Tag Archives: Farmington River guide

Erie Tribs Report: The Quest for 200 (Part 1)

I don’t normally count fish. But steelhead are a special case. They can be hard to find, hard to hook, and hard to land. You can do everything right, and still lose the fish. So every one you bring to the hoop and safely release is to be savored, even treasured.

Last Friday morning found me on Elk Creek in western PA at first light. The tally at that point was 175. I figured that 200 might be in reach on this three-day trip, and that five on day one would be reasonable. (In retrospect, it’s a little foolish to plan on catching a certain number of steelhead. You just never know what stream conditions, the elements, or the fish will throw at you.) I was flying solo, and got to the creek early enough to secure a prime mark. Within ten minutes, I was one-for-one. Then things slowed. I worked down the run and bagged another, a shiny fresh hen just in from the lake. Then nothing. By now the sun was up and I could clearly see into the tailout. It looked barren.

Every substrate is different, and ever-changing light also affects how well you can spot fish. As you can see, steelhead are masters at adapting their coloration to the environment. Sometimes you see them; sometimes you don’t. Learning to determine where they might be holding in any given condition, especially when you can’t see them, goes a long way toward improving your catch rate. I fished a couple pools and runs that certainly must have held fish — except they didn’t. At least not on that day and hour. If you’re not catching and you’re not snagging the bottom, you’re not fishing deep enough. And if you are fishing deep enough, and you’re not fouling a fish or two, there probably aren’t any steelhead in the pool. I lost many a rig in one indescribably sexy pool without a single hookup. But once I found the fish, it was go time.

Since another angler had jumped into my original spot, I decided to take a chance and walk upstream. As I neared some prime water, a guide materialized from the river banks to deter me from slipping in below his client. I gave them both a friendly wave, and announced that I had no intention of crowding them. This put everyone at ease, and I struck up a conversation with Glen, the client, and T (dagnabbit, I forget his name) the guide. Cigars were offered, flies and pleasantries exchanged, and before you know it I was fishing in a nifty slot above their pool. Funny how kindness and politeness goes a long way!

Friday was a tricky day. Whether due to pressure or other environmental factors, the steelhead went through stretches where they just would not eat. I got pretty good at recognizing early if a fish was fouled, and at taking steps to quickly de-hook the fish. I did land every fair-hooked fish, and on a challenging day where many anglers reported slow-to-no action, I was delighted to land eight steelhead. Many thanks to Glen for taking net duty, then this photo.
Glen’s on! I can’t say enough kind words about Glen and T, who were kind, matey, and so generous with their water. In a matter of minutes, it was as if we were all old fishing buddies . You can see the different colored strata on the stream bed. The basic rule of thumb on a creek like this is to fish in the dark water, and near the edge of ledges. I hooked up several times by targeting a deeper, darker slot just downstream of a ledge. I’d toss my rig onto the ledge upstream, then let it drift down into the hole. If there was a player steelhead holding there, it would eat the egg fly the moment it dropped off the ledge.

I gave myself a hard stop of 1:30pm. I had to drive to OH to pick up Cam at college. Tomorrow, we’d be fishing in OH with a guide, and I wanted to be rested and ready. 183. We’re getting there.

Take my class, “Tying & Fishing Wet Flies with Steve Culton” at the Fly Fishing Show, Sunday, Jan 7, 8:30am-11am

Class-wise, I’m doing things a little differently this year at The Fly Fishing Shows. Rather than a fly tying-centric class, I’ve decided to turn this into the closest thing we can get to an actual lesson on the water! I’m really excited about the change, and I think everyone attending the class will get a lot more out of it. So, instead of sitting on a picnic table bench next to the Farmington River, we’ll gather in a cozy meeting room and learn all about tying and fishing wet flies. If you’ve ever wanted to fish with me, but have been unable to do so, this will be a great opportunity to get some quality instruction.

Why is this angler smiling? Because he’s smarter than the fish…and because he’s wet fly fishing.

My plan is to offer a combination of video and real-time demos. I’ll demo-tie some wet flies so you can see what goes into building an effective soft-hackle, wingless wet, and winged wet, from construction to materials; demonstrate how to build a traditional three fly team; show you how to prevent that rig from tangling; talk about essential wet fly gear and tackle; and more. Of course, you’re going to want to learn how to present wet flies and catch more fish. Yep, we’re going to cover that, too.

Why can’t trout resist soft hackles like these? Find out at my class, “Tying and Fishing Wet Flies with Steve Culton, Sunday, Jan 7, 8:30am-11am.

Wet flies have been fooling fish for hundreds of years, and the fish aren’t getting any smarter. Learn the ancient and traditional art of the wet fly, and you too can become a dangerous fish-catching machine.

You must sign up for this class in advance. You can only do that on the Fly Fishing Show website, here.

Steve Culton schedule for Marlborough Fly Fishing Show, Jan 5-6-7

Let’s start here: the 2024 Marlborough Fly Fishing Show happens earlier this time around! It’s the first full weekend in January, right after the new year. It’s going to come up fast, so get ready. Friday, January 5, Saturday January 6, and Sunday January 7. I’ve got a busy schedule, so there will be plenty of opportunities to see me speak or take a class.

Friday, January 5, 2:30pm, Featured Fly Tier, main show floor: Guide Wet Flies. I’ll be demoing some of my favorite soft hackles, wingless, and winged wets. These are all guide flies — that is, they are quick, simple ties, that are consistent producers. I’ll be tying at least one pattern you haven’t seen.

Friday, January 5, 4:30pm, Seminar, Release Room: Hot Bronze — Wade Fly Fishing for Summer Smallmouth. This is new and updated with fresh video and lessons learned.

Saturday, January 5, 8:30am – 11am, Class: Beyond Cast & Strip: Presentation Flies for Striped Bass. This class covers traditional New England-style bucktails, soft-hackles, and flatwings, and how to fish them. Sparse flies that look alive even when at rest. Steve will demo some patterns — this is not a tying class. All Levels.  Click HERE for more info and to register.

Sunday, January 7, 8:30am – 11am, Class: 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. This is not a tying class. All levels.  Click HERE for more info and to register.

I don’t have a Destination Theater schedule yet, but when that comes out I’ll share it. Since the classes are a little different this year, I’ll be devoting a post to each of them in the future. The Fly Fishing Show is a wonderful opportunity to meet and greet and improve with some of the best fly anglers in the country — not to mention find all kinds of gear and hard-to-find tying supplies. I’m hoping to see you there!

Farmington River Report 11/28/23: Andy and Ross officially deemed members of the frozen chosen

I haven’t done a winter lesson in years, which is too bad. Winter can be a great time to fish the Farmington, especially if you like walking into any hole you damn well please because no one else is fishing. OK, so it’s not always like that, but with Monday’s cold front coming through — the mercury dropped 13 degrees in a matter of 10 minutes — and Tuesday’s forecast for gusty winds and snow showers — anglers were few and far between.

We fished from 11am-3pm, a good winter window. The method was drop-shot nymphing under an indicator, two-fly dropper system. The first mark was a popular spot within the PTMA. We had it all to ourselves for a half hour, then two more anglers showed up. The four of us managed one take in an hour, so I made the decision to head up to Riverton, where we’d find lover flows (PTMA was about 500cfs, Riverton 250cfs) and warmer water.

We also had solitude. The angler fishing 100 yards downstream from us left after 20 minutes. We stuck two fish at the the first place, one on the first cast, but then the action slowed. With 45 minutes left in our session, we moved upstream a quarter mile. Both Andy and Ross connected here, too, but sadly both trout wriggled off. With ice in the guides and the sun falling farther below the tree line, we called it a day.

Both Andy and Ross made significant, noticeable improvements over the course of the session, from casting to presentation. Lessons that bear repeating: it’s a bunch of little things that draw the line between fishing and catching. Drag-free drifts, false positives that let us know our flies are on the bottom, line management and mends, and especially looking for a reason to set the hook on every drift are all crucial to success. Well done, Andy and Ross!

I was so into the teaching thing that I didn’t get any shots of the lads in action. Here’s a sample of some of the bugs were were using.

Finally, a reminder that I do guide year-round. If you want to take advantage of reduced angler traffic, a winter lesson — it really is a different game than spring-fall-summer — will start you on the way.

Some TGIF Odds & Ends

Hot on the heels of the International Fly Tying Symposium, I made an overnight run to the Salmon River in Pulaski. I left Tuesday afternoon and was back home by 9pm Wednesday. I’ll post a more detailed report soon, but I ran the middle river with Row Jimmy. We had decent action in the mid-to-late morning, but then the bite tailed off and I had to be content with four in the hoop.

Another satisfied customer. I like the transparency of the tail on this one.

If you won flies from the 1k Followers contest, and you’re wondering where they are, I’ll tell you. I haven’t tied them yet. You have my apologies for the delay, and you’ll be pleased to know that it’s on my sooner-rather-than later list of things to do.

In the striped bass management world, ASMFC is soliciting public comment on Draft Addendum 2 to Amendment 7. Your participation and comment is important, so look for a post from me soon with my thoughts and the ASGA’s party line on the subject. We need to keep hammering ASMFC until they get it.

I’m still guiding if you’re interested in a late fall/early winter outing. This can be a very productive time to fish. Not to mention it’s less crowded!

Finally, my latest article for Surfcasters Journal should drop any day now. When it does, I’ll let you know.

2023 International Fly Tying Symposium Redux

My second Symposium is in the books, and like last year, I had a most wonderful time. Saturday was the busiest of the two days, both in terms of my schedule and attendees. After getting set up and saying my pre-show hellos, I tied up a storm before my noon seminar.

What an honor to be included in this slate of presenters. I was thrilled that my seminar was one of the better-attended talks for the weekend. If you were in the audience, thanks so much for coming, and I applaud the group for having so many excellent questions. I had to scoot to my 1pm wet fly tying class, which went very well. It’s always easy to teach people who are curious and enthusiastic.
I’ve won the tying table-mate lottery for two years in a row. This is is Paul Gruver from Wake Forest, NC. He was kind and thoughtful and a pleasure to be with. At these event, there’s often a lot of fly swapping, so I’d like to thank Paul for the gifts, which I will fish with pleasure. One of the main points of a tying show is to learn, and I made sure to take the time to see what Paul was tying, and how he was doing it. What a master craftsman!
The Saturday night banquet is always a high point of the show. In addition to dinner, you get a swag bag loaded with all kinds of useful tying stuff. Plus, there’s a raffle, and wouldn’t you know it? Mr. Someone-Who-Never-Wins-Anything won a fly box! I sat with luminaries like Tom Rosenbauer and Tim Flagler, but my newest bestest buddy is Lou DiGena, who had the planning skills and foresight to bring a couple of bottles of red wine to share with the table. Atta boy, Lou! Oh…did I mention he also brought a bottle of 10 year-old bourbon? Many thanks for your generosity.
Some surprise guests, Bob and Andy! I didn’t recognize them without their waders. Bob and Andy are two Farmington River fishing buddies who, several years ago, graciously shared their water with me, a total stranger, during the Hendrickson hatch. We seem to have an unplanned reunion every year, since we all like this mark, but in April 2023 we missed each other. What an unexpected treat to get to see them.
Lou DiGena and Tim Flagler doing their thing in the main hallway Sunday afternoon. I believe their table was the New Jersey Fly Tyers Guild. That a lot of talent representing.
Barry Ord Clarke of The Featherbender fame working his magic. Barry has written, co-written and contributed to more than 30 books about fly tying. He has won medals in some of the worlds most prestigious fly tying competitions. So when I went to introduce myself, I was totally stoked to find out that not only did he already know who I am, he’s also a fan. Barry is supremely nice, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching him tie. See you next time, mate.

And there you have it. I can’t say this enough: if you’re not going to fly fishing and tying shows, you’re really missing out on the opportunity to meet, watch, and speak with some of the best fly anglers and tyers on the planet. Thank you to everyone who took the time to stop by my table, and I’ll see you at the Fly Fishing Shows in Marlborough and Edison in January 2024.

One week away! The International Fly Tying Symposium

Where did the time go? It’s almost here: the International Fly Tying Symposium, Nov 11 & 12 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Somerset, NJ. come see Tim Cammisa, Barry Orde Clarke, Bob Clouser, Joe Cordeiro, Pat and Forest Dorsey, Tim Flagler, Ben Furimsky, Cheech Pierce, Tom Rosenbauer, John Shaner, and even me, plus dozens of other talented people tying up a storm, demoing patterns, giving seminars, and teaching classes. What a tremendous opportunity to rub elbows with and learn from some of the best fly tyers on the planet!

Watch me tie classic wet flies and soft hackles like these — or come see me speak — or take my wet fly tying class — or, better yet, all of the above.

On Saturday, November 11 at noon, come to my seminar, Tying and Fishing Wet Flies. The seminar is included in the price of your admission ticket. Then, take my tying class, Soft Hackles, Winged, and Wingless Wets at 1pm. You need to register for the class, and you can do that here.

Don’t forget the vendors! Lots of good stuff to be had, and you better get to the soft hackle and ducktail bins before I do. See you there — and please come say hello.

Want to up your fly fishing game? Then come to these seminars! They’re all included in the price of your ticket.

Building a more Erie tribs-appropriate fly box

Here’s where I ended up after this past April:

There are a few holes on the bug side that I’d normally fill with small, simple black stones for the Ontario tribs. The egg side is a little too large and loud, especially for the current low water. Time to fill some corks!
Clockwise from lower left: sz 14 Electric Caddis and Yerger Miracle nymphs; Winger’s Mallard Minnow and Jeff Blood’s White Death, sz 10; egg/apricot supreme Blood Dots sz 14; various implements of Squirmy Wormy destruction; Kopczyk’s Super Fruit, and Murray’s Go-To and Mini-Bug, all sz 14. I got most of these patterns from John Nagy’s Steelhead Guide, the definitive work on Erie tribs steelhead. Let’s see where they fit in…
Ready to go! I replaced the top egg row, which was mostly Estaz eggs, with more muted fare. The Blood Dots are a proven favorite. I love that you can fish a tandem rig in OH and PA, and I’m looking forward to giving the steelhead a choice. Steak? Or eggs? Both?…

The lost hat disaster

I lost my fishing hat. I’ve no idea where, but it’s gone. And it’s not coming back.

Okay. So, it was on its last legs. So, it was decades old. So, it’s been fraying and worn and even threadbare in a couple places for years. But it was a constant companion from shoreline to mountain stream to steelhead alley and back. It fit just right. It worked in the summer and it worked in the winter. And now I don’t have it. Which makes me very sad.

Sure, I was going to replace it soon. But I would have liked to have archived it. L.L.Bean no longer makes that hat, so I can’t even replace it with something similar. It was lightweight and supremely comfortable. It was a wonderful understated earth tone color combination. I’ve got a ton of other hats, but none of them are MY hat, and I’m very particular about what I put on my head. What shall I do?

An exhaustive search lead me here. It’s an Orvis Battenkill cap, and it has a lot going for it. It’s a good earthy color. It’s simple. It’s not an obnoxious branding billboard. And what’s that fly?!? A bead head soft-hackled Pheasant Tail? I love that fly. I tie that fly. I fish that fly.

Hello, new friend. Let’s go on an adventure.

Official custom Currentseams hats, anyone? Because I’ve been thinking about it for a while now…

Many thanks to the New England Fly Tyers for hosting me

Last night I presented The West Branch Farmington River — Southern New England’s Blue Ribbon Trout Stream to the New England Fly Tyers. NEFT operates out of central Massachusetts, and they are an enthusiastic, dedicated group of tiers and anglers. For understanding that a fed presenter is a happy presenter, I hereby award them the Legion of Potluck Yumminess with Homemade Brownie Clusters. Thank you again, and I hope you’ll invite me back!