For your enjoyment, I present a little Monday light reading. Here’s my story from the Marlborough Fly Fishing Show two weekends ago. Believe it or not, Edison is this weekend!
And that’s a wrap! See you next year. And see you this weekend at the Edison show.
It’s going to be a fun and busy weekend January 5-6-7 at the Marlborough Fly Fishing Show. As you can see, I’ve got a full boat of talks, classes, and tying demos. Here’s a PDF:
And here’s a jpeg in case you can’t see the pdf:
I’m hoping for a strong turnout from you, my readers. And may I add a not-so-subtle plug: classes are a fantastic way to improve your fly fishing game. These are structured as if we’re doing a lesson on the water, only we have the benefits of video and protection from the elements, and they’re a fraction of the cost. You can register for a class here.
And as always, please come say hello!
#7: Marlborough and Edison Fly Fishing Shows and another International Fly Tying Symposium. You already know that I’m a big fan of The Fly Fishing Show. Where else can you meet and talk to some of the best fly fishers and tyers in the world, find all kinds of cool gear, and get those hard-to-find tying treasures — all under one roof? When I’m not speaking or teaching or tying, I’m walking the show floor, shopping, meeting and greeting, and sitting in on as many seminars and classes as possible. You should be, too. My 2024 Marlborough Schedule for January 5-6-7, is here, and here — now just over a week away!
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#6: The Great Diving Caddis Wet Fly Revelation. I’m a professional fly tier, guide, instructor, speaker, and all-around fly fishing nerd. Still, I don’t know it all. Far from it. And thank goodness! Learning new things and making new discoveries one of the things that makes fly fishing continuously thrilling. As evidence, I offer LaFontaine’s Diving Caddis wet fly. I read about it last winter, tied and fished it in the spring, and wow, did it ever produce. The first evening I fished it, positioned as my middle dropper, it accounted for two-thirds of the two dozen trout I landed. It produced untold numbers for my clients. It’s now a seasonal staple on my team of three. Brilliant!
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#5: Completing My First Book Outline and Sample Chapter Draft. For years, people have been asking me, “When are you going to write a book?” Okay…how about now? The first pass stuff is off with a publisher, and I’m waiting to hear back from them. Fingers crossed. Oh! You’ll want to know what it’s about. The West Branch of the Farmington River.
Once again, we find ourselves asking, “Where did the year go?!?” This was a tough year locally; it was one of the wettest on record, and in the midst of all the water the Farmington River was maddeningly low and warm. I hope you got the chance to get out and fish. It never seems like enough, does it? Sometimes the fishing’s good, and sometimes it isn’t, but getting out there is 80% of success. Looking back at the year, I found more than enough high points for my annual best of list.
#10: Currentseams.com Reaches 1,000 Followers! The good news is, an important milestone has been reached. The bad news is, if you won flies in my 1,000 Followers drawing, I still haven’t tied them. Well, that’s not entirely true. I have some flies tied. Don’t think a day goes by where I don’t feel massively guilty about not having them in your hot little hands. So: thank you, winners, for your patience. Thank you, readers, for your loyalty and enthusiasm. This is true: I couldn’t have done it without you.
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#9: A Banner Year Speaking To Fly Fishing Clubs. I spoke to eight different clubs and organizations this year, some of them old friends, some new to my presentations, some TU chapters, some independents, some college clubs. Whatever the legacy or organizational level, speaking in front of a group about something I’m passionate about is probably my favorite part of this job. Thanks so much for having me. Keep those questions coming. And if you’re in charge of booking speakers for your group, you can find one of the best fly fishing speakers around (he said modestly) here.
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#8: Salvaging a High Water Smallmouth Season. Stripers aren’t the only bass that are struggling in Connecticut. Between flood and drought and heat and poachers, it’s been a very difficult three years on our state’s waters. This year was both difficult and weird. The smallie fishing was generally slow…except when it wasn’t. I’m comfortable enough fishing in high water, and I had some off-the-charts days, numbers-wise, like I haven’t had in years. And some of those days, I hooked up with a very high percentage of quality bronze that put a burn in my forearms that I’m still feeling. OK, the topwater bite stunk — when the white flies came off, virtually nothing was feeding on the surface. (I caught one bass on a dry fly this year.) But when you’re landing fish that can be measured in pounds, you smile a certain sort of smile. Make sure you come to my smallmouth Seminar “Hot Bronze — Wade Fishing for Summer Smallmouth” at the Marlborough Fly Fishing Show, Friday, January 5, in the Release Room at 4:30pm.
I’m hoping you’ve already penned in the Marlborough Fly Fishing Show, now less than 3 weeks away! In addition to my Classes, Tying Demo, and Seminar, the show has added three more talks:
Friday, Jan 5, 11am, Destination Theater Room A: The West Branch of the Farmington River. This will be the next best thing to getting out on the water and learning about southern New England’s blue ribbon tailwater.
Saturday, Jan 6, 1pm, Destination Theater Room B: Modern Wet Fly Strategies. I’ve designed this presentation to replicate a wet fly lesson on the water. Except here, we’ll be doing it in a nice, warm room. If you’re not fishing wet flies, you’re missing out!
Saturday, Jan 6, 3pm, Destination Theater Room A: The West Branch of the Farmington River. Even if you’re a Farmington regular, you’ll probably learn something new about southern New England’s blue ribbon tailwater.
Sunday, Jan 7, 1pm Destination Theater Room A: Trout Tactics For Striped Bass. This is for everyone who wonders if there’s more to catching stripers than cast and strip. There is. And you can learn how to catch more, and bigger stripers if you come to this presentation.
As I mentioned last week, I’m doing things a little differently this year with my classes at The Fly Fishing Show in Marlborough. Rather than leading a striper fly tying-centric class, I’ve decided to turn it into the closest thing we can get to an actual lesson in the salt! 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 spending a few hours on a salt marsh or estuary, we’ll gather in a cozy meeting room and learn all about tying and fishing presentation flies for striped bass. 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.
What are presentation flies? They are flies that rely on specific materials — mostly natural — and specific construction — mostly sparse — to create the illusion of life. Presentation flies are highly impressionistic. They look alive and like something good to eat, even when at rest. Most of all, you don’t need to strip them in, ad nauseum, to get stripers to eat them. In this class, I’ll talk about materials and construction and will demo at least one pattern.
So, how and where do you fish such patterns? I’m glad you asked, because that’s the next part of the class. I’ll show you how to build a saltwater team of three flies; we’ll discuss different bait and feeding scenarios; we’ll talk about the different kinds of water where presentation flies shine; and of course, we’ll dive into presentation — you know, that thing you do when you’re not treating your fly rod like a glorified spinning rod.
If you want to catch more striped bass, and do it in ways that are under-appreciated and under-utilized, but powerfully effective, this class is for you.
You must sign up for this class in advance. You can only do that on the Fly Fishing Show website, here.
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.
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.
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.
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!
I know, I know, it’s July. It’s hot and the sun is shining and even though your favorite river may be blown out, we’re all still thinking about — if not actually doing — fly fishing. Since it’s never too early to plan, mark your calendars for the 2024 Fly Fishing Show in Marlborough and Edison. Note the new time frame for Marlborough — it’s earlier in the month than usual. I don’t have a schedule yet, but assume I’ll be doing talks and classes and demos as usual. I’ll likely be in Marlborough all three days and in Edison Friday & Saturday. Hope to see you there!
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