Category Archives: General Ramblings

Monday Potpourri: media, book, fishing, best Hendrickson soft hackles and wet flies

Happy Monday. It’s finally not stupid cold and snowing/raining. And yet, here I am, sitting in my lonely writer’s garret, writing this, then back to writing the book. Sunshine beckons. On the other hand, writing about fishing as a job doesn’t suck.

If you read yesterday’s Courant, you saw the front-page article about the propose hatchery budget cuts. Yours truly is quoted often.

I’m getting toward the home stretch in the book writing. I alternate days when I think I’m in good shape with those when I project abject terror. Ok, that’s a little strong, but I’ll be happy when I’m finally done. I’m still loving what I’ve written so far, and that counts for something.

I will be getting out to the river this week to do a little more location scouting, and then hopefully an hour or so of fishing. Won’t that be wondrous? Can you believe that I have not caught a trout yet this year?

If you’re thinking about taking a lesson with me, please wait until June. I’m doing only one this month, which is unheard of for me, and I may be doing only one in May, also unheard of.

I’ve said it before, but I appreciate everyone’s patience as I throw my energies into the book. Since it’s almost Hendrickson time, here’s one from the archives for all you soft-hackled fly lovers: The Best Hendrickson Soft Hackles and Wet Flies.

Re-discovering the Farmington River, or: There’s a lot of sexy water below Collinsville

I spent a good chunk of last Thursday banging around the lower Farmington with Farmington River guide Steve Hogan. (Steve grew up in the area, and knows that section way better than I do.) To say we covered a lot of ground would be an understatement — Steve’s device said we walked 20,000 steps, which, for those of you keeping score at home, translates to over 8 miles.

Exhibit A. So many pockets to pick, so little time.

But the point isn’t that we got some exercise. The point is, man, there is so much incredible water between Collinsville and Unionville! That I’ve fished so little of it boggles my mind. The wet fly possibilities are virtually endless. Yes, you have to walk to get to much of it. Yes, a good percentage of it will be tough wading. Yes, sometimes there’s bushwhacking involved. Yes, there will likely be many spin/bait anglers. And yes, that area can get very trout-unfriendly by mid-June. But I’m licking my chops at the thought of going back and fishing some of the marks that, incredibly, I had never seen before last week.

Virgin water for me. A challenging walk and wade for sure, but I’ll bet it would just be you and the trout!

Fishing with Joe, trout stocking, and finally a weather break!

I gave Joe a wet fly lesson last week — a little early to expect action on a swung fly, but that’s when we had a window. The rain held off, and we enjoyed having vast stretches of the river all to ourselves. The bite was predictably slow, but Joe did a great job with his presentations. I have the highest confidence that he will be a deadly wet fly machine this spring once the Hendricksons begin to pop. Sadly, I saw very little bug activity — not even some courtesy winter stones — only a couple lonely midges.

How Pipeline Pool got its name. I’m working hard on researching accurate information on river access, including parking. Of course, each of you is ultimately responsible for where you park and fish. Pipeline is one of those places where there is plenty of easy access and parking.

The next day, I spent a few hours on river recon for the book — it was blustery and cold and we even had a few sun snow showers to add to the wintry ambiance. But today, it’s warm, and it looks like a decent week to get out and fish. I’ve got more recon time scheduled tomorrow, and hopefully I’ll be able to play a little hooky and wet a line. The river got blasted by that rain last Wednesday/Thursday, but has dropped nicely. What’s more, the state has stocked the Farmington (and a lot of other rivers) — not within the PTMA, but from Hogback Dam down to Whittemore; below the 219 bridge down through Canton; and from Collinsville dam down to Unionville. Enjoy the fresh fish while they last.

Hatcheries update, Yale, fishing, and who ordered this cold weather?

Happy Monday. I suppose I am one of the lucky ones who doesn’t view Mondays as a collective negative. Such is the fortune of working for yourself at a job you love. (Of course, the money stinks, but that’s a different story.)

I’ve learned that at this moment, we’re in a holding pattern with the hatcheries budget thing. DEEP was surprised to see this manifest, and for now it’s just a line item on a proposed budget. When I hear that it’s time to take meaningful action, I’ll let you know, and what your action should be.

Many thanks to the Yale Fishing Club for hosting me last Thursday. We tied some soft hackles, and at some delicious New Haven-style apizza. While I loved the white clam pie, the potato and bacon was on another level of wonderfulness.

Now that’s a bird’s eye view! Many thanks to filmmaker extraordinaire Matthew Vinick for lending his time and fine drone photography skills.

I did manage a couple hours of fishing during last week’s research/photo outing. Total blank. But I’m not surprised, given that fact that there was an active snow melt which was dumping gallons of icy cold water into the system. And today, we have more winter-like temperatures. Thankfully, those are supposed to go away soon.

CT hatcheries proposed cuts, book stuff, Yale Fishing Club

Hi gang. You may have seen it on the inter web, or perhaps gotten an email about possible cuts to the current CT fish hatchery budget. That, of course, would be unacceptable, and, of course, it would also be ridiculous given the revenue that’s generated by licenses and trout stamps. I’m searching for a definitive action step for us to take — who to contact and what to say — and I’ll get that out to you as soon as I have it.

I know I’ve already said this a hundred times, but thanks for your patience with this one-post-a-week stuff. I’m making good progress on the book, Fly Fishing Guide to the Farmington River. My recent focus has been on writing about the water. It’s been challenging since I can’t actually get out to much of it due to snow/ice/frozen/no parking, etc. So I’m writing as much as I can from memory. Even then, I still like to be able to get out and reconfirm what I think I know. Lo and behold, this we have a warm spell! I’m hoping to explore this week.

Finally I’ll be teaching at the Yale Fishing Club this week. What a treat to be able to tutor a new generation of fly anglers — not to mention the New Haven-style pizza I’m going to eat.

Last year. Now, say in your best Thurston Howell III impersonation voice, “…must be a Yale man…”

DEEP Fisheries looking for your input on fishing the Farmington River

In case you didn’t get the email, DEEP is considering the expansion of the PTMA on the Farmington River. There is no specific timeline for this; rather, it’s information gathering only. Here’s their text and then the survey link:

“The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Fisheries Division is collecting information on a possible expansion of the year-round catch and release section of the West Branch Farmington River Trout Management Area (TMA). No immediate plans to expand catch and release regulations are in place as this is only an information gathering period. Please take time to answer each question below as your opinion matters, and please also provide comment. These same questions were asked of anglers on the Farmington River as we conducted a yearlong survey from the Goodwin Dam in Barkhamsted down to Route 177 Bridge in Unionville in 2024.

Your participation in this survey is encouraged and appreciated. Thank you!”

Take the Survey

More like this, please.

New Year’s Notes

First things first: Don’t forget to get your 2025 CT fishing license!

I hope you had a festive and happy new year holiday. I did. Today is a catchup day for me; I’m getting a lot of odds and ends done because on Monday, we’re back to the grindstone.

First up is show prep: getting things ready for the Marlborough and Edison Fly Fishing Shows, both coming up fast. Then, it’s book writing. And more book writing. All, of course, a labor of love.

In the next few weeks, I’ll be sending out more information about my show schedules. I’m hoping to see a lot of you there!

It won’t be long until we start seeing Tiny Black Stones.

‘Tis the season! Give the gift of a class or guided trip

I don’t usually make posts like this. But if people want to know what to get you for the holidays, and you’re struggling with gift ideas, here are two suggestions.

Book a guide trip with me for 2025. There’s no real gift certificate, but there is the promise that we’ll go out fishing for four hours next year. Your gift giver pays now, but it’s at my 2024 rate (rates usually go up every few years). I build a 20% gratuity into the price, so all you have to do is show up with your gear on a mutually-agreed-upon date and time and we have at it. If you’re interested in wet flies, we’re looking at a May-Juneish window. Because of the book writing process, I will be limiting my guide trips in 2025, so this is a great way to lock in. Easy-squeezy…

Insert your likeness here.

Take a “Classes With The Experts” with me at the Fly Marlborough Fishing Show. With this, you get almost instant gratification. Two choices: Saturday, January 18, 2pm-4:30pm, 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. The course also covers basics like leader construction, matching the hatch, fly selection, where to fish wet flies, and how to fish them. All levels.

Or, Sunday, January 19, 8:30am-11am, Beyond Cast & Strip – Presentation Flies for Stripers with Steve Culton:  Learn how to tie (Steve will demo) presentation flies – traditional New England-style flies that create the illusion of life even when at rest – and how and where to present them. All Levels.

For the Fly Fishing Show classes, you cannot register and pre-pay through me. You do that on the Fly Fishing Show Site, which is here.

I’m hoping to be offering the same for Edison on January 24-26, but that schedule has not been released. Stay tuned for my full Marlborough and Edison schedules.

JOIN ASGA IN CALLING FOR MANAGERS TO PROTECT CRITICAL STRIPER YEAR CLASSES

I’m busy. You’re busy. But this takes less than five minutes.

From the ASGA: “The Board (ASMFC) will reconvene on December 16 to consider management actions for 2025. We are once again calling our community to support equitable, conservation-focused management. Our Striped Bass Action Alert Page is now live on our website. There, you will find a host of resources and the form to sign our Official Letter. We understand … the holidays are on the horizon, but this decision will impact our fishery for years to come – and it’s happening whether we like it or not. Don’t miss your chance to speak on behalf of the resource!

DEADLINE IS TUESDAY 12/9 at 8PM. Here’s the link to sign.

Halfway done with the Farmington River book!

Last week, I reached my first manuscript milestone, which included 50% of the text, maps, and a couple dozen photos with captions. Off it went to the publisher, and here I sit with a satisfied smile on my face. So, this seems like a good time to give you a detailed update on the work.

Let’s start here: I’m really excited about what I’ve written so far. I don’t do anything halfway, so it’s particularly gratifying to be able to work on a project that I’m so passionate about. I think I’ve found a nice balance between dispensing facts, being conversational, and mixing in both anecdotes and even a little humor.

In terms of content, the template of Fly Fishing Guide to the Farmington River will generally reflect the other books in the Stackpole line of “Fly Fishing Guide To…” books. In my book, you’ll get a little history of the river; general information about the trout that live there; maps of the STMA that point out pools and major parking areas; descriptions of the major pools and the river in general; and outlines of the most productive fishing methods.

After reading the book, you’ll know that tying a big Isonychia soft hackle on point in August and swinging it through snotty pocket water is a very good idea.

But the truly useful part of the book will be the sections on hatches, seasonal conditions, and fly patterns. My goal for the work is that you’ll be able to read it and have a pretty good idea of where you should fish on December 2, with which method, and what flies to tie on. The book will feature over a dozen local patterns that are proven producers.

Even if you think you know the river, I guarantee there will be lots of information that will be new and useful to you. I’ve been fishing this river since the 1970s, I’m writing the damn thing — and I cannot tell you how much I’ve learned while writing this book.

A book like this cannot be written by one person without the help from others. I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to get input from guides and local experts; their knowledge, experience, and wisdom has been invaluable. My final deadline is June 1, 2025. My hope is that next year at this time, we’ll have a book ready for you to read!

Thank you so much for continuing to follow currentseams during this busy time. I’ll try to get you caught up a bit this month on other happenings. Up next, in this order: the IFTS redux, western PA steelhead, and SR steelhead reports. Also, the Fly Fishing Show in January. I’ll be at Marlborough and Edison.

See you on the river.