Farmington River Report 3/16/16: Ah, ah, ah, ah, stayin’ alive.

I had the good fortune to spend several hours in the permanent TMA today, and what the catching lacked in numbers was more than made up for in overall size. Three trout, one mid-teens wild brown, and two high teens Survivor Strain browns. You can always tell when you have a substantial fish on from the head shaking and the sulking along the bottom — and if those fish are stream-born or long-term residents, they come even less quietly.  The water was cool, clear, and running about 480cfs. Midges, early grey stones, and some un-IDed spinners about a 16-18. And, lest we forget, a magnificent Casa Fernandez Toro from Miami.

What the hellgrammite? I fished him out of the water as he was making his way downstream. As General Patton would say, you are one ugly sonuvabitch.

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All my fish today came on the top dropper, a size 14 Hare-and-Copper variant (you can see the fly here). This was my second Survivor Strain and the last fish of the day. No mistaking the takes today, as the indicator went under hard each time.

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Stayin’ alive. You can identify a Survivor Strain brown from its clipped adipose fin.

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Off you go. One of the more satisfying aspects of landing a nice fish is giving it the opportunity to swim away. When next we meet…because I know where you live.

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About that steelhead report from last November…

Yeah, I know. It’s early March. Maybe I was subconsciously trying to forget the worst November since I started this madness. To tell the story in numbers: 5 days, 3 fish. And I felt like I was doing well. Day 1: one touch, one fish landed. Day 2: one touch, one fish landed. Day 3: 0-for-3, including a foul that I broke off. Back up for more abuse two weeks later. Day 4: 0-for-2, including another foul I disengaged. Day 5: one touch, one landed. Here are a few photos to keep you entertained.

I go on a tying binge the few weeks before a trip. Here’s my stash for the second one. You’ll recognize the usual suspects, but I added a few new (for me) patterns into the rotation, including a Montana Stone variant and Barber’s Chartreuse Head Stone.

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 Semi-chrome from day two, my favorite fish from both trips. After blanking the entire morning, I hiked out to find some solitude, and hopefully some action. I came upon several steelhead holding in smaller water, but they had no interest in what I was selling. Not too far away was a location that I’d had success in before, albeit in much higher water. I channeled my inner ninja and crept up on the hole. Third cast. 60 Second Redhead. Life was good.

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A variant of Jimmy Hunnicutt’s Blood on the Waters. This may seem like far too noble a fly to fish under an indicator, but I loved its energy, and I needed a little magic. I’d like to tell you that the fly produced on this occasion, but alas, it is resting comfortably somewhere on the bottom of the Wire Hole as you read this.

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Can you tell who was catching the most fish? Cam was my fishing buddy for the last two days. We both blanked on the first one, but that night, Cam announced that he had a good feeling about tomorrow. What prescience! He landed four fish that second day. And now he’s a real steelheader, having lost his first steelhead (after going 5-for-5 over his previous three trips). 

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More rock snot in the Farmington

The Didymo hits just keep on coming. It’s all over the local media, but in case you missed it, here’s the story that appeared in this morning’s Courant.

While the news is discouraging, the sky has not yet fallen. If you fish the Farmington River, please use safe wading practices and common sense. I have a dedicated pair of boots and waders for the Farmington. If you don’t want to go to those lengths, be sure to clean/dry your gear before you venture elsewhere. You can learn more about preventing the spread of Didymo by doing an internet search.

Fred says: “A new species of rock snot? That blows.” This photo was taken well downstream of the invasive algae blooms.

Wild Farmy Brown 7/29/15

Farmington River Report 3/8/16: Enough to keep me interested

I fished multiple locations today above and within the permanent TMA. The purpose of my forays above were to see if I could locate some pods of recent wards of the state. Those efforts were a failure, unless you count one brown, a delicious cigar, 60-degree March sunshine, and not working to be the benchmarks of success. Wait. Hold on a minute here. I may need to recalibrate my thinking…

The fishing today was mostly streamers, save for about a half-hour of nymphing. Nothing on nymphs, but given the water I fished, I wasn’t surprised. The trout have not yet spread out into the faster sections. All my action today came in slower, deeper pools and runs. They liked the Hi-Liter and the Deep Threat in olive/grey. The lone fresh stockee I caught took the Hi-Liter as it was wallowing in the current below me; the other more seasoned residents came on very slow retrieves in fairly deep water, some of it over-head deep. The flow was 480cfs, 40 degree water temperature. Lots of active early grey stones, sz 14-16. Nothing rising to them.

It was mobbed for a Tuesday in early March. If you’re heading out over the next few days, gird your loins. It may look more like a weekend in late April. Perhaps the warmer weather will get the bite going. Every angler I spoke to today reported little to no action. Thanks to those who struck up conversions and introduced themselves. It’s always a pleasure meeting people who read my stuff or follow currentseams.

Is it me or are we missing an R?

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A new Facebook page for Currentseams

My original Facebook page was called “Steve Culton’s Currentseams.” It was supposed to be my fly fishing-only Facebook presence. What happened is that friends and family and former co-workers glommed onto it — not that I minded so much — but I never wanted there to be discussions about the next family party or links to cat videos on my fishing site.

That old Facebook page is now simply “Steve Culton.” If you friended me there for fly fishing purposes, you’ll want to not go there anymore, since I won’t be posting any fly fishing stuff there.

Instead, there’s a new “Steve Culton’s Currentseams.” You can find it here. Do me a favor and like it. (We like likes at currentseams.)

Please note: not everything that gets posted on currentseams gets posted on Facebook. This site is still the only place for all things currentseams.

Sorry for any confusion, and thanks for your continued readership and support.

Now that we got that straightened out, everyone’s happy.

Have a nice day

 

Ken Abrames returns online

Many of you have been wondering, “What happened to Ken Abrames’ Stripermoon website?” Well, the old forum is no more.

Ken has moved on to two Facebook pages. The first is called JK Abrames Stripermoon, and you can find it here.

The second is called Stripermoon Blog. That is located here.

Please join me in welcoming Ken’s return to the web.

Hello, old friend.

Ken Abrames Portrait

 

Writing, fishing, tying, guiding, presenting

The currentseams.com headquarters is humming today. Here’s what’s going on.

To start, I’ve made a few small changes to the site’s format. I’ve added a “Book a guided trip/contact me” link along the masthead. You’ll find my email and my phone number within. These are the best ways to start a conversation with me. Please don’t try to book a trip or request an order of flies in the comments section of a random thread. I really appreciate your cooperation on this. I’ve also added a link to the Compleat Angler to the right sidebar. Scott and his team have always been good to me, and I’ll bet they’ll be good to you, too.

Speaking of guided trips, my spring calendar is beginning to fill up. Weekends generally aren’t good for me in the spring; so if you want to get out with me, try to have a few weekday options in mind. Half-days are four hours, and a good way to spend some quality time on the water.

The word machine continues to roll. Look for articles in American Angler, Field & Stream, Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide,the  J. Stockard blog, and more in the near future.

A new currentseams Facebook page is coming. My original page was intended solely as a fishing-related endeavor. However, family and friends have glommed onto it, so I need to create a fishing business only page. If you’re a current fishing friend on Facebook, be on the lookout for the new page (I’ll announce it here) as the old one will no longer have any angling content.

Dagnabbit, I owe you all some videos, both tying and Q&A. I beg your patience. All good things to those…etc.

‘Tis the season for winding down on presentations. That can only mean good fishing weather approacheth! I’m looking forward to the Fly Fishers’ Club of Harrisburg’s annual banquet on April 8th.

Finally, we’re getting close to the magic number of 400 official currentseams.com followers. As usual, we’ll be doing a fly goodie bag giveaway. Thank you again for your readership and support.

As they say on M*A*S*H, “That is all.”

I’ve been on a saltwater tying kick. It’s been a long time since I tackled some bigger flawings, so tying those Rock Islands (foreground) felt like reuniting with an old flame. Here’s to a  stronger herring run this year!

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Another fun Saturday at the Compleat Angler

Many thanks to the Compleat Angler in Darien, CT, for once again being such gracious hosts. A comfortable, well-lit setup, and Scott and crew know how to keep a tyer happy (turkey, provolone, lettuce and a little bit of mayo on a hard roll). If you’ve never been to the shop, it is very well-stocked, from rods and reels and lines, to books and tying supplies. Highly recommended.

It goes without saying (but we’ll do it anyway): thanks also to everyone who took the time to come watch and ask questions. You made my day an enjoyable one.

Implements of destruction and the resulting construction. Clockwise from bottom left: Orange Ruthless, Soft-hackled grass shrimp, Ray’s Fly, September Night, Herr Blue, Big Eelie.

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“Bill Peabody’s Flat-Wing Patterns”

A few years ago, Capt. Ray Stachelek gave me a copy of an article Bill Peabody had written in the May-June 1998 issue of Fly Fishing In Salt Waters. I mentioned it here, then mostly forgot about it. A few weeks ago, one of you asked if I could share the piece. With my Compleat Angler flatwing demo tomorrow, this seemed like a good time to do it.

Below is a pdf of “Bill Peabody’s Flat-Wing Patterns.” The quality is as good as I can make it, this being photos of a photocopy. I want to be clear that I did not write this piece. Bill Peabody did.  Enjoy!

Bill Peabody’s Flat-Wing Patterns

My rendition of Bill Peabody’s Flat-Wing Bay Smelt. The fly has not yet been shaped under water.

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Farmington River Report 2/23/16: Laughter in the rain

For once this winter I guessed right that a lousy weather report would keep most anglers home. I find it generally unbearable when the temperature is in the mid-thirties and it’s raining, but when you’re catching, elements-induced misery somehow slides to the rear.

Winter nymphing on the Farmington this season has been as predictable as Donald Trump’s hair. The fish are in the usual pools, then concentrated within certain sub-areas of those pools. Get your fly into those sub-areas, and you’re an instant expert. Miss them by a few feet, and you’re Baron Von Blankenstein. Today I had a prime spot; the angler across from me did not. We fished the same general area, but I out-caught him 6:1. (This has nothing to do with ability and everything to do with real estate.)

I started with a size 12 BHSHPT on the bottom and a size 18 midge-type on top dropper. They loved the PT. After I lost my rig, I re-tied with a size 14 Hare and Copper and took two more on that. It rained on and off; five minutes into one of the heavier spells the fish put on the feed bag; sadly, it only lasted for about ten minutes. The permanent TMA was running 340cfs, clear, and cold, although I expect the levels and clarity are changing dramatically as I write this.

On the menu today: creamy micro-midges and W/S caddis.

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