‘Tis the Season…for Steelhead. (And other musings on rigging for the Erie tribs)

Oct31

I spent a few hours the last few days restocking my steelhead boxes, mostly egg patterns. But I did whip up a batch of White Death Zonkers as well. (What an appropriate name on Halloween!) I also tied a few new patterns, because I like to occasionally experiment with flies and steelhead and conditions. It’s a never-ending project, and while I’ve made huge strides in the last five years toward mastering that fish, steelhead remain wonderfully enigmatic and fickle and subject to the whims and caprices of nature.

First up this year will be the Erie tribs. On that fishery, I use a different leader system than I use in Ontario tribs. I learned it from steelhead guide extraordinaire Bob Packey. The butt of the leader is a 9-foot stepped down taper: 4′ of 20lb., 3′ of 17lb., then 2′ of 12lb., terminating in a power swivel. I use clear Stren nylon for the butt. From there, it’s tippet, typically 6lb. fluorocarbon, 12″-18″ to the first fly (you can fish two flies in PA and OH), then about 16″ of tippet tied from the bend of the top fly, terminating in the point fly. Steelhead fly fishing is one of the few instances where I’ll use fluorocarbon.

**If you don’t have this book, you should.**

Your shot goes on the butt section just above the power swivel. In normal-to-higher flows, the top fly is typically a brass bead head. In low-to-trickle flows, I may not use any weight, and both flies will be unweighted and sparse. I like wingless shot. I struggle with seeing white and certain shades of orange, so my indicator must be bright or fluorescent yellow. Missed takes are missed fish! If I can, I like to use my own yarn indicators. In base flows, conditions dictate that I use one of those foam tab indicators.

The vast majority of hookups come on the point fly, so that’s typically my high-confidence pattern of the moment. Blood Dot Eggs in egg with an apricot supreme dot are a favorite, along with White Death Zonkers if the flows are good. You can see more on “Building a more Erie tribs-Appropriate Fly Box.”

Steelhead fly fishing is one of those endeavors where you can do everything right and still have things go wrong. However, the more things you do right, the more you tend to have success. Confidence catches fish, and having a proven leader system takes rigging guesswork out of the equation. Fish on!

Just over two weeks away: International Fly Tying Symposium, Nov 15 &16

Oct28

If you want to be a rock star, you can’t just hang out with Aerosmith for the weekend. But if you tie flies, and want to get better, here’s your chance to do the equivalent with some of the best tiers in the world. You know a lot of the names: Tim Cammisa; Barry Ord Clarke; Tim Flagler; Cheech Pierce; Jeff Rowley; Son Tao. Those are just six of the dozens of work-class tiers who will be there. There are tying demos, seminars, and tying classes. But in its best, purest form, IFTS lets you walk the show floor and meet and greet and watch and learn and talk with all of these people.

If you want to become a better tier — or just learn a few pro tips — go hang out with my buddies Lou DiGena and Bart Lombardo. They’re two of the nicest, most skilled tyers in the world, and they’ll both be at the IFTS this year.

I’ll be on the show floor tying — please come say hello — and I’m honored to be doing a Seminar and making a Featured Tier appearance. The seminar is Saturday, Nov 15 at 1:45pm — Tying and Fishing Wet Flies. It’s free with your show admission. Sunday Nov 16 at 10:15am, I’m Featured Tier presenting Farmington River Favorites. That’s also part of your admission. I don’t mind telling you that I’ll be giving away some flies to a few random attendees over the weekend, so there’s some more incentive for you to attend.

If you’re not fishing LaFontaine’s Diving Caddis, you’re missing the chance to rack up impressive numbers. I’ll show you how to tie this and other high-confidence patterns at this year’s IFTS!

And did I mention the vendors? Every year I come away from this show with some hard-to-find material (s). Bring a shopping list! Naturally, if you’re there, please come say hello. It’s always gratifying to place faces to names.

Housy Streamer Frustration

Oct24

The Housatonic spiked at about 500cfs yesterday and was running with a light tea stain. Perfect streamer conditions, wouldn’t you say? I would, so I headed out with surfcaster extraordinaire Toby Lapinski, both of us dedicated to the streamer cause.

We started about 12:30pm, in the northern part of the TMA. I was fishing a Black Ghost soft-hackled streamer, and right away I was into a fish, the sharp tug of the strike and head shake sending an electric current of excitement through my body. The joy was short lived. Moments later, whatever was on came off, and this was to be the pattern fro the afternoon. At this first pool, we had ten (seemingly) quality hits between us, with zero conversions. I can’t remember that ever happening while streamer fishing.

**Proof that I do, in fact, know what the hell I’m doing. Same streamer template, hook size, and river, from almost the exact same date 11 years ago.**

I tried to figure it out. Stocked fish that hadn’t quite figured out how to eat a fleeing baitfish? Maybe, but they’ve been in the water for nearly a month. Streamer too large? I’ve been catching Housy trout for decades on a size 6 streamer hook. Dull hook point? Nope. I was all over that. Bad luck? Maybe, but we had well over a dozen hits each with no conversions.

We fished four marks and confirmed trout in three of them, so we never felt like we were wasting our time. I know where these fish live. And, as a famous cyborg once said, “I’ll be back.”

Menhaden action alert, Farmington River book, IFTS, and other fishy goings on

Oct22

The first thing I’d like you to do after reading this opening paragraph is head over the ASGA website and sign their official letter calling for major reductions to the menhaden harvest. It will take you less than five minutes, and it’s an excellent use of your time. Long story short: Atlantic menhaden are a critical bait and ecosystem fish; they’ve been grossly over harvested; that needs to stop now. Please do this, even if you don’t fish for striped bass. We need all the voices we can get.

Galley copy for the Fly Fishing Guide to the Farmington River has been reviewed by yours truly and sent back to the editors. This was simply my review and comments on their edits. I was pleased to discover that the edits weren’t substantial, and book flowed from one subject to another like…a river? There. I’ve made my unfunny joke of the day. Maps were also reviewed, and I really like the artwork. If you don’t know the river, you’ll find them highly useful. Next steps: the whole shebang gets put into page layout, then reviewed. That should happen in November. We’re getting closer!

A successful spawn means more of these. This fish was sampled by DEEP last September during broodstock collection for the Survivor Strain program. If you see a redd and canoodling trout, be like The Beatles and let it be.

Speaking of the Farmington river, the spawn has begun. If you’re fishing, please be on the lookout for redds! They are generally lighter, oval-shaped patches surrounded by dark substrate. Keep a safe distance. And of course, never target spawning fish. That’s just bad form.

A reminder that the International Fly Tying Symposium is November 15-16, now just over two weeks away. I’m doing a wet fly seminar on Saturday and a Farmington River tying demo on Sunday. More on those coming soon.

Let’s give small stream wild fish a break

Oct16

Right now is a good time to not go fishing for wild trout on small streams.

As you already know, most of the state is abnormally dry, and the northwest hills are officially in drought. Don’t let the recent rainfall kid you — our small streams are running at a CFS fraction of what they should be.

While nature finds a way, the stresses of summer heat and trickle flows no doubt took a toll. That alone would justify giving small streams a break. But right now is pre-spawn and spawn time. I ventured out yesterday and was stunned by the severity of the low water. The spawn is a stressful time for fish, exacerbated by the dire conditions of late summer. With so much of the stream bed exposed, wild fish will be challenged to find spawning gravel. I didn’t see any redds yesterday, and it may be that the fish are so stressed, and have so few gravel options, that on many small streams we won’t see a successful spawn this fall.

**Learn how to identify a redd: typically oval in shape, small gravel, lighter in color than surrounding bottom. There may or may not be fish nearby. It goes without saying, never target fish on a redd!**

You don’t have to be a fisheries biologist to reckon that if that is in fact the case, it does not bode well for future wild fish populations.

So here’s how you can help: for the time being, don’t fish small streams. Give the trout a break. Once we get back to normal flows, enjoy — but please be on the lookout for redds and spawning gravel (dime and pea-sized substrate). Most of all, stay out of the stream bed — no wading! — until late March. It’s good for fish. And good for everyone who loves fishing small streams.

Cover reveal for “Fly Fishing Guide to the Farmington River”!!!

Oct6

Is this exciting, or what?!? At least, I’m excited. I hope it meets with your approval, if not favor. I’m continuing to plug away at the copy edit review, so this will likely be my only currentseams post this week. I hope some of you are getting out on the water. And we need rain — let’s see those rain dances!

Farmington last week and now, back to the book

Sep29

I did two lessons last week on the Farmington. On Tuesday, I took Joe on a wet fly excursion. We stuck to the lower river; at 140cfs, it had the most water, and the weather was cool enough that the water temp never got higher than 66 (3pm). The fishing was predictably slow; we found success by moving around (we fished three different marks) and targeting the deepest, fastest-moving water we could get into. Joe was a strong wader, and sometimes that’s the difference between fishing and catching. Trout love to hang out in places that are difficult for land animals like humans to navigate. Joe stuck four and we put three in the hoop. In difficult low-water conditions, that was pretty darned good.

Joe having at it. As you can see, the clarity of the water was excellent, and when the flows are low, that usually works in favor of the fish. But Joe kept at it, was enthusiastic, and figured out where he needed to put his flies to catch fish. Great job, Joe!

Friday was a different story. We had rain Thursday night, which had me all fired up because it would mean higher flows and a little color in the water. While those conditions manifested, the fishing stunk out loud, which depressed me no end. I guided Dan and Sean, and we spent the bulk of our time nymphing. We stuck to water just below the PTMA; our reward was not another angler in sight. Although we bounced around — we fished four different marks — we could only manage two touches. Bah-phooey on those trout. The good news was that both Dan and Sean showed tremendous improvement over the course of four hours. When you actually see clients getting it, and making better casts, presentations, and mends, it’s very gratifying. Both deserved better than what the river gave them, but they’ll hit right in the future and reap the rewards of their lesson.

I’m back on the book, so this will be my only currentseams post this week. The publisher has sent me the galley copy, which is all of their edits in a document, paged format. My job is to read and review and comment. That’s over 300 pages of reading, so I need to hop to it. I’ve only made it through 20 pages, but it’s a happy feeling when you still like what you’ve written so many months ago, and the edits are generally light. AFAIK, The Fly Fishing Guide to the Farmington River is still on track for a June 1 2026 release. Natch’ , I’ll keep you updated with any news as it comes in.

Meanwhile, please do your best rain dance…

Albie and Bonito fishing with Alan Caolo

Sep25

I’ve known who Alan Caolo was for years. But it wasn’t until I started doing the Fly Fishing Show circuit that I got to meet him and get to know him a little. (He’s a swell guy, pleasant company, and he knows his stuff.) For those of you who don’t know who he is, Alan Caolo (pronounced KAY-lo) is an author and instructor and all-round master of many things salt. He’d been wanting me to go shore fishing with him for False Alabacore and Bonito for a few years now. Last year we missed our connection (and I suspect I was hyper-focused on the book). About ten days ago, the planets aligned, and we were able to meet up.

I’d been fishing for these critters once before, a long time ago, when I was just getting into fly fishing, and had no idea what I was doing in the salt. It wasn’t really my bag; I couldn’t quite yet cast well, and the hit-or-miss nature of the fishing didn’t appeal to me (honestly, it still doesn’t). But now I can cast, and I’ve never caught one of these fish. Plus, I’ve got an expert instructor who wants to get me into fish. Giddyup!

Great minds and all that. I was delighted to see that Alan uses the same reel I do, an old Scientific Anglers System 2 8/9. The shooting basket is mine. Note the electrical tape on my rod; it was my backup safety plan due to a bent flange on my reel and a resulting odd fit into the reel seat. The System 2 makes a delightful, distinctive zinging sound when line peels off the drag. Unfortunately, it was not our lot to hear it on that day.

We arrived at the jetty and secured our spot by 7:30am, with fishing commencing around 15 minutes later. If you’ve never fished for these speedsters from shore, there’s a lot of waiting and, if you choose, blind casting. The blind casting isn’t as crazy as it sounds. Twice, I had albies suddenly materialize near my fly where moments before, there was only a vast expanse of water. I had three shots at fish over the course of an about 6 1/2 hours. The first one I blew. I’m stripping my fly, and then in a blink there was a pod of predators hunting it down. I saw the eat, and that was my downfall, as I jerked the hook right out of the fish’s mouth before the transaction could be completed. The albie was on for perhaps one second, and then it was woulda, shoulda, coulda time.

About an hour later, while retrieving my fly (at a very nice pace, my teacher observed) across the breachway mouth, three fish came racing past us, heading out to sea. Collision course. I felt a bump as one swiped at my fly, but there was no hook purchase. Oh-for-two. My final shot came around 11:30am. We’d seen a boil off the jetty tip. I put my fly out there, and as I brought it in, a telltale bulge appeared in the water behind it. “Almost there…stay on target…almost there….stay on target” (from what movie?). And then, the wake was gone. (Sighs heavily.)

This kind of fishing is not for the impatient or the easily distracted. As with steelheading, or bonefish, or tarpon, you may only get one shot at a fish (Alan didn’t get a single touch all day. But to be fair, he was constantly setting me up in the sweet spots, which I thank him for.) It was a fairly slow day. Two spin anglers below us each hooked up — the only ones we saw all day — but they were covering 5 times as much water, and the sporadic nature of their hookups suggested that they’d lucked into rogue fish. The wind was a challenge, and it’s not for the faint-of-heart caster.

But I’m going to go back, with steely resolve to not to let my coach down again. Thanks again, Alan, for a most enjoyable morning.

Mark your calendars: the International Fly Tying Symposium is Nov. 15 & 16 in Somerset, NJ

Sep23

The International Fly Tying Symposium is the world’s largest show dedicated to fly tying. And what a show it is! Vendors with all kinds of good stuff (bring a shopping list — I always come away with some nifty items); some of the best-known fly tyers in the world (like Tim Cammissa, Tim Flagler, Barry Clarke, Cheech Pierce, and Son Tao, just to name a few) all ready to meet and greet and answer your questions; live tying demos (free with admission, and I’m doing one of them); seminars (ditto free and me); and tying classes led by experts (you must pre-register here).

My wet fly seminar on Saturday the 15th is unique to the Symposium, so there’s your reason to come. I’ll talk about materials, tying, wet fly styles, and when, where , and how to fish them. It’s the next best thing to a private lesson.

**My Sunday 11/16 demo will do two things: show you how to tie four proven, high confidence patterns for this highly technical river, and get you home in time for Sunday afternoon football.**

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: events like this are a tremendous opportunity learn new techniques, improve your skills, and catch more fish. Please stop by my tying table, or come see me talk, and be sure to say hello.

The Last Blast, Largemouth Style

Sep19

A few weeks ago, I had one of my more meaningful fishing outings in recent memory. It was a reunion with one of my church youth group leaders, Mark Bieber, who, after my high school years, became a fishing buddy. At that point in my life, I was a spin-only angler, as was Mark. We’d sometimes fish from land, but most of the time it was from Mark’s rowboat or canoe. Our quarry ranged from carp to largemouth bass to pike to channel cats, and we fished in places like the coves of the Connecticut River and the old claypit ponds in Berlin. Life happened, and we eventually stopped fishing together. But we always kept in touch; Mark and his wife Sharyn came to our wedding. Both were strong influences on me.

I think we can all agree that forty years is quite a long time to not fish together. So, dammit, we fixed that. Our happy fishing reunion/outing took place on a cool, sunny, breezy August afternoon, not the best conditions for largemouth bass fishing, but then again, catching fish was not the prime directive. We fished Dunning Lake at Winding Trails in Farmington, Mark with his spin rod and rubber worms, me with my fly rod and bass bugs. The conversation flowed, just like it did 40 years ago, from Bob Dylan to women to fishing to my book to retirement to getting older to more fishing, all while we both savored a wonderful cigar.