Author Archives: Steve Culton

Striper Report 9/20/23, or: The One Where Casting Distance Made All The Difference

If you fish for striped bass with a fly rod, you’re operating under an unimpeachable assumption: whatever you hook must be within close range. Fly casting range. Not practice casting on a lawn with just a fly line. I’m talking standing thigh-deep in the ocean with a line and leader and fly and waves and wind and if it’s the dark of the moon, limited vision. You might get 100 feet if you’re a tournament-level caster, or have a two-handed surf rod. For most folks in standard conditions, it’s probably 75 feet or less. If the wind is honking in your face, you might be talking well under 50.

Sometimes, distance just doesn’t matter. (The last striper I caught took the fly under a rod’s length away from me.) And sometimes, like Wednesday night, distance is everything.

I fished with surfcaster extraordinaire Toby Lapinski, and it was a tale of the tape. Toby got into a half-dozen-plus fish ranging from 5 to 15+ pounds, and I blanked. Oh, I had a few pulls from squid, a solo sharp rap, and then later, a momentary hookup. But the spelling of the word of the number of bass I landed begins with a Z. Toby was launching his wares way over 100 feet, and that’s where all the action was. I had my two-handed surf cannon with me, but I was well short of where the fish were holding and feeding. I saw one of Toby’s hookups, and it was a good 50 feet beyond what I was making. (And I was having a very good casting night, bottoming out on just about every cast.)

A cast, a mend, a slow gathering of the line, and….nothing. (Photo by Toby Lapinski)

You might think I was discouraged, but that wasn’t the case. I was delighted that Toby was getting into fish. Most of all, it served as proof that I wasn’t fishing poorly. I just couldn’t get the fly out far enough. Nobody could have. Thank goodness those nights are the exception.

Out thinking as we trudged back along the beach was to try a different, earlier stage of the tide, when the fish might be in closer. It’s all one huge science experiment, with your lab report being graded by the fish. So I’ll be looking to bump that C up to an A.

Steve Culton Classes & Seminars at the International Fly Tying Symposium Nov. 11 & 12

Mark your calendars because it’ll be here before you know it! The 32nd International Fly Tying Symposium is returning to the Double Tree by Hilton, 200 Atrium Drive, Somerset, N. J. Come for a weekend of seeing old and new friends, over 100 world class tiers demonstrating their best patterns and techniques, and plenty of product to shop. And of course, free parking!

I’m totally stoked for this as it’s a great opportunity — for me as well as you — to meet and talk to so many terrific anglers and fly tyers. Plus, I’m always walking away with some hard-to-find tying items. There are some excellent seminars that are included in the price of your ticket, and you can also sign up for a fly tying class.

I’ll also be doing a seminar and a class. Here’s my schedule:

Saturday, November 11, Noon, Seminar: Tying And Fishing Wet Flies. This is a new seminar I debuted last year. We’ll cover the basics of wet fly construction, materials, types, and how to fish them in both traditional and non-traditional ways. I have updated this presentation with some good stuff I learned about caddis this year, so don’t miss out! Seminars are included in the price of your admission.

I love this presentation, and I think you will, too!

Saturday, Nov 11, 1pm-3:30pm, Tying Class: Soft Hackles, Winged and Wingless Wets. If you’re not tying and fishing wet flies, you are not catching as many fish as you could be. These intro class to the three main styles will get you well on your way! You must pre-register for the class and you can do that here.

And of course, I’ll be tying flies on the show floor along with dozens of other folks who are far more talented than me, so make sure you stop by to say hello. Bring your questions, as I’m here to help.

Everything you need to know is here.

Why crickets are such a great trout fly, Or: The nematomorph worm made me do it.

This is the time of year when I notice that black crickets are particularly active. I hear them singing in my garage when I empty the recycling, and when I’m coming home from a late striper jaunt. It’s usually the time of year where I say to myself, “I gotta fish more cricket flies.” The savvy small stream angler will do boffo box office with crickets this time of year, not to mention on standard-issue trout streams.

Turns out that crickets in the water isn’t always an accident. I read this fascinating piece about parasites in the July 2022 National Geographic. Because of nature’s perfect design, some parasites find their next host by influencing their current host. The nematomorph worm is a prime example. From the article: (nematomorph worms) “mature inside crickets but then need to get to water to mate. So they influence the crickets’ brains, driving the insects to jump into streams, where they become an important food source for trout.”

So the next time you tie up a cricket pattern, think about that unseen little parasite component that helps the bug find the water.

The Hopper Hammerdown rendered in all black, tied size 10-14, makes a nifty wet/damp black cricket pattern. You can find the recipe here.

It’s a Fun One (Thousand Followers Celebration)!

Happy Monday, fellow Currentseamsers. We hit it some time ago, and now it’s time to celebrate currentseams.com reaching the rarefied 1,000 followers mark! Suffice to say I couldn’t have done it without you, so thank you for being part of the Fun One Thousand. As usual, we’re doing a flies-tied-by-Steve giveaway. Here are the rules:

1) No purchase necessary.

2) You must be a follower of currentseams to enter. (If you’re not one already, you become a follower by clicking on the Sign Me Up button below the “Follow Blog via Email” header, at the top right if you’re on a laptop, and at the bottom of the scroll on a mobile device.

This is a photo, not a link.

3) To enter, leave a comment on this thread that responds to at least one of these questions: What’s your favorite fly pattern(s) for the Farmington River? What’s your favorite section of the Farmington, and how do you like to fish it? If you don’t fish the Farmington, where do you like to fish and what’s your favorite fly pattern(s)? One entry per person. Deadline for entering is 11:59pm September 30, 2023. Three winners will be chosen at random. The winners will be notified in the comments section of this thread or by email, and will be responsible for sending me their address so I can ship the flies out. Sorry, I can only ship to U.S. addresses.

4) All decisions by me are final.

Thanks again for reading and following currentseams.

Stuff like this could be in your hot little hands if you enter.

When you’re expecting small, be prepared for big

If you’ve taken a lesson with me or attended one of my presentations, you’ve heard me say that we all put our waders one leg at a time. So, even though I may be considered an authority of sorts, I’m still human — and I still make mistakes on the water.

Twice now, on my last two trips to the Cape, the catch has been trending small. Twice, I’ve subsequently hooked into something very large, and lost the fish.

Now, you could make a case that I was a little unlucky. There’s probably some truth to that. But the single biggest reason I lost those potential cows is because I wasn’t ready for them. I didn’t make a powerful initial hookset. And by the time I realized what was happening, I’d already lost the fish.

Gordo hooking up. At least someone on this crew knows what they’re doing.

My most recent tale of woe came earlier this week on the Brewster Flats. I was fishing a small weighted crab pattern, probably on a size 4 hook, letting it bounce along the bottom, then swing up at the end of the drift. It had been a slow morning — Gordo, who was spin fishing with a jig head small soft plastic, had connected with two smaller bass. So that’s what I was expecting. I hadn’t had a touch all morning, and had been cycling through patterns in a desperate attempt to find something the fish might eat. The crab fly was on the dangle below me just over a deep hole, and I was daydreaming.

WHACK! The bass hit the fly like a bullet train. Immediately, line began screaming off the reel. The fish made a textbook striper series of runs: one good, long one, then a pause (where I attempted to reset the hook and gain some line). Then a second powerful, albeit shorter run. I reset again, but it felt wrong. I was furiously cranking the reel when the line went slack. Heartbreak.

So. I hoping that I’ve learned my lesson. It’s OK to expect small, but be prepared for big. I certainly will be.

Next time.

Farmington River Report and other items of variable interest you should definitely read

I’m in a goofy mood, hence the goofy title. Welcome back! I hope a splendid holiday weekend was had by all.

There is no joy in Mudville — and not just because I’m a Mets fan. There’s certainly no joy in Riverton. As I write this at 12:20pm, even if you were fishing above Riverton, you’d be fishing in water that is at a dangerous temperature for trout. It’s already north of 70 degrees(!). The MDC has decided to help (he said sarcastically) by cutting the flow a bit. With this week’s heat wave, the hits just keep on coming. Fear not: the hardiest specimens will find a way to survive, and the stocking truck shall return, as will New England fall nights in the 40s.

Things are heating up in the Culton kitchen, too. These are Trinidad Scorpions. Their heat is measured in the millions of Scoville Units (a jalapeño is 5k-8k).

Note: once safe fishing does resume, the entire river from the base of the dam to the steel bridge in Unionville is catch & release only until 6am second Saturday in April. If you have not done so, please program in the DEEP TIP line into your phone so you can report poachers: 800-424-4357.

I’m kicking off my speaking season tonight in Long Island with my good friends the Long Island Fly Rodders. I’ve been presenting to them for years, and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone. If you’re in charge of speakers for your club, now’s the time to book as my calendar is filling up.

Finally, I was on the Cape this weekend and managed to get out on the Brewster flats for one morning. I’ll tell you about that later this week. If you salt, that might be your best diversion while you wait for the Farmington to drop.

Once again, it’s time to tie up some September Nights

I’m a little late on the draw here — Ken used to make his September Night reminder post on his website early-to-mid August — but here we are and it is indeed time. While I try to provide you with original content, this is an important repeat. The September Night is a great fly. It’s a fly you should know about. It’s a fly you should be fishing. And, it’s traditional (in so many ways!). Here’s some of my text from a long ago post:

Fall has begun, and for striper anglers in the northeast fall means finger mullet. The September Night pattern can be found in Ken Abrames’ classic Striper Moon. It was one of the featured patterns in my 2015 American Angler article Soft Hackles For Striped Bass.) You don’t even need long flatwing saddles to tie it — I’ve gotten away with stung hackle in a pinch. Just look for chubby, webby feathers.

Ken Abrames’ September Night

Hook: Eagle Claw 253, 1/0-3/0; Thread: white 6/0; Tail: 30 gray bucktail hairs, then two white saddle hackles tied in flat, then two strands silver Flashabou; Body: silver braid; Throat: sparse, long white bucktail tied as a 3/4 collar, both sides and bottom; Collar: white marabou, folded or doubled 3-4 turns; Wing: 30 long white bucktail hairs, then 15 purple bucktail hairs, then 2 strands blue Flashabou, then one natural black saddle hackle.

Farmington River Report: Not to sound like a broken record, but…

Even though we’re haven’t experienced a heat wave in weeks, water temps on the West Branch continue to play spoilsport. As I write this at 12:30pm, it’s already close to 70 degrees(!) in Riverton. Not good. With the warm, damp late summer weather, it’s no surprise that flying ants have been out with trout eating them. But, as UpCountry Sportfishing’s Torrey Collins writes, “you need to be very careful about water temps in the afternoons. This means you may need to fish between Canal/Beaver Pools and the dam to stay in water temps of 68 degrees or less.” As of late, the cutoff point for safe fishing above Riverton has been around 10am.

So: my guide trips remain in limbo. Patience will be our virtue. Although, if you want to curse and mutter under your breath, I certainly won’t stop you.

Thanks also to everyone who started following me on Instagram.

This was my client Michael on the Lower River in late June, late afternoon, 100cfs, and believe it or not, the water was colder there and then than it is coming out of the dam right now!

Another crappy striper report, fishing by feeling, and a good surfcasting podcast with Jerry Audet.

I’m really not in a bad mood about it, but yeesh! I have been getting my butt kicked in the salt since June. Granted, it’s been a trip here, a trip there. Wednesday night I fished a top-secret mark with surfcaster extraordinaire Toby Lapinski. We both agreed that it looked fishy as hell: moon going behind a cloud bank for good, light winds making just the right amount of chop, falling barometer, moving tide, and….no bait. What?!? No legions of silversides? No juvenile menhaden? Toby managed a few courtesy bumps and a husky 8-10lb bluefish; all I could muster was a lightning fast double-blip hit that I suspect was a smaller blue. We only gave it 90 minutes, but we just weren’t feeling it.

Which brings us to the second part of this post. Dennis Zambrotta wrote that when he fishes the west side beaches of Block Island, he gives a mark 10 casts or so and then moves on. I don’t have any hard and fast rules like that, other than when I’m fishing by feeling, I get into a yeah or nay mindset. And on this night, the nays were screaming out loud. I was the one who formally called it, and Toby later confessed that he was ready to leave even before that. I guess when you reach a certain level, and have a certain familiarity with a mark and its patterns, you’re either feeling it or you’re not. Maybe if we stayed another hour, we’d have gotten into some fish. We did agree that if fellow surfcaster extraordinaire Jerry Audet was with us, he’d still be out there.

Jerry is a wonderful example of an angler with a plan. He knows who he is and how he wants to fish and he does it with consistently great results. You could learn a lot from a guy like Jerry — even if you never pick up a spinning rod — and a good place to start is last month’s Anglers Journal Podcast, Surfcasting With Jerry Audet. Give it a listen. Take notes. Appreciate his knowledge and passion.

Even if you’re inclined to get the hell off the reef and get to bed before 2am.

What you’re missing on Instagram and other loose ends

If you don’t follow me on Instagram — @stevecultonflyfishing — you’re missing out on some good stuff. For example, this week I posted a video of how build a non-Euro rig for a mini jigged streamer. I keep the content unique and separate on Instagram and currentseams — so if it’s on here, it’s not on there, and vice versa. Certainly Instagram is a more visual, quick-hit form of social media, but if you’re looking to keep up with what I’m doing through video or photos, head over and start following me.

Get the full story on Instagram.

Speaking of followers, I owe you a 1,000 currentseams followers fly giveaway contest. Look for that sometime in September. Holy smokes! At 1,026, I’m only 74 away from 1,100…

These cooler nights and shorter days with a lower sun angle (and especially the ones that are coming) are going to go a long way towards cooling things down. Here’s to some great September fishing!