Long-time currentseamsers already know this, but for the newer folks — or for the procrastinators among us (of which I’m one!) — it bears repeating. I have an Instagram account, and on it you’ll find unique material that you won’t see here. For example, in the last couple weeks I’ve posted two how-to videos, one wet fly, and one nymphing, for smallmouth bass. (Now that the book is “done,” I’m hoping to be doing more videos.) Hop to it. You can find and follow me on Instagram at stevecultonflyfishing.
Come see what you’ve been missing on Instagram at stevecultonflyfishing.
Hopefully, you noticed I didn’t post last week. Maybe you even missed me a little. I was way out west — Montana, Idaho, Wyoming — on a family vacation. Oh, you betcha there was fishing. I’ll get to that in greater detail later this week, but for now, I fished the Kootenay in NW Montana, Hebgen Lake in southern Montana, and the Madison and Henry’s Fork rivers in Montana and Idaho. We drove around Yellowstone and Grand Teton for a couple days, but (sadly) no fishing in either location for me.
I’ve never been to this part of the country, let alone fished it, so it was all new and wondrous. The water I fished was unlike anything we have back here.
You’re kidding, right? We stayed in a private cabin on the banks — really, as this is the view just a few feet from the back porch — of the Kootenay River in northwestern Montana, a ‘way up near Canada. That far north, and at the western edge of the Mountain Time Zone, it gets dark late. This photo was taken at 9:24PM!
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Before I left, I finished a piece for Surfcaster’s Journal on fishing small flies for striped bass. This will be essential reading for anyone who’s interested in fishing a three-fly team in marshes with small bait-imitating flies, or sight fishing with smaller patterns on beach fronts or flats. I’ll let you know when it comes out.
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I just received the first pass on rendered maps for the Farmington River book, and I think they look great! My goal was to have a graphically simple, eye-to-brain-friendly design for you, dear reader, and the artist hit it out of the park. There’s a large overview map, and then five detail maps that focus on the 22-mile stretch from Hogback to Farmington.
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On the home front, the Farmington is running at a fantastic, cool, trout-friendly summer level, reminiscent of yesteryear when the MDC wasn’t toying with the flows. Tricos are the big little hatch right now, which horrifies night owls like me. Get on it, early birds, while you can.
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Finally, I have some availability the rest of this month and through September for guide trips/lessons. If you’ve been hemming and hawing about getting out with me, this is best time to do it for the rest of the year. I used guides on my trip out west, and even I learned a ton — I’m a better angler than before I left. You know where to find me.
I tend to look at fly fishing as one big, fun, science project. Figuring things out, making new discoveries, trying a new fly or method that produces good results — these are just a few of the rewards that await the curious angler. As most of you know, I’m a teaching guide, and my guide trips are lesson-based. The guides I use when I fish for pleasure know the marching orders: tell me when I’m doing something wrong, show me how I could do it better, teach me things I don’t know (or have forgotten). No matter how good you think you are, we all have something to learn. That’s how you get better.
Since I’m a put your money where your mouth is kind of guy, on Monday I accepted 2025 Orvis Guide of the Year Antoine Bissieux’s gracious invitation to tag along and participate in his class with French world champion Bertrand Jaquemin. We won the weather lottery with a good flow and gorgeous weather. The class began at Orvis in Avon at 10am, and we were on the river about 12:30pm. It was gratifying to see that other people include off-the-water classroom as part of their lessons.
I can see this method working for pressured or skittish steelhead in low, clear water. Hmmmmmm……
The focus of the class was long-leader upstream presentations to pressured trout. Although the business end of the rig is a small nymph, the presentation and drift management was not unlike an upstream dry or wet fly drift. I’m guessing after the fact — I don’t have the leader with me — that the leader was about 15 feet long. It includes a sighter, which I had trouble seeing — that’s a problem with a sighter — until Bertrand ran it along a knife edge to curly pigtail it. Visual acquired! While I didn’t connect with a fish, I did see the benefits of this style of fishing. More practice time on the water is needed before I can render a better judgement on the method. (I prefer to be lazy and work downstream. This is upstream, and requires stealth and vigilance.) I’m not arguing that it’s not productive; I’m just not sure it’s right for me. And happiness and confidence catches fish.
I was dopey enough not to take pictures, so my bad. Many thanks to Bertrand and Antoine for sharing their knowledge.
Here we are, already at the mid-point of July. Blink, and you might miss summer. We really don’t have much to complain about weather-wise — it’s standard-issue hot and humid, there have been rains (but nothing catastrophic [he said, knocking on wood]), and the reservoirs are full. The Farmington is running clear and cold — in the 50s coming out of the dam — and at a terrific summer height. Please be sure to carry and use a thermometer, and make your cutoff 67 degrees. You should be able to find ample cold water from the PTMA and points north. Tip of the week: ants, beetles, crickets, and small hoppers, fished in faster water and languid currents under trees and shade. Oh. And small nymphs. You can thank me next time you see me.
I owe you a Block Island report, and spoiler alert: it’s not good. Locally, I know a few surfcasters who are doing OK. Things may pick up in another 30 days or so.
Meanwhile, I’m trying to play catch-up with my fishing. The yard work is settling down a bit, the garden’s in good shape, and the book is off with others. I think I’ll smoke a few cigars while I’m at it.
By now, I’d hoped to be back to my normal routine on these pages. But every time I think I’m in the clear, the book comes a callin’. So that’s why posts have been so spotty. All I can tell you is that when things do return to normal, you’ll be the first to know.
I just finished an article for Surcasters’ Journal. I’ll letcha know when it comes out.
It’s getting steamy out there. Time for the summer under-waders kit.
Fishing in brief: Block Island stunk again this year: slow, slower, slowest. Then there was last week on the Farmington. I gave Andrew a wet fly lesson, and it was likewise a non-action fest. We fished three marks, and it wasn’t until the last one that we found some fish. But Andrew was enthusiastic and persistent, and we ended up with two in the hoop for the win. Great job Andrew! I stayed to fish the evening rise. The location was above the PTMA, and the hatch and rise activity was one of the worst I’ve experienced in a decade. Very little hatching (mostly dorothea) and, almost impossibly, nothing on it except for a few small fish. Highly disappointing. I managed two small wild browns on wet flies and one stocker rainbow on the way out after I could no longer see my fly. Blech!
Of course, we hav the blank canvas of this week, upon which we may paint spectacular fishing images. Yeah. Let’s go with that.
Here we are again on the FeedSpot Top 40 Fly Tying Blogs list. This is our second time on the list, and for those of you keeping score at home, we are #17. But the ranking isn’t really what this is all about; rather, it’s the company we keep. 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 in their company. So, yay us!
The summer striper box, from seasons past, raring to go. Those are Big Eelie variants on the right. I love the colors, although I’m not sure the stripers care all that much. Catching a big fish on fly you tied is one of the more rewarding aspects of our hobby/sport.
TGIF! Sorry for the 1-week hiatus, but I was re-called to emergency book duties. I believe — fingers crossed — that I’m all set on that front for a while. I hope. Now I can take some time to do all the things I haven’t done in the last few months, like go fishing. And resume regular posts here. The yard work list is also impressive. And just in time for the heat wave.
This warm weather coupled with cold water should kick-start the hatches on the Farmington, which have generally been lagging. Please be aware of temperature spikes in the afternoon. Carry a thermometer, and if you get 67 degrees or higher, go fish farther upstream. There will be plenty of colder water near the dam –it’s releasing at 52 degrees. You can also fish first light to mid-morning, when water temps will be lowest. Catch ’em up, and have fun.
No rest for the weary. The publisher has asked for more photos (that’s a good thing!) and captions for the Fly Fishing Guide to the Farmington River. So, instead of a report on my small stream outing this week, you get this update. Regular reports will be somewhat on hold until I get this book business finished.
The Farmington River continues to run high out of the gate. Hopefully they’ll reduce it by the weekend. I’m on the river giving a lesson tomorrow. Even the Hous is well over 1K cfs. I suppose a little too much water is better than the D-word.
Have fun, go fishing, and a pre-Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there!
And I still haven’t gone striper fishing this year! I’m also working on a new piece for Surfcaster’s Journal. Details on that to come.
Writing a book is all about milestones and deadlines, and the first truly big ones are now in the rear view mirror. Yesterday I sent the complete manuscript to the publisher, along with photos and captions. Next step will be their read and review, and then my edits and re-writes. The target publish date is still next summer. Many of you have asked about orders and pre-orders — that’s exciting to hear! I don’t have any information on that yet, but of course when I do, I’ll let you know here and elsewhere on social media.
My first hybrid tea rose, Peace, bloomed this week. That means that our creamy and yellow mayfly friends are beginning on the lower river. The waters are down to an excellent 465cfs in Unionville. I’d hop on it, but I am crashing my final draft deadline of June 1. Please wish me luck, and I hope you get out this weekend…or even today.
Peace, baby. It’s a good color to signify the arrival of Sulphurs.
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