This is shaping up to be a very busy early 2026! But we like that. As you can see, January is mostly filled; even though there are theoretical dates available, I’m not taking any guide trips from now through January 26 (unless we’re already booked, in which case we’re good to go!), although I could potentially do a Zoom presentation.
So, if you’re the person in charge of arranging speakers for your group, have presentations, will travel (within reason). Or, if we’re geographically undesirable, that’s why they have Zoom. You can find my current presentation menu here. If you’re itching to get out on the water, we can make that happen after January 26.
I’ll have more details as the list fills in, as well as book release updates. I’m hoping for a strong turnout from currentseams readers at the Fly Fishing Shows, so make sure you come say hello.
Admit it: you saw this one coming a mile away. If so, pat yourself on the back, and treat yourself to a New Year’s toast. If you missed with your guess, there’s always next year (now only 365 days away)…
#1: Finishing the Fly Fishing Guide to the Farmington River. I have to admit that while I knew this book would be a lot of work, I didn’t know it would be as much work as it was. Part of it was that I thought I had finished half of it back November 2024. The reality was, instead of over 50% of the manuscript, it was only around 40% of what eventually became over 100,000 words. Then, I needed more photos. I finallyfinished it in June this year. And technically, I’m not quite done — I’m still waiting for final page proofs for final approval before it all goes back to the publisher during the first week of January.
And then…it’s off to the printers and hurry up and wait. As of this writing, I still think we’re publishing June 1. I’ll let you know as the drop date draws near. I’ll also let you know if I’m going to be doing a pre-sale here. Again, tbd. Looking back, I’m immensely pleased by what I’ve written, and I think you will be, too. And of course, there’s one more big question to be answered: What’s my second book going to be about?
While this cover follows the Stackpole “Fly Fishing Guide To” format, I do like it. Bob Lindquist took the hero shot, and that’s Joey Takeman’s box on the lower left.
Much of what’s on this list involves personal achievement. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that. But what about actual fishing? Because of the book, I did less fishing this year than in recent memory — especially striper fishing, which was limited to less than a dozen outings(!). However, I did get in a good number of guide trips (thanks again if you were one of the anglers I took out this year) and I madeup for some lost time during the summer months. Which brings us to #5…
#5: Reconnecting and Fishing with Old Friend and Mentor Mark Bieber. This was a late summer bass trip, and one that, looking back, made me wish I’d done it years sooner. We fished the pond at Winding Trails in Farmington from a canoe, Mark with spinning gear and me with the long rod. Largemouth bass were the target, and we both scored multiple fish. So what if they were smaller than an average Farmington River trout? Fishing with a dear friend who had a major positive impact on your life is time well-spent, fish count and size be damned. And if there’s a cigar in the bargain? That’s really a win! We’re already planning on going next spring.
Bass are truly under-rated and under-fished with the fly rod. This ambitious junior bucketmouth ate a Soft Daddy Crayfish.
#4: Pecking Away at Steelhead. I managed three steelhead trips this fall. When I was chained to my keyboard, I kept picturing indicators dropping and reveling in the knowledge that I would be fishing soon for these prized piscines. The first trip was to Erie, where low water and a dismal fall run kept the numbers down, and the relishing of each fish landed sky high. Trip two was to Pulaski, where there were plenty of fish, but — as always — an abundance of anglers. My batting average in the first day stunk; it was much better on the second day, but I only had three touches all day. Finally, our December trip was a bust of sorts: a 2-hour window of decent conditions, then it went south fast, culminating in a cancellation of the second day. So, the quest for 300 goes on. If you’re keeping score at home, I’ve now landed 288 steelhead.
The December trip wasn’t all bad. Here’s Gordo with his first steelhead ever on the fly rod. Proud papa!
#3: Being Named to the Regal Vise Pro-Staff. This is something I’ve been wanting for a long time. It finally became official at the 2025 IFTS. I’m going to do my best to be a swell brand ambassador, and you can see me and my Regal vise in action at the Fly Fishing Shows in Marlborough, Edison, and Lancaster this winter.
No photo/bio yet. But trust me, I’m there.
#2: First Time Fly Fishing Montana & Idaho. The bad news was that we went during one of the worst times to fish. The good news was that I got to fish four days in Montana and Idaho. We did a family drift boat trip on the Kootenai one day, and I drifted solo (with a guide) the second. It was a trip of firsts, not only location-wise, but with five new species: native redband rainbow, cutthroat, cuttbow, whitefish, and pike minnow. I did some lake fishing solo, and then we floated the Madison as a family. Gadzooks! I still haven’t written about the second half of the trip. Let’s get that on the to-do list right quick.
Cuttbows sure are pretty things. I have no idea how many fish I landed on the second day. I took them on top dry, on nymphs, and swinging wets. Spectacular action, and all of them wild fish.
I normally do my yearly “Best Of” wrap-up in four segments of 3-3-3-1, but since we’re running out of days, we’ll do it in three. And away we go!
#10: Fly Fishing Shows and IFTS. I remember going to the Fly Shing Show in Marlborough many, many years ago, and thinking, “the next time I come to this show, I’m going to be a presenter.” It took a few years for me to get there, but since then I’ve never looked back. Presenting to an audience and teaching fly fishing still gives me a jolt of energy and pure enjoyment. Whether you’re a speaker or listening in, there’s no better place to ask questions and learn. November’s IFTS unofficially kicked off the 2026 show season, which is nearly upon us. I’ll be doing three days in Marlborough, three days in Edison, and, for the first time, the Lancaster PA show in March.
Thank you, everyone, who came to see me speak, watch me tie, or take a class. See you next month!
#9: Farmington River Book Research and Photos. As you can imagine, writing a guide book is a lot of work. And since I do nothing that I’m passionate about halfway, this was a lot a lot of work. But, it was a labor of love. And I learned so much about the river! In fact, I was surprised to discover how much I didn’t know. I got to interview dozens of fascinating, knowledgable people, hang out with them and watch them fish, take photos, and soak it all in. I can now say that I have walked, waded, and/or fished the entire 22 miles of river from the base of Hogback Dam to the steel bridge in Unionville — and then miles more below. I don’t know many people who can make that claim.
Matthew Vinick took all the drone pictures in the book. There’s some really good stuff!
#8: Another Year Being Featured in On The Water‘s Guide Flies. I’m not sure how long I’ve been doing this, but every year I play, and every year, it’s still a gas to see my name in print next to a fly I tied.
My advice for when you fish the 2025 pattern, the Iso Soft Hackle, is: hold on to your rod.
#7: Being Named Again to the Feedspot Top 40 Fly Tying Blogs. My ranking of #17 isn’t really what this is all about; rather, it’s the company Currentseams keeps. AvidMax. Fly Tyer. MidCurrent. Gink and Gasoline. Orvis. Just to name a few. These are all quality sites, worthy of your attention, and I’m honored to be included along with them. Here’s fun project for you to tie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZFZQTmJmEs
#6: Alan and Steve’s Excellent Albie Adventure. We’ve been planning to do this for years, but finally saltwater angler extraordinaire Alan Caolo and I were able to spend a morning in Rhode Island chasing funny fish. Or, rather, waiting for them to come to us. Pickings were slim, but a splendid time was had by all, and Alan is an excellent teacher and an all-around swell guy. You can read all about it here.
It’s hard for me to grasp the concept that 2025 is almost over. Hopefully, you had an excellent year and caught plenty of fish, particularly that lunker, or that one that wouldn’t eat, but finally did. Your readership and interest in currentseams — and especially the book — is a truly wonderful gift. So: thank you! I’m hoping to put together my traditional best of the year review, starting later this week. Show season is coming fast, so stay tuned for a list of my appearances. In the meantime, festive family fun, food, and wine is calling. Joy to the world!
It’s been unusually cold this December in western PA. So much so that many of the steelhead tribs have been locked with ice. But mid-last week, there was a warming trend that offered both remedy and disaster. We (Number 3 Son Gordo) were scheduled to fish both Thursday and Friday. When we arrived on Elk Creek Thursday morning, conditions were as good as they’d been in a while: some ice, some color in the water, but very fishable lanes. As the temperature soared into the 50s, conditions deteriorated rapidly. First came the ice chunks — hundreds of them, in a seemingly endless string — floating down the cafeteria line, destroying any chance to make a drift. Next was the color: a light stain that morphed into a heavier stain, and finally an opaque mess the color of tea and milk. And of course, all this runoff was cold, making the water temp a feeding-unfriendly 32.5 degrees. Oh. I forgot the wind. 10-20mph, with 30+mph gusts. Sound like fun? This was about as challenging as winter steelheading gets.
Gordo’s first steelhead on the fly! Gordo’s been steelheading for ten years, but it’s all been float fishing with a spinning rod on Ontario tribs. The wind made casting a challenge — even I struggled mightily at times — but Gordo was able to get his fly where the fish were feeding. This buck came in some faster water at the head of a dump-in. As the water colored up, the fish began to move into softer water farther down in the pool.While I was amusing myself with a pod of fish downstream, Gordo was getting the hang of fly fishing Erie tribs in sub-optimal conditions. He ended up with five on the day, which is excellent given the wind and water, and a pretty good day, period. You can see the infernal ice chunks we were dealing with. They would suddenly materialize, and you had to wait for them to pass before you could resume fishing.Can’t let Gordo have all the fun, can we? By noon, conditions were bad enough to make the bite non-existent. So we made the command decision to head way upstream in search of cleaner water. We found it, but it only lasted an hour. Before it turned, I managed a spirited buck in a swift, undulating slot hard against a shale wall. I dropped one more, then fouled one, which I don’t count as a landed fish. If you’re keeping score at home, six in the hoop brings my grand total to 288 steelhead landed. So close! Continued warming and heavy overnight rains turned the creeks into raging torrents of chocolate milk, so we had to cancel Friday. It was frustrating to miss a day’s fishing, but I’m grateful that we got a day in.
Tuesday greetings from the Currentseams world headquarters. The show season is upon us, and I have a partial schedule for the Edison, NJ Fly Fishing Show, which happens January 23-25. If you’ve never been, this is the biggest fly fishing show in the world: vendors, tiers, outfitters, guides, world class fly fishers, and instruction. Not to be missed!
Friday, January 23: Seminar, Catch Room, 10:15am: Beyond Cast and Strip — Presentation Flies for Striped Bass
Saturday, January 24: Seminar, Strike Room, 9:45am : Modern Wet Fly Strategies; and Class, 2pm-4:30pm: Beyond Cast and Strip — Presentation Flies for Striped Bass
Sunday, January 25: Class, 8:30am-11am: Tying and Fishing Wet Flies
Classes are a terrific way to get more personalized instruction without the cost of a guide trip. It’s the next best thing to being on the water!
I don’t have my Destination Theater schedule yet, but when it comes in, I’ll certainly share it here. All seminars and Destination Theater talks are included in your admission ticket. You must pre-register for classes, and you can do that here.
Part memoir, part how-to, Ed Van Put’s A Flyfisher’s Revelations: Practical Tips, Strategies, and Wisdom From 50 Years Experience from Skyhorse Publishing. print ISBN: 978-1-5107-8333-1, is absolutely essential reading for any serious trout angler. I loved this book. I’d only heard about Ed after he passed away a year ago, so the name carried no particular weight. That’s a pity, because this is a man I would have like to have sat down with for a chat or an interview — or even better, spent some time together on a river.
If you want to be one of the 10% of the anglers who catch 90% of the fish, Ed’s book is an excellent place to start.
Your permission to believe me comes in the form of a back-cover blurb, where Lee Wulff calls Ed, “one of the best trout fisherman I know.” Once you dive in, you quickly glean that Lee is spot-on. While one of Ed’s claims-to-fame is that he valued presentation over fly selection (he’s known for using very few different patterns on the river, and clams that 70% of his dry fly hookups came from on an Adams), there are plenty of fly patterns pictured, and recipes, in the book. That’s of particular interest to a fly tying nerd like me.
This book works for both beginning and advanced anglers alike. I’m always thrilled when someone who I perceive to be a better angler than me talk about concepts and tactics that I myself teach. Rookie anglers will be able to grasp the over-arching principles without getting bogged down in minutia. I also liked that he starts every chapter with a meaningful quote from another angler. My copy is filled with highlighted sections for future reference.
Now, I’ve gotta go through it all again. There’s more fish to be caught!
Yup, it’s that time of year. Mark your calendars! New England’s edition of the Fly Fishing Show takes place Friday, January 16 through Sunday, January 18 at the Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center in Marlborough, MA. I’ll be there along with some of the biggest names in fly fishing today: Tim Flagler, Mac Brown, Jeff Currier, Phil Rowley, Alan Caolo, Landon Mayer, Joe Cordeiro — just to name a few. I’m still waiting on my Destination Theater schedule — there will be a Farmington River book talk for sure — but here’s what I know so far:
Friday, January 16, 2:30pm: Featured Tier, “Subsurface Caddis Lifestages” and 4:30pm Seminar, “Wet Flies 101.”
Saturday, January 17, 10:00am: Featured Tier, “North Country Spiders” and 11:30am Seminar “Finding Small Stream Nirvana” and 2pm Class, “Beyond Cast and Strip.”
I’m not sure what I’m saying, but clearly there was an important point to be made. Currentseamsers usually make a strong showing, and I’m expecting no less for this show.
Destination Theater, Featured Tier, and Seminars are all included with your admission. There’s a fee for classes, and you must pre-register. (Hint: Classes are a tremendous opportunity to learn, ask questions, and dramatically improve your game.)
I’ll be talking more about the Marlborough Show in upcoming posts, and providing more details on each of my events. Save the dates, plan on coming, and of course please say hello. See you there!
I’ve gotten to the point in my steelheading journey where I’m confident that if I get a good hookset, I have a better than 50-50 chance of landing the fish. Of course, steelhead behavior and flows being dynamic X-factors, it doesn’t alway work out that way. But you do your best and take what the river gives you.
In recent years, I’ve felt a sense of something between dread and lingering malaise with my trips up to Pulaski. Maybe it’s because the river isn’t particularly beautiful. (Wait until you’ve seen what they’ve done to the river from Altmar to Pineville. I can’t say that it’s an improvement.) Maybe it’s because the town itself can be a wee bit depressing. Maybe it’s the constant crowds and the resulting pressure. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but whatever. This year felt different. I was very much looking forward to fishing with old guide friend Row Jimmy and tussling with some Lake Ontario brawlers. Let’s do it!
Conditions were just about perfect: dam release of 750cfs, 39 degree water, air temps above freezing with no precipitation. We fished the upper river on the first day, not far from the Altmar launch. There were steelhead in the immediate vicinity, but most of them were in front of other boats. We pecked away with egg patterns, but I dropped the first four I hooked. That had me flummoxed and moderately concerned.
Ta-dah! Fifth time was the charm. I’m continuously mystified by fish that get off vs. fish that get into the hoop, as I’m doing nothing differently between the two. Stick that fish, let them run when they want, keep the rod cork pointed upstream, don’t let ’em breathe…why do some fish become unbuttoned and others not? Mysteries to contemplate over a cigar and single malt.
We finally got to slug it out with a pile of fish after a couple boats left. By this time, I was throwing the old favorite 60-Second Redhead, and the hits just kept on coming. However, the conversion ratio still stunk. I ended up going 2-for-11 on the day with one foul (I don’t count fouled fish as landed). Most of the fish came off well into the fight, and I suspect it was a combination of pressure from me and current…and maybe hook size? To be discussed further at another time…after I get over my terrible .181 batting average.
One that didn’t get away.
Day two was a bit of a curveball. Jim had to cancel due to an appointment that couldn’t be missed, so I did something I’ve never done before: floated the river with a different guide. Jason Julien proved to be most excellent. We returned to the scene of yesterday’s bonanza, but the action across the length of the pool was a shade of what it was a day before. The good news was that I stuck and landed the first two fish I touched. We hooked one more and lost it right as it was about to be netted, so It was hard to get upset about that. (If you’ve never fished from a drift boat, steelhead are far more difficult to land because you can’t get them out of the current and into softer water.) And 2/3 reads a lot better in a box score.
I’ll take two of those. After a couple hours of not-a-touch, I informed Jay that sometimes the key to hooking up is a cigar. Out Lady of Blessed Gispert Churchill came through. For those of you keeping score at home, we’re now at 282 steelhead landed.
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