Tag Archives: Farmington River guide

Many thanks to EJTU for hosting me, and the question of the day (with a better answer!)

On Wednesday night I spoke to the East Jersey Trout Unlimited group about wet flies — specifically, getting into wet fly fishing, with the program title being “Wet Flies 101.” What a great group, very involved audience, and a gratifying turnout. The passion this group has for fly fishing is very evident. I’m already looking forward to coming back, especially if I can start the evening off with a burger and an IPA at ReBar just a few minutes away.

During the post-presentation Q&A, I was asked a really good question. I didn’t like my answer, and it bothered me all the way home. I’d like to represent the question, and give what I think is a much better answer.

Q: You say when you’re swinging wets, you have to wait a few seconds before you set the hook or you’ll lose the fish. How come when you’re nymphing you need to set the hook right away? A: I don’t know if this is a definitive answer, but I can tell you my best calculated guess. When you’re swinging or dangling a wet fly downstream in current, you’re fishing a tight line. There’s tension present. And then, you have a moving fish applying force, and then quickly changing the direction of that force. My advice to clients is to feel the hit, ask the question, “Are you still there?” and then set the hook. Do that, and the fish essentially hooks itself. When you’re nymphing, the fish behaves differently. It doesn’t rise from the depths, then turn and swim a few feet back down to the bottom. It’s typically feeding on station, near the bottom, perhaps not moving much at all, or maybe just a few inches. It sees your nymph, opens its mouth, and eats the fly. It’s a far more passive transaction. Setting the hook forcefully downstream seals the deal before the trout can reject the fly (if it does that at all). When you’re nymphing, you can still catch fish without setting — we’ve all had instances when we’re not paying attention and we manage to hook and land the fish regardless — but setting the hook had and fast will certainly result in more trout to net.

Do this when nymphing — a downstream set with a low, hard sweep — and your catch rate will soar. Hooksets are free, so look for a reason to set the hook on every drift!

Farmington River Flows Update: Public Hearing Friday March 8, and we need your help now

The CT State Legislature is holding a public hearing on the Farmington River flow situation this Friday, March 8. All interested parties are invited to submit oral or written testimony to be entered into the public record. The deadline to register is Thursday, March 7 at 3pm. This is your chance to make an impact!

The following is taken from the Farmington River Anglers Association website and has everything you need to know. Let’s get to it, people!

“Establishing an optimum flow regime in the Upper Farmington River remains one of our top priorities.

To this end, House Bill 5355 – AN ACT CONCERNING CONSERVATION OF CERTAIN WATERS OF THE UPPER FARMINGTON RIVER, will receive a public hearing on Friday, March 8 starting at 11 a.m. I encourage you to submit written and/or oral testimony. If you testify orally (in-person or Zoom) it should be accompanied by written testimony. The deadline to register is Thursday, March 7 at 3 pm.

Submit oral testimony here.

Submit written testimony here.

(Make sure to pick date March 8th. Then In the Bill field pick Bill HB05355.)

You can watch the meeting live on youtube here:”

From early June, 2023. The water should be up past Michael’s knees, not just above his ankles. Help us end ridiculously low, unnecessary, harmful flows like this.

From the archives: How to build a wet fly leader for a team of three flies

This old post tells you everything you need to know about building a team of three for wet flies. Well, almost everything. Looking back at the directions and diagram, I see how my leader formula has evolved. For starters, the tags should be a minimum of 6″, not 4″-6″. Certainly that old 4-6″ length works, but for me, the current sweet spot is probably more like 6″-7″. Next, the spacing between flies should be 24″-30″, not 18″-24″. My current thinking is that 18″ is too close. My current leaders are probably closer to the flies being 30″ apart, which I believe allows you to cover more water and achieve great depth. I almost always use a 3x tapered leader section for the butt. And no, I don’t use tippet rings.

Here’s the link to the post.

She of the many pounds and bright pink band who fell for one of the flies on a three fly team.

Small Stream Report 2/27/24: The kids are all right

I didn’t really have the time yesterday, but since my default setting is when in doubt, go fishing, I did. The venue was a small woodland stream, and the time frame was 3:45pm-5:30pm. It was mostly cloudy and very warm for February, with a water temp of 48 degrees. The stream was running medium-low and clear. No hatch activity, although I did see one lonesome sz 600 midge flitting about.

I’ve written before that I’m a massive creature of habit, but on this outing I decided to explore about 100 yards of new water. I was glad I did, as that turned out to be my most productive stretch. I fished mostly subsurface with the Squirmy Worm Jiggy Thingy, but I did get a hysterical swing and miss on a bushy dry for the 5 minutes I fished it. All told, I pricked about 18 and brought probably a third of them to hand. I did catch the same beautifully spotted hen I took in January at the same hole. She really clobbered the fly.

A few of my favorite things: a cigar, a glass rod, and a small stream, and if I can get them all at once that’s even better. What a glorious day to play hooky for a few hours and lose myself in a babbling brook.

TGIF Edition: Speaking at Yale, new Surfcasters Journal article, and exciting news teaser

Happy Friday, and and it’s a TGIF kind of day around currenseams HQ. It was a busier than normal week, what with two road hockey weekday games for #3 son Gordo and all the other stuff I’ve got going on.

On Tuesday night, I spoke and taught to the Yale Fishing Club. The Club is run by my good friend and paddle board angler extraordinaire Sean Callinan, and I’m always stoked to be able to teach the next generation of fly anglers. The subject matter was small streams, something near and dear to me, and we devoted plenty of time to preserving and protecting the resource. We finished by tying the Squirmy Worm Jig, which is both easy and highly effective. Many thanks again to the group for hosting me, and the pizza was swell, too!

Class is now in session!

I’m putting the finishing touches on a new article for Surfcasters Journal. It will be a little different in that it is story oriented, rather than how-to. It’s going to put a smile on your face when you read it. Of course, I’ll let you know when it comes out.

Finally, I just received some very exciting news that’s so big, it deserves its own post. My apologies for the teaser. I’m hoping to be able to share next week. I hope some of you are getting out to fish!

Currentseams Q&A: Wet fly leaders and fly choices

Welcome to a snow day edition of Currentseams Q&A. Yesterday I received an email from Bill who’d heard me on the Orvis Podcast How to Swing Soft Hackle Wet Flies with Steve Culton. His questions — and my answers — may be of interest to you. And here they are.

Q: Do you ever use the Rio Versileaders with differing sink rates when fishing wets?  I have used the 1.5 inches per second w some success but wanted to get your thoughts. Am I better off just adjusting sink rate by the size of the point fly? A: I do not. I adjust my sink rate and depth by adding weight to the point fly in the form of a brass or, most frequently, a tungsten bead. (Of course, strategic mends with a floating line are an important part of the process.) Sometimes I add weight, usually a single split shot, to the leader. That’s simply how I do it, and it works for me. I don’t know if you’re better off using my system — if you’re fishing happy with your Versileader, and your flies are where you want them, and the fish are eating them, that’s what I’d recommend. Confidence catches fish.

This is nymphing, but as with wet flies, if you’re hooking up, you’re fishing at the right depth.

Q: If you are on an a new stream with no intel, what is your go-to 3 fly set up? (Do you look under rocks first and just match size of nymphs?) I know where he’s going with this. Is there a default wet fly setup that works everywhere? Maybe, but that’s not how I would approach the problem. My go-to wet fly setup would be three bugs that I think are most likely to be hatching or present in the current system. This would vary from season to season, time of day, and certainly by geographical region. For example, if it’s summer in southern New England at noon, I might go with a caddis, a terrestrial, and an Isonychia-type on point. If it were the same region in the evening, I might switch out the terrestrial for a creamy mayfly. And of course, I would be watching for any kind of hatch or rise activity for clues. Then I’d have intel, plus whatever the fish were telling me. Remember, droppers are the fastest way to find out what the fish want. The looking under the rocks solution is also a good one.

Q: I don’t tie.  Recommendations for high quality wets? I wish I could give you a name or a place, but sadly I don’t have one. A good wet fly selection is hard to find these days, which is why I always recommend that wet fly aficionados learn to tie. I sometimes do custom orders, but right now I am not taking any orders for a few months. Your best bet is to do an internet search and see what you can find. Good luck!

Chances are slim that you’ll find LaFontaine’s Diving Caddis in tan, size 14, at your local fly shop. If you learn to tie your own, you’ll have a constant supply.

It’s action time! Help put an end to all this Farmington River flow crap.

Get out your email writing hats, folks. State Representative Mark Anderson is requesting that two bills be raised that will give us the consistent flows we deserve. The determination may come as early as next week, so let’s hop to it. You need to send an email to four legislators on the Environment Committee with the power to make this happen. They are:

Joseph.Gresko@cga.ct.gov

Rick.Lopes@cga.ct.gov

Patrick.Callahan@housegop.ct.gov

Stephen.Harding@cga.ct.gov

Representative Joseph Gresko, Chairperson, Senator Rick Lopes, Chairperson, Senator Stephen Harding, Ranking Member, Representative Patrick Callahan, Ranking Member

Here’s a sample letter. Please adjust it as you see fit.  It’s best if you put it in your own words and add as much detail as to how the flow affects your use of the river. 

“Please raise for a public hearing two bills that have been proposed to the Environment Committee to address erratic flows in the Upper Farmington River. This nationally renowned and federally-designated Wild and Scenic River begins below the MDC’s Goodwin Dam in Hartland and flows for 15 miles through Barkhamsted, New Hartford, and Collinsville (Canton). Less than two miles upriver of this dam is the Colebrook River Dam which is a flood control dam owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Currently, the USACE will only release (or hold back releases) when requested to do so by the MDC. 

The first bill requires the MDC to make requests for releases from the Colebrook River Dam, as necessary, to maintain the flow of water in the West Branch of the Farmington River at or above a rate determined to be a sufficient minimum flow rate by DEEP.

The second bill directs DEEP to oversee an update to the Farmington River Instream Flow Study last completed in 1992, which is linked here:

http://www.farmingtonriver.org/application/files/9814/7699/4131/FmgtnRiverInstreamFlowStudySum.pdf

Updating this study will provide information to determine the best flow regime for the Upper Farmington River to support its ecological health and recreational flows in light of changes in climate, as well as recent changes to state and pending changes to federal regulations governing the water in Colebrook River Reservoir.

Thank you for considering these two bills. 

Sincerely, 

Name 

Town “

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I gotta go write an email…

Happy Monday and the current currentseams situation

I’ve always tried to make currentseams worthy of your time. My goal has been to make three posts a week, all original content, stuff that you can’t get anywhere else. I know, sometimes in winter currentseams feels like the very big Steve Culton promotional machine, but after all, it is show season, and I like to keep you up to date on what I’m doing and where because you might want to catch a good presentation. It benefits everyone, yes?

So: right now, we’re in the process of getting our house ready for sale. Happy-happy-fun-joy, all the packing and organizing and culling and painting and cleaning we’re doing. As you can imagine, this leaves less time for fishing and writing. But the good news is it’s only temporary. Normally this time of year I get into a writing and content wheelhouse. That’s going into a holding pattern. I’ll still be posting, but it may not be three times a week. My current thinking is that some of those posts may be revisits of good stuff from the archives. I’m guessing that many of my readers haven’t seen some of the older published articles, or some of the wet fly series I’ve done, just to name a couple. If the planets align and I go fishing, I’ll surely let you know. I appreciate both your patience and your readership.

It’s all got to get packed up. And this just the tip of the iceberg.

On a positive local fishing note, the Farmington River is finally down to an angler-friendly level. Moderate weather is forecast through the week, so it’s a good time to take advantage if you’re not stuck inside packing up your house. I would think that nymphing would be the most productive method. Try an attractor like an egg or a junk fly on the bottom with a tiny soft-hackle dropper or midge pattern above. No need to be fishing at first light — let the water temp come up and enjoy a leisurely afternoon on the water. And of course, there’s always the streamer option…enjoy!

Edison Fly Fishing Show 2024: Best show ever?

I always have a good time at the Fly Fishing Show. But looking back at this year’s Edison show, it might have been my favorite — ever. I think it’s because I reconnected with so many old friends, strengthened some newer friendships, and had more first-time meetings. I gave away and traded a bunch of flies. My classes drew well, and I had some impressive crowds for my talks. Oh. I also bought stuff — some I wanted, some I needed, all of it putting a smile on my face. Here’s my show experience in pictures.

I knew Jeff Currier was an exceptional angler. I didn’t know that he’s one of the best — really — on the planet. I’ve been saying hi to and chatting with Jeff and his significant other, Granny, at these shows for a couple years, but at Marlborough I spent more time hanging out, getting to know him, and giving him some wet flies. At Edison, I gave him some smallmouth flies to try, and I bought one of his mugs. You see, in addition to being a world-class angler, Jeff is also a talented artist. The mug isn’t for coffee. I’m going to put it on my fly tying bench and use it as a stash container. (I bought the striped bass mug, not pictured.) I also picked up a new chest pack for guiding on the Farmington, the Umpqua Overlook, and some zingers and a fly box and some spiffy new Dr. Slick nippers that are way too expensive for nippers — but they look so damn good. Reviews on all to come.
I also picked up Joe Cordero’s new flatwing book, Colors In The Current. You can get it from his website, and I will be reviewing here in the future. Here’s Joe signing my copy. Speaking of signing, I also finally got Ed Engle to sign my copy of Trout Lessons, and Landon Mayer to sign my copy of The Hunt For Giant Trout. Yes, I’m a total fan boy. Dang! I missed George Daniel.
Not a bad lineup to bat leadoff. I had a nearly packed house for my Friday talk, Modern Wet Fly Strategies. The 9:45am slot is the first seminar of the day, and it can be a tough draw. At 9:30am, the room was empty save for me. I needn’t have worried. A trickle became a steady stream, and 15 minutes later I had another strong audience. If you came out to see me, I want to thank you. I’m truly grateful for your attendance and your enthusiasm.
Jonny King as featured fly tyer. I always tell people to come say hello on the river or at these shows, and I was delighted by the number of people who did so at Edison. Jonny was one of them, and now I have a new friend. Author John Field, whom I’ve spoken to, but never met, also tracked me down. He said he’d tried to get my attention earlier, but I hadn’t heard his shouts. Rats! I’m hearing impaired, and on a busy show floor, even with my hearing aid, a lot of audio information gets lost. So If I breeze on by, my apologies, and please don’t take it personally. I probably never heard you.
Dinner time in Edison means a trip to my favorite Chinese restaurant, Shanghai Dumpling. It doesn’t get much more authentic than this. Tim Flagler turned me on to it a few years back, and I always get and extra order or two to bring home. Besides the dumplings, the spicy pork Udon is the bomb.
We all like spending money on shiny new gear, but classes are a much better investment if you want to become a better angler. Thank you so much to the keen students and enthusiastic anglers who took this class and my wet fly class on Saturday. Fish on!
All good things must end, so I left the show the way I started it: at the Blue Quill Angler booth. Pat Dorsey and Chris Steinbeck, on the bookends L and R, have become good friends. They let me park my stuff at their booth when I wanted to wander the floor, and I’m grateful for that. I got to know Landon Mayer better at Marlborough and this show — we trade flies like kids trade baseball cards — and he is an exceptional tier and so enthusiastic about fly fishing. I wish I was heading out west some time soon to see my friends and fish, but that will have to wait. So I’ll console myself with a little Colorado dreaming…and chuckle at Pat and Landon Bogarting my wet fly presentation board.

Back from the Edison Fly Fishing Show, and CFFA Show this weekend

What a fantastic show! This past weekend in Edison, I reconnected with old friends, made some new ones, bought some stuff I really needed (no, really!), walked the floors, took in some tying demos and bits of seminars, lead a couple seminars, taught two classes, and had about as much fun fly fishing as you can without actually being on the river. I’ll be giving you a more detailed report later this week — in the meantime, here I am converting the masses to the ancient and traditional art of the wet fly.

A tremendous start to Edison 2024! It’s always gratifying to speak to a larger audience, and the size of the crowd that came to see me present my seminar “Modern Wet Fly Strategies” at 10:15am Friday morning was a wonderful sight to behold. Thanks so much if you took the time to see me, and kudos to you for looking to expand your knowledge base. Fly fishing show seminars are included in the price of your ticket, and are the perfect way to see experts and discover new methods, tactics, and strategies. Photo by Landon Mayer.

Speaking of shows, this Saturday, Feb. 3, is the “best little fly fishing show around.” Yes, it’s the CFFA Show, 9am-3pm, at Nomads in South Windsor. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to attend, but there will be other tyers and speakers and the usual assortment of vendors. I’ll see you there next year. In the meantime, you can make sure you don’t miss any of my appearances by following currentseams or following me on Instagram @stevecultonflyfishing. See you out and about or on the river.