It’s going to be a fun and busy weekend January 5-6-7 at the Marlborough Fly Fishing Show. As you can see, I’ve got a full boat of talks, classes, and tying demos. Here’s a PDF:
And here’s a jpeg in case you can’t see the pdf:
I’m hoping for a strong turnout from you, my readers. And may I add a not-so-subtle plug: classes are a fantastic way to improve your fly fishing game. These are structured as if we’re doing a lesson on the water, only we have the benefits of video and protection from the elements, and they’re a fraction of the cost. You can register for a class here.
I’m hoping you’ve already penned in the Marlborough Fly Fishing Show, now less than 3 weeks away! In addition to my Classes, Tying Demo, and Seminar, the show has added three more talks:
Friday, Jan 5, 11am, Destination Theater Room A: The West Branch of the Farmington River. This will be the next best thing to getting out on the water and learning about southern New England’s blue ribbon tailwater.
Two of my favorite things: swinging wet flies, and catch big, fat Farmington River trout. Come to my talks at the Marlborough Fly Fishing Show Jan 5-6-7 and learn how to do both.
Saturday, Jan 6, 1pm, Destination Theater Room B: Modern Wet Fly Strategies. I’ve designed this presentation to replicate a wet fly lesson on the water. Except here, we’ll be doing it in a nice, warm room. If you’re not fishing wet flies, you’re missing out!
Saturday, Jan 6, 3pm, Destination Theater Room A: The West Branch of the Farmington River. Even if you’re a Farmington regular, you’ll probably learn something new about southern New England’s blue ribbon tailwater.
Sunday, Jan 7, 1pm Destination Theater Room A: Trout Tactics For Striped Bass. This is for everyone who wonders if there’s more to catching stripers than cast and strip. There is. And you can learn how to catch more, and bigger stripers if you come to this presentation.
If you want to learn how to consistently catch stripers like this, you’ve got to go beyond simple cast-and-strip. I can teach you how.
As I mentioned last week, I’m doing things a little differently this year with my classes at The Fly Fishing Show in Marlborough. Rather than leading a striper fly tying-centric class, I’ve decided to turn it into the closest thing we can get to an actual lesson in the salt! I’m really excited about the change, and I think everyone attending the class will get a lot more out of it. So, instead of spending a few hours on a salt marsh or estuary, we’ll gather in a cozy meeting room and learn all about tying and fishing presentation flies for striped bass. If you’ve ever wanted to fish with me, but have been unable to do so, this will be a great opportunity to get some quality instruction.
What are presentation flies? They are flies that rely on specific materials — mostly natural — and specific construction — mostly sparse — to create the illusion of life. Presentation flies are highly impressionistic. They look alive and like something good to eat, even when at rest. Most of all, you don’t need to strip them in, ad nauseum, to get stripers to eat them. In this class, I’ll talk about materials and construction and will demo at least one pattern.
There’s a time and place for this rig, and for flies so sparse you can read the newspaper though them. Regiter for my class, Beyond Cast & Strip — Presentation Flies for Stripers, and we’ll talk about it.
So, how and where do you fish such patterns? I’m glad you asked, because that’s the next part of the class. I’ll show you how to build a saltwater team of three flies; we’ll discuss different bait and feeding scenarios; we’ll talk about the different kinds of water where presentation flies shine; and of course, we’ll dive into presentation — you know, that thing you do when you’re not treating your fly rod like a glorified spinning rod.
This bass was caught on a fly with no weight, no eyes (you can see it floating on the surface) and from cast to hookup, not a single strip was attempted. Come learn how traditional salmonid tactics like the greased line swing can work wonders for you.
If you want to catch more striped bass, and do it in ways that are under-appreciated and under-utilized, but powerfully effective, this class is for you.
Jeff took this class last year. Here’s what he’s been doing this year! Photo by Jeff Carson.
Class-wise, I’m doing things a little differently this year at The Fly Fishing Shows. Rather than a fly tying-centric class, I’ve decided to turn this into the closest thing we can get to an actual lesson on the water! I’m really excited about the change, and I think everyone attending the class will get a lot more out of it. So, instead of sitting on a picnic table bench next to the Farmington River, we’ll gather in a cozy meeting room and learn all about tying and fishing wet flies. If you’ve ever wanted to fish with me, but have been unable to do so, this will be a great opportunity to get some quality instruction.
Why is this angler smiling? Because he’s smarter than the fish…and because he’s wet fly fishing.
My plan is to offer a combination of video and real-time demos. I’ll demo-tie some wet flies so you can see what goes into building an effective soft-hackle, wingless wet, and winged wet, from construction to materials; demonstrate how to build a traditional three fly team; show you how to prevent that rig from tangling; talk about essential wet fly gear and tackle; and more. Of course, you’re going to want to learn how to present wet flies and catch more fish. Yep, we’re going to cover that, too.
Why can’t trout resist soft hackles like these? Find out at my class, “Tying and Fishing Wet Flies with Steve Culton, Sunday, Jan 7, 8:30am-11am.
Wet flies have been fooling fish for hundreds of years, and the fish aren’t getting any smarter. Learn the ancient and traditional art of the wet fly, and you too can become a dangerous fish-catching machine.
Let’s start here: the 2024 Marlborough Fly Fishing Show happens earlier this time around! It’s the first full weekend in January, right after the new year. It’s going to come up fast, so get ready. Friday, January 5, Saturday January 6, and Sunday January 7. I’ve got a busy schedule, so there will be plenty of opportunities to see me speak or take a class.
Friday, January 5, 2:30pm, Featured Fly Tier, main show floor: Guide Wet Flies. I’ll be demoing some of my favorite soft hackles, wingless, and winged wets. These are all guide flies — that is, they are quick, simple ties, that are consistent producers. I’ll be tying at least one pattern you haven’t seen.
Friday, January 5, 4:30pm, Seminar, Release Room: Hot Bronze — Wade Fly Fishing for Summer Smallmouth. This is new and updated with fresh video and lessons learned.
Saturday, January 5, 8:30am – 11am, Class: Beyond Cast & Strip: Presentation Flies for Striped Bass. This class covers traditional New England-style bucktails, soft-hackles, and flatwings, and how to fish them. Sparse flies that look alive even when at rest. Steve will demo some patterns — this is not a tying class. All Levels. Click HERE for more info and to register.
Sunday, January 7, 8:30am – 11am, Class: Tying and Fishing Wet Flies with Steve Culton: Watch Steve tie classic North Country spiders, winged, and wingless wet flies that trout can’t resist, and learn how to rig and fish them. This is not a tying class. All levels. Click HERE for more info and to register.
I don’t have a Destination Theater schedule yet, but when that comes out I’ll share it. Since the classes are a little different this year, I’ll be devoting a post to each of them in the future. The Fly Fishing Show is a wonderful opportunity to meet and greet and improve with some of the best fly anglers in the country — not to mention find all kinds of gear and hard-to-find tying supplies. I’m hoping to see you there!
My second Symposium is in the books, and like last year, I had a most wonderful time. Saturday was the busiest of the two days, both in terms of my schedule and attendees. After getting set up and saying my pre-show hellos, I tied up a storm before my noon seminar.
What an honor to be included in this slate of presenters. I was thrilled that my seminar was one of the better-attended talks for the weekend. If you were in the audience, thanks so much for coming, and I applaud the group for having so many excellent questions. I had to scoot to my 1pm wet fly tying class, which went very well. It’s always easy to teach people who are curious and enthusiastic.I’ve won the tying table-mate lottery for two years in a row. This is is Paul Gruver from Wake Forest, NC. He was kind and thoughtful and a pleasure to be with. At these event, there’s often a lot of fly swapping, so I’d like to thank Paul for the gifts, which I will fish with pleasure. One of the main points of a tying show is to learn, and I made sure to take the time to see what Paul was tying, and how he was doing it. What a master craftsman!The Saturday night banquet is always a high point of the show. In addition to dinner, you get a swag bag loaded with all kinds of useful tying stuff. Plus, there’s a raffle, and wouldn’t you know it? Mr. Someone-Who-Never-Wins-Anything won a fly box! I sat with luminaries like Tom Rosenbauer and Tim Flagler, but my newest bestest buddy is Lou DiGena, who had the planning skills and foresight to bring a couple of bottles of red wine to share with the table. Atta boy, Lou! Oh…did I mention he also brought a bottle of 10 year-old bourbon? Many thanks for your generosity.Some surprise guests, Bob and Andy! I didn’t recognize them without their waders. Bob and Andy are two Farmington River fishing buddies who, several years ago, graciously shared their water with me, a total stranger, during the Hendrickson hatch. We seem to have an unplanned reunion every year, since we all like this mark, but in April 2023 we missed each other. What an unexpected treat to get to see them.Lou DiGena and Tim Flagler doing their thing in the main hallway Sunday afternoon. I believe their table was the New Jersey Fly Tyers Guild. That a lot of talent representing.Barry Ord Clarke of The Featherbender fame working his magic. Barry has written, co-written and contributed to more than 30 books about fly tying. He has won medals in some of the worlds most prestigious fly tying competitions. So when I went to introduce myself, I was totally stoked to find out that not only did he already know who I am, he’s also a fan. Barry is supremely nice, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching him tie. See you next time, mate.
And there you have it. I can’t say this enough: if you’re not going to fly fishing and tying shows, you’re really missing out on the opportunity to meet, watch, and speak with some of the best fly anglers and tyers on the planet. Thank you to everyone who took the time to stop by my table, and I’ll see you at the Fly Fishing Shows in Marlborough and Edison in January 2024.
Where did the time go? It’s almost here: the International Fly Tying Symposium, Nov 11 & 12 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Somerset, NJ. come see Tim Cammisa, Barry Orde Clarke, Bob Clouser, Joe Cordeiro, Pat and Forest Dorsey, Tim Flagler, Ben Furimsky, Cheech Pierce, Tom Rosenbauer, John Shaner, and even me, plus dozens of other talented people tying up a storm, demoing patterns, giving seminars, and teaching classes. What a tremendous opportunity to rub elbows with and learn from some of the best fly tyers on the planet!
Watch me tie classic wet flies and soft hackles like these — or come see me speak — or take my wet fly tying class — or, better yet, all of the above.
On Saturday, November 11 at noon, come to my seminar, Tying and Fishing Wet Flies. The seminar is included in the price of your admission ticket. Then, take my tying class, Soft Hackles, Winged, and Wingless Wets at 1pm. You need to register for the class, and you can do that here.
Don’t forget the vendors! Lots of good stuff to be had, and you better get to the soft hackle and ducktail bins before I do. See you there — and please come say hello.
Want to up your fly fishing game? Then come to these seminars! They’re all included in the price of your ticket.
Last night I presented The West Branch Farmington River — Southern New England’s Blue Ribbon Trout Stream to the New England Fly Tyers. NEFT operates out of central Massachusetts, and they are an enthusiastic, dedicated group of tiers and anglers. For understanding that a fed presenter is a happy presenter, I hereby award them the Legion of Potluck Yumminess with Homemade Brownie Clusters. Thank you again, and I hope you’ll invite me back!
Tomorrow night, Thursday, October 19th, I’ll be presenting “The Little Things 2.0” to the Croton Watershed Chapter of TU. The meeting is open to the public, and you’re invited! Doors open at 6:30pm, and the meeting starts at 7pm. It’s all happening at the Emanuel Lutheran Church, 197 Manville Road, Pleasantville, NY. If you’re a currentseams follower, please come and say hello.
We’re all looking for an edge when it comes to catching more fish. It is my firm belief that the little things are largely responsible for the fabled 10% of the anglers who catch 90% of the fish. The Little Things 2.0 builds on the theme of seemingly insignificant things you can do make your time on the water more productive. As with all seminars in this series, the lessons apply to multiple species fly fishing in fresh or saltwater.
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.
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