I’m pleased to say that Currentseams was just named to FeedSpot’s 40 Best Fly Tying Blogs and Websites list. We came in at a cool #11! The company is good, with sites like AvidMax, Fly Tyer, Tactical Fly Fisher, and Orvis in the mix. If you have some free time over the holiday break, I highly recommend you peruse the list. It includes both vendors and information-based sites. Woo-hoo!
Once again the ASMFC can’t get out of its own way. Their latest hijinks involves allowing states to transfer unused commercial quotas — in other words, killing more striped bass. Sounds like a terrific way to conserve the stocks, yes?
You can get a more in-depth look at this madness on the American Saltwater Guides Association website. Or, here’s a brief synopsis from our friend George Baldwin from his Facebook page: “The receiving state that this mostly refers to is Delaware, who believes they have gotten shorthanded when the quotas were last assigned. The states that haven’t filled their quotas were unable to find enough striped bass to do so. This, in addition to the fact that we’re trying to rebuild striped bass populations by 2029, does not indicate a healthy enough striped bass population. Doing anything that has a good chance of increasing striper harvest while we’re trying to rebuild diminished stocks that were determined to have been overfished does not seem like a great idea. Especially after poor spawning success in the past few years. We’ve got to lower the mortality rates that got us into this position, not raise them.”
Here’s where you come in. The ASMFC is taking public comments on this proposal. It takes about five minutes and the stripers really need your help. Again, this comes from George Baldwin (thank you, George, for being such a strong advocate for striped bass!):
You can help by writing a short letter or email to ASMFC stating your name and state of residency, that you are a recreational fisherman, and that you prefer the commission adopt Option A for Striped Bass Draft Addendum 1, which is to keep the status quo (no commercial quota transfers).
Public comment will be accepted until 11:59 PM (EST) on January 13, 2023 and should be sent to Emilie Franke, FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201; or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Striped Bass Draft Addendum I).
Your letter doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. It can be as simple as something like the following (feel free to use this as a template for your own email):
To the Striped Bass Management Board, To: comments@asmfc.orgSubject: Striped Bass Draft Addendum I
I am a recreational angler from the state of <INSERT STATE HERE>. I’m writing to express my preference for the options being proposed in Draft Addendum I to the Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan. I prefer option A – status quo, no commercial transfers. Any of the other options are likely to increase mortality at a time when the stock is rebuilding. Thank you.
Sincerely,
<INSERT NAME>
<your email address>
If you’re looking for a gift for the fly fisher in your life — even if that’s you! — look no further. Whether you’re buying for yourself (or showing this post to your significant other — hint hint) I got you covered.
A Half-Day Guide Trip/Lesson with Steve Culton. If you’re planning on heading out with me next year, this locks you in at the 2022 rate. I highly recommend the four-hour slot. To purchase, please call 860-918-0228 or email me at swculton@yahoo.com.
Classes with the Experts at the January 2023 Marlborough Fly Fishing Show. There are two options. The first is Saturday, January 21 8:30am-11am, Tying and Fishing Wet Flies with Steve Culton. This is mostly a tying class, but we will also cover some fishing aspects. You must pre-register with the Fly Fishing Show. Here’s the link. The second is Sunday, January 22, 8:30am-11am, Presentation Flies For Striped Bass with Steve Culton. This is mostly a tying class, but we will also cover some fishing aspects. You must pre-register with the Fly Fishing Show. Here’s the link. The cost is $90 per session.
Or, for a great stocking stuffer, you can buy Marlborough show tickets in advance direct from the show. Here’s that link. Note that I will also be appearing in Edison, NJ, the last weekend in January on Friday and Saturday, but I do not yet have my schedule.
Happy gift giving, and have a safe and wonderful holiday season.
Thank you everyone for being so patient with me during a very busy time. My readers and followers — that’s you! — are something for which I am truly thankful.
I’m looking forward to getting back to giving you the kind of content you’re used to seeing here. And I’ve got a lot to write about: the International Fly Tying Symposium, my recent steelheading trip, some new materials I’m using for fly tying…just to name a few. Speaking of steelheading, it seems like every time I go, come what may, it only serves to fuel the addiction. I’ve been falling asleep visualizing strike indicators dipping below the surface. Really. Sweet dreams, indeed.
I’m back from the International Fly Tying Symposium, where I had a fantastic time. Normally, I’d be writing about that today. But sadly, my wife’s sister passed away unexpectedly over the weekend, and right now I need to focus on family rather than fishing.
It’s always my goal every week to try to give you 2-3 bits of meaningful new content on Currentseams. I appreciate your loyalty and your readership. Please bear with me and we’ll get back on track soon. Lots to talk about! In the meantime, tight lines, good tides, perfect flows, lots of bait, and abundant hatches to all. Thank you.
…then how am I catching all those stripers?
The answer should be self-evident.
I wanted to briefly make another point about using floating lines for stripers. If I could change minds on one aspect of using a floating line for stripers from the shore, it might be the notion that one must have weight (fast sink tips, etc.) incorporated into the system — and/or that you’ve somehow got to get the fly down into some imaginary strike zone. Certainly, there are times when stripers are grubbing. But bass are usually looking straight ahead or up. I rarely use sink tips or weighted flies with the floater. That 20-pounder from last month came on a totally floating line setup, and the take came where a wadeable reef drops off into substantially deeper (overhead) water. Not surprisingly, the bass found my fly near the surface.
A late but hearty and heartfelt thank you to the Basil Woods TU chapter from central New Hampshire for hosting me via Zoom last Thursday! I presented my original “The Little Things” to a very enthusiastic group. More and more fly fishing clubs and TU chapters are taking advantage of technologies like Zoom to hire guest speakers like me. If you’re outside reasonable driving distance, you can do the same. For more information on programs, visit my Presentation Menu page here.
Here’s a brief Q&A segment from post-show. Q: Do you arrive at the river rigged for streamers or do you start with emergers? A: It depends. Sometimes I make up my mind well in advance that I’m going to fish a specific method, consequences be damned. For example, there are days in the winter when I’ve decided that I’m going to fish streamers solely because I’m willing to risk catching one large trout — I hope — rather than a bunch of smaller ones. Or maybe I just don’t feel like nymphing. There are times in the spring and summer when I’ll plan to swing wets, and then, as the hatch moves out of the emerger stage, switch to dries. Other times I’ll get on a nymphing kick, and that’s how I’m going to fish — simply because that’s what I feel like doing. So, fish the method that pleases you most. And know that if you want to catch more fish, you’ll need to be fluid in your choice of methods as conditions and time of day/year dictate.
Here’s a question from long-time reader Bill G: There have been big blitzes on the Cape, but I’m not getting hookups. Do you recommend a floating line for fishing blitzes?
As with many questions, there are simple answers — and complex ones, too. The simple answer is: yes. With a floating line, I can mend, so I have more control over current and my presentation. I can present at the surface, near the surface, or deep (depending on leader length, type, and fly weight/structure/materials); and I can present on a dead drift, the swing; or strip. As with many questions I get about lines/leaders/flies, you must first answer the question, “What do you want the fly to do?” — and go from there.
Which brings us to the subject of blitzes. In the abstract, blitzes are good. You’ve got a concentration of bait and bass, so the mystery of where are the stripers and what are they eating has been eliminated. Sometimes, it’s too easy: all you need to do is toss a fly into the maelstrom and you’re on. But we’ve all experienced the frustration of fishing a blitz where we can’t buy a strike. Line type is important, but there are other factors to consider as well.
I’ve had success during blitzes with both floating lines and full sink lines — but the one time I recall using a full sink, it was because it was so windy, and that was the easiest line to cast. Thanks, Bill, for the great question, and I hope this helped.
Folks, I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to post any fishing reports. That’s due entirely to the fact that I haven’t been fishing, which we all know is just plain wrong…or as my son Gordo would say, “that’s messed up.” It’s not going to get fixed this weekend, either. But…
…I will have some news to share with you next week about an event I’m participating in this fall. I’m really excited about it, and I think you’ll be, too. Sorry for the cliffhanger, but duty calls elsewhere. In the meantime, tight lines, sparse flies, floating lines, and let’s keep those fish wet.
Just a couple of photos from the recent White Fly action to entertain you on a Friday. Enjoy the weekend and please do a rain dance!
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