Category Archives: General Ramblings

Late Friday Happenings & Other Big Deals

Hot on the heels of the International Fly Tying Symposium, I went to fish Lake Erie tribs for a couple days. I plan and writing about both, just not today as soon I’m heading up to Pulaski with Number One Son Bill for more steelheading. Then it’s Thanksgiving. So, I’m busy, and I’m sure you’re busy, too. Rather than write a half-assed report on the Symposium and the Erie trip, I’m going to wait until I can do them justice.

Here’s what I can tell you: my first deadline for the Farmington River book is December 1. I’m going to take a wee break from writing then, and I’m hoping to be able to give you some better (and more) content here, if only for a short time. I’ll also have a Salmon River report for you. Plus, I have my Fly Fishing Show Marlborough schedule for January 17-19 — Edison to come soon as well.

I’ll give you all an early Thanksgiving shout-out: I’m very thankful for everyone’s patience as I write the book, and I’m grateful that so many of you have told me how much you enjoy Currentseams. So, thank you all!

All work and no play etc., so I played hooky for a few days this week, and I’m going to do it again in short order. Here’s a fine, fat, egg-laden hen from Wednesday.

Fall Fishing on the Farmington and other gleanings from the book

Hello, fellow fly fishers and readers! I ‘ve been on an intense writing jag this week, trying to finish up the bug and food forage sections of the book. I think it’s going to be very helpful. It’s divided into mayflies, caddisflies, stoneflies, midges, and other stuff trout like to eat. There will be some hatch details (although it’s not meant to be a biology or Latin names monograph). And then, for you fly tyers, there will be photos and recipes of some essential, proven fly patterns, mostly from local experts, guides, and anglers.

Current situation…add the sfx of fingers on keyboard…

To the Farmington we go! Water remains low, but fishable. It’s plenty cold and that’s the good news. Caddis is the main hatch right now, soon to be joined by Tiny BWOs. We’re getting near spawning time, so if you see a redd — a light oval shaped patch is gravelly riffles — keep your distance. Mark its location in your memory so you don’t walk through it in the winter and accidentally wipe out the next generation of wild browns. Please do not target trout on redds — it’s bad form.

Two more notes: as we get deeper into fall, streamers will increasingly come into play as a primary fishing method, as will egg patterns. Try an egg this winter as an attractor on a two fly nymph rig, and make the top dropper something small and match-the-hatch. And remember that the entire river from the dam down to the steel bridge in Unionville is catch-and-release. If you see poaching, please call the TIP line: 800-424-HELP. Program it into your phone so you’ll have it ready when you need it.

Carry on.

Thank you EJTU, sign the ASGA striper letter, and I actually went fishing…twice!

Forgive the brevity, but I’m up against it today. First: thank you EJTU for hosting me on Wednesday night. I presented Wet Flies 2.0, the turnout was excellent, and we had an engaging post-talk Q&A.

Gadzooks! Fishing twice in one week? It’s true. On Tuesday night I braved a snotty surf and 10mph wind with surfcaster extraordinaire Toby Lapinski. We fished a top secret rocky reef, and although the conditions seemed perfect for fall bassin’, we managed just one touch before we decided that it wasn’t happening. Yesterday, I headed to points far away to fish a thin blue line with #2 Son Cam. The water was painfully low, and leaves were a constant issue. The action was slow, but we had fun fooling wild brook trout on dry flies and deep jigs.

Finally, please take a minute out of your busy day to sign the ASGA letter to the ASMFC. Striped bass desperately need us to take action now. The following graphic on the Juvenile Abundance Index tells a dire story:

Here’s a link that will give you more information and a chance to sign the letter and make your voice heard.

Another week of writin’ and talkin’. (But will there be any fishin’?)

I played in a charity golf event today — “played” meaning “participated” — not my finest hours, although I did sink a very nice 21-foot putt for our team. Tomorrow’s a writing day, and — drum roll — maybe a night sortie to the salt.

Wednesday, October 9, I’ll be celebrating John Lennon’s birthday with an appearance at the East Jersey TU chapter in Rochelle Park, NJ. The meeting starts at 7:30, and I’ll be presenting “Wet Flies 2.0.” If you’re there, please say hello. I might even get out for some wild brookies on Thursday.

A quick thank you to the Bucks County TU group for hosting me last week. for understanding that a fed presenter is a happy presenter, they were awarded the Legion of the Cheeseburger with NE-style IPA Clusters. A great group, and we had an excellent Q&A session. Thank you again!

I hope you’ve been able to get out and do some fishing. We got poured on this morning in Durham, good enough to green up the lawns, but it had no substantial effect on our streams. The Farmington River remains low and clear at about 120cfs in the PTMA. Caddis is the main course right now, and we do have the blessing of cooler days and nights.

The spawn will be here soon, although this guy won’t be partaking — at least not in the Farmington River. As you read this, he’s back at the hatchery, swimming in a tank, ready to do his part to help make the next generation of Survivor Strain browns.

I just finished the chapter in the Farmington River book on caddisflies, and right now is one of those times when it doesn’t seem like much is hatching — and then, there are the caddis, ready to save the day. The truly are an underrated bug, and one of my favorite hatches to fish on the Farmington.

Back in the CT groove, writing up a storm, TU talks, and small stream advice from the archives

Greetings, fellow currentseamsers. I wish I could tell you that I’ve been out fishing, but alas, no. I’m nearing the home stretch for the first deadline for the Farmington River book, and that’s been my focus. I was visiting #2 son in Ohio over the weekend, took the train, and was able to bang out thousands of words. (I love writing on the train.) I’m really liking what I’ve written so far, and I think you will, too. I appreciate your loyalty and I’m looking forward to not only finishing the book, but getting back a normal posting schedule on currentseams.

On Thursday, October 3 (tomorrow) I’ll be speaking at the Bucks County (PA) Chapter of TU. If you’re in the Philadelphia area, come join the party. The topic is “The Little Things 2.0.”

Next week, October 9, I’ll be celebrating John Lennon’s birthday with an appearance at the East Jersey TU chapter in Rochelle Park, NJ. The meeting starts at 7:30, and I’ll be presenting “Wet Flies 2.0.” If you’re there, please say hello.

The Farmington River continues to run at a very low level. We need rain! The good news is that the water is plenty cold. Lower light will be your best time to fish.

Love me some fall wild brookies. I crossed paths with this handsome char just about one year ago. Those fins! Those haloed spots! Those parr marks! Yeah, I’m a big fan.

Finally, it’s fall, which is a great time to be fishing wild brook trout streams. If you’re going to partake, please read this quick article from the archives, Three Small Stream/Wild Trout Best Practices.

A little bit of this and that, and Farmington River book tidbits

We’re preparing to host a big family reunion, so no fishing for me today. I hope you’ve been able to get out — I have, and the cooler weather this week has been a welcome respite from the relentless cycle of heat and humidity.

To the salt: A shout out to The Saltwater Edge for their Local Singles Program. Even if you’re not a spin angler, you can take a lesson from its energy — reducing striped bass C&R mortality — by mashing down the barbs on your flies. It really makes a difference. Earlier this month on Block Island, I deep hooked two bass on Big Eelie patterns. in both cases, the hook came out with ridiculous ease, with no blood nor visible damage, because I was fishing barbless. Come to think of it, it’s getting close to time to tie up some…nah, we’ll wait…

The Fly Fishing Guide to the Farmington River book project process continues. I’ll be out on the river a lot this week, both guiding, fishing, and shooting photos. If you see me, please come say hello.

Writing-wise, I’m working on the hatches section, and choosing flies to match. It just occurred to me that most of what gets the attention this time of year is either large or yellowish. Then I remembered, how many times have I seen tiny BWOs (20-26) in the air? How many times has a fishless outing turned because I started fishing a Tiny BWO parachute? The answer is: many. Tiny BWOs may not be the sexiest hatch in midsummer, but they are important. Now, let’s also not forget the attenuata…or the egg-laying caddis…

Catch ’em up.

Managing the hot weather on the Farmington

Summer is here early, and with a vengeance. The good news is that we have solid summer flows coming out of the dam at a favorable temperature:

However, note that the water temperature spikes five degrees by late afternoon, just from the release of the dam down to the measuring point at the bridge in Riverton. It doesn’t take a math whiz to reckon that once the river reaches Collinsville, the water is going to be significantly warmer.

This is where you and a good water temperature thermometer come in. If you don’t have one, you should get one. (I use this IR wine thermometer, $30 from Amazon). There is some debate about what the cutoff temperature for fishing is; 67-68 seems to be the number. My present policy is to call it at 67; that is, if it’s 67 or higher, I won’t fish for trout.

Also note that evening, night, and early morning are going to be your best times for find favorable temperatures; what’s more, those coincide with low light periods, which are generally good times to fish.

Finally, this time of year sees explosive feeding activity, starting around 7:30pm and building exponentially into dark. Don’t make the mistake of leaving the water at 8:15pm. You’ll be missing the best dry fly fishing of the day.

Happy Monday and the book and Currentseams and fishing.

As I write this, I am ensconced in my new writer’s cave (non-cave actually, what with the long, tall windows that allow voluminous amounts of sunshine to spill into the room). I’m wrangling sprinklers on our newly hydroseeded lawn — sod to come tomorrow for other areas. This whole watering thing takes several hours a day. And then there are all the other new-house things on the to-do list…

The book is keeping me busy, too. I should be out fishing and taking notes on the river and hatches and then taking photos and so dammit, that’s what I’m doing tonight, and tomorrow, too, after my afternoon lesson. My current goal is 7,000 words per month, which I didn’t quite reach in May, and now one-third of the way into June I’m lagging for this month, too. Not that I’m complaining! It is a privilege to be writing this book, and I’m taking every step to make sure that I do it right.

So I’ve come to the realization that the new normal for Currentseams is probably going to continue in the catch-as-catch-can mode for the foreseeable future. I will of course try to keep you up to date on my fishing experiences and other must-have news, but don’t be alarmed if in any given week there’s only a couple — or one — posts. I appreciate your patience and your readership. And of course, please keep the questions coming.

No. Not here, not now.

Speaking of the Farmington River, right now is a great time to be out fishing. The summer hatches are beginning to ramp up and we have good flows. I’ll try to get a report up on Wednesday. Hope to see you on the river!

Farmington River Flow Bill 5355 Passes!

Yes!!! Hooray!!! Yahtzee!!! (Or, insert your favorite over-the-top-celebratory interjection here.)

That’s right, folks. Dancing days are here again. I don’t have the specifics on how the dam releases will be managed, but when I do, I’ll surely get them to you. This hopefully puts an end the MDC madness. And may I say to the MDC, with the utmost sincerity, don’t let the door hit your corporate weasel ass on the way out.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Steve Culton is Writing a Book!

I’m super-excited to announce that I just signed a book contract with Stackpole. The working title is Fly Fishing Guide to the Farmington River. This will be a comprehensive resource for the West Branch, from the river to trout to maps to access to hatches to how-to-and-when. I plan on including information from local experts and guides, as well as a selection of must-have fly patterns. If you have any of Stackpole’s “Fly Fishing Guide To” river books, you know the level of detail I’ll be delivering.

The final manuscript isn’t due for over a year, so it’s going to take some time for this to get to press. In the meantime, please wish me luck as I set off on this big adventure. As always, I thank you for your support and readership, and of course I’ll keep you updated as the project progresses.

Coming soon to a bookshelf near you! While this isn’t the working title or cover shot, the description is spot-on.