow, Saturday, February 1, is the CFFA Expo at Nomad’s in South Windsor, 9am-3pm. I’ll be on Tier’s Row, and speaking at 1:30pm on Fly Fishing CT’s Small Streams. See you there!

Edison Fly Fishing Show redux: Another fantastic show. Of all the shows I do, this one’s my favorite. Both my talks, Finding Small Stream Nirvana, and Wet Flies 101, were very well attended — if you saw me speak, thanks for coming. Thanks also to everyone who took my classes — you were an enthusiastic, attentive group. And if you snagged me on the show floor while I was running to another gig, my apologies for having to take off so quickly. I bought some Renomed scissors and some wet fly capes I needed. Good stuff.

You probably know this guy. The Fly Fishing Show remains one of the best opportunities for you to meet and speak with and learn from some of the best, most knowledgeable fly fishers in the world.
Wu’s Shanghai Dumpling in Edison. It’s what’s for dinner. Every year, I look forward to getting my spicy pork dumpling and spicy pork Udon fix. Authentic and delicious!
Speaking of Tom Rosenbauer, you should listen to his Orvis podcast with my buddy Josh Miller. Josh is a fairly new friend, and what I’ve learned so far is that he’s an incredibly pleasant, very fishy guy who knows a ton about fly fishing. Aside from speaking and tying and teaching, my favorite part of the show is making new friends and seeing old ones. I got to know a bunch of my fellow “Celebrities” this year that I really hadn’t spent any time with before, and it made for some already fond memories.

Last but not least, the Christmas/New Year hiatus is over. I have resumed work on the Fly Fishing Guide to the Farmington River book –it’s not going to write itself — and that means I’ll be getting back to one or two posts a week while I focus on that project. I appreciate your patience.

DEEP Fisheries looking for your input on fishing the Farmington River

In case you didn’t get the email, DEEP is considering the expansion of the PTMA on the Farmington River. There is no specific timeline for this; rather, it’s information gathering only. Here’s their text and then the survey link:

“The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Fisheries Division is collecting information on a possible expansion of the year-round catch and release section of the West Branch Farmington River Trout Management Area (TMA). No immediate plans to expand catch and release regulations are in place as this is only an information gathering period. Please take time to answer each question below as your opinion matters, and please also provide comment. These same questions were asked of anglers on the Farmington River as we conducted a yearlong survey from the Goodwin Dam in Barkhamsted down to Route 177 Bridge in Unionville in 2024.

Your participation in this survey is encouraged and appreciated. Thank you!”

Take the Survey

More like this, please.

CFFA Show this Saturday, Feb 1: The Best Little Fly Fishing Show Around

I will be appearing again at the CFFA Fly Fishing Expo, this Saturday, 9am-3pm, at Nomads Adventure Quest in South Windsor, CT. This truly is the best little fly fishing show around: vendors, tiers, speakers, and more. I’ll be on Tier’s Row, and at 1:30pm I’ll be presenting a program on Fly Fishing Connecticut’s Small Streams. Hope to see you there, and please come say hello!

Steve Culton Edison Fly Fishing Show Schedule and Farmington River Frozen

First things first: the Edison Fly Fishing Show starts tomorrow, Friday, January 24. I’m there two days, Friday and Saturday, doing a class and a seminar each day. The seminars are included in the price of your admission, and we have Finding Small Stream Nirvana in the Catch Room on Friday at 10:15am, and Wet Flies 101 in the Strike Room Saturday at 9:45am. I’m teaching classes both days in the afternoon. There’s still room if you want to sign up for Tying and Fishing Wet Flies on Friday and Beyond Cast & Strip: Presentation Flies for Stripers on Saturday. You must register for those classes here.

Here’s a pdf of my show schedule:

Last but not least, I went to the Farmington River yesterday to shoot photos. Due to the Arctic blast we’re experiencing, Church Pool is completely covered with ice, from the bridge down the length of the pool. If you must go fishing, you best bet is from the dam to Riverton. However, once you get just above Riveton, there is shelf ice, so beware. Also, none of the lots or pullouts are plowed, so I wouldn’t attempt to navigate snow drifts unless I had a very reliable 4WD vehicle. Just go to Edison and have a fly fishing blast (and stay warm while you’re doing it).

Snapshots from Marlborough — on to Edison!

A very busy, very fun show last weekend in Marlborough. I bought some stuff, taught some classes, demoed some flies, gave some talks, made some new friends, and reconnected with old ones. Then there was the wine drinking…but let’s get back on topic.

No crappy hotel coffee for this man — especially with Lost Shoe being just a 10-minute drive away. What better way to kick off the show than with a lovely cup of pour-over Peruvian before my first talk? Oh. Lost Shoe also makes beer. So I got some of that, too. It’s waiting patiently in my fridge as I write this.
I had a terrific crowd for my first talk of the show, The Farmington River. With the book coming out — actually still being written, but I like the positive thinking perspective — it’s gratifying to see so much interest in the river, especially from people who have never fished it. I did the same talk on Saturday, and had another strong crowd. Thanks so much for coming!
Tim Flagler as Featured Fly Tier. Tim of course is an exceptional tier, and his tying videos are among the best around. Did I mention he’s also a nice guy?
Local talent Lisa Weiner working on one of her impressive salmon flies. She’s using silk gloves to apply stranded floss. Lisa’s a pro, but you too can try this home.
Jersey boys Lou DiGena and Bart Lombardo on Tyer’s Row. Both of my friends are very talented tiers with some serious technical skills. You can learn a lot just by going to these shows and watching and listening and asking questions. Even though I’m a presenter, I go see other people when I have free time. It’s how you get better.
Ed Engle from Colorado is another good friend. He’s written several books, and I have two of them, Tying Small Flies, and Trout Lessons. Both highly recommended!
What you don’t see here is my morning Destination Theater appearance and my afternoon class. But busy is good! Hot on the heels of my Farmington River talk, I was featured tier for my Farmington River demo…
…where currenseams follower Bill Kindl was kind enough to take this photo. It was an honor to be Featured Tier twice at this show.

And now, we’re off to Edison. I’ll be at the show for two days, Friday and Saturday. I’ll post my schedule before then. See you there. And as always, I truly appreciate your support.

“Farmington River Favorites” Tying Menu from Marlborough Fly Fishing Show 1/18/25

This is the tying menu from my Featured Tier demo at the Marlborough Fly Fishing Show, Saturday, January 18, 2025. PDF format. Thanks for watching!

“Matching the Hatch with Wet Flies” tying menu from Marlborough 1/17/25

This is the tying menu for my Featured Tier presentation at the Marlborough Fly Fishing Show, Friday, January 17, 2025. PDF format. Thanks for watching!

UPDATED: Steve Culton Schedule for the Marlborough Fly Fishing Show, January 17-18-19

A dummy who looks a lot like me posted the wrong time for my Classes With The Experts for striped bass on Sunday. Below is the corrected schedule. See you at the show!

Steve Culton Schedule for the Marlborough Fly Fishing Show, January 17-18-19

Several of you have asked, and here you go! I’ve included a jpeg and a PDF for you to print out. I’m hoping for another strong turnout from Currentseams followers, so please find me and say hello! PLEASE NOTE: I have the wrong time for my Sunday Classes with the Experts. The correct start time is 8:30am.

Edison Fly Fishing Show Classes: Tying & Fishing Wet Flies, Friday January 24; Beyond Cast & Strip: Presentation Flies for Stripers, Saturday January 25.

Right now is a great time to sign up for one or both of my “Classes With The Experts” at the Edison Fly Fishing Show the last weekend in January. This is a great opportunity for you to book some time with me for far less than the cost of a guided trip. Both classes are designed to duplicate a teaching session on the water. Here are some details.

Tying & Fishing Wet Flies. Friday, January 24, 2:00-4:30PM. What you’ll learn: When, where and how to fish wet flies; how to tie classic spiders, soft hackles, winged and wingless wets (I will demo these patterns and discuss materials); leader construction and how to build a team of three wet flies; matching the hatch and fly selection; plus more. Oh yeah, we’re going to have fun!

It’s almost time for Little Brown Stones, and the Sandy Moorgame makes an excellent imitation. You can learn to tie and fish classic North Country Spiders like these, and other wet flies, at my Edison class.

Beyond Cast & Strip: Presentation Flies For Stripers. Saturday, January 25, 8:30-11:00AM. What You’ll Learn: How to catch the stripers that other anglers can’t; why cast-and-strip presentations are ultimately limiting; how to target and catch bigger bass on a consistent basis; how to tie classic New England-style sparse flies like bucktails, soft-hackles, and flatwings (I will demo such patterns and discuss materials); the presentations that bring your fly to the fish; and more! Same deal — we also want to have fun.

Get on target to catch bigger bass from shore on a consistent basis. I’ll tell you how I do it when you take my class in Edison!

To register, you have to go to the Edison Fly Fishing Show site here. See you there!