Tag Archives: fly tying

Edison 2026 Redux

If it weren’t for the weather, this might have been the best show ever. But you don’t get to decide on such things, and when a once-in-a-decade snowstorm is thrown at you, you deal as best you can. But I come not to bury this year’s show (certainly not under 18″ of snow!) but rather, to praise it.

The Edison show is the largest fly fishing show on the east coast, and, perhaps, in the world. It has it all: vendors from rods and reels and gear and fly tying and books to guides and shops and lodges and fishing/destination travel. It’s got dozens of some of the best fly tyers in the world. If you want education, you’re in the right place: you can partake in presentations and seminars and demos and classes put on by some of the best anglers in the world. (If you want to be a rock star, you can’t hang out with Aerosmith for a few hours. If you want to become a better angler or tier, you can take a small class with George Daniel or Tim Flagler.)

Seminars! Getcher seminars here! What an honor to be included on a list with such fly fishing luminaries. All seminars are included in the price of your admission ticket. That’s a win for everyone. Classes require an additional fee, but it’s money very well spent — I get people telling me years after they’ve taken a class how much it improved their fishing. Thank you to everyone who took a class with me this year.

As a presenter, the Edison show is, for me, a multi-faceted journey into fun. I get to speak to (hopefully) large groups of people; that’s something I love to do. I get to reconnect with old and distant friends, and make new ones. I get to wander the show floor and discover all the fly fishing and tying items I didn’t know that I needed. I get to be a fanboy. And, I get to teach classes and turn other anglers on to new concepts that will help them catch more fish.

I did multiple talks on the Farmington River and was delighted by the size and enthusiasm of the crowds. The book is generating a lot of excitement, which seems to be growing exponentially. The Fly Fishing Guide to the Farmington River is at the printer, with a projected release date of June 2026. Stay tuned here for release details as they come in.
Fly fishing is serious business. Or not. A little pre-seminar festivity with Landon Mayer, Jason Randall, and Chuck Furimsky.
My annual pilgrimage to Wu’s Shanghai Dumpling in Edison. This is THE place for authentic Chinese dumplings and udon. I always make sure I get enough to take home. Not exactly low-cal dining, but oh-so-scrumptious.
My buddies Chris Steinbeck and Pat Dorsey from the Blue Quill Angler. The BQA booth is my safe haven in Edison; I can hang out between gigs, take a load off, and socialize with passers-by. If you’re going fishing in the Denver area, these are the people to see! I managed a little bit of shopping, coming away with four wet fly capes at a bargain price, and another pair of Renomed scissors. You’ll be hearing more about Renomed on this site soon, these scissors are, by far, the best I’ve ever used.

And then on Sunday, the snows came. But the show went on, as it always does. This year, I’m doing the Lancaster show, which is March 14-15. I’ll have a tying station. See you there!

Thank you all for another terrific CFFA Expo!

I still owe you an Edison Show report, but I wanted to take a moment today to say thank you to the CFFA for hosting me on Tyers’ Row, and for the opportunity to speak about the Farmington River. The Expo drew a good crowd, and I had a seemingly constant stream of people at my tying table. On the the things I look forward to most at this show is being able to connect with fellow tyers, vendors, and people in a scaled-down setting. The CFFA show always has a pleasant, chill vibe. I made off with some of Charles McCaughtry’s wonderful fly fishing-themed art greeting cards, some beads, and a small pack of indicators to try for low-water steelhead situations.

The highlight of the day was my standing-room-only presentation on the Farmington River. Thanks so much for coming out to see me, and I hope you buy the book when it comes out in June. Stay tuned to this website for details as they come in!

Hot off the press: the Farmington River book is at the printer!

This book-writing thing is like the building of Rome: it takes time. While I finished writing the “Fly Fishing Guide to the Farmington River” months ago, there are dozens of post-manuscript submission steps that must be completed — proofing galley pages, correcting mistakes, reviewing and re-reviewing — to ensure that we print a quality product. Yes, there will probably still be some errors, but hopefully, those will be minor.

And now, as you read this, the book is at the printer! So now, we’re at printing, then binding, and hopefully I get my advance copies in a couple month. As of this writing, the scheduled release date hasn’t changed, and that’s June 1. Of course, I will update you here and on other social media channels as new and better information comes in.

I’m looking forward to sitting under this sign, pen in hand!

I’m still undecided about when and how I might sell books from this site. There may be a mass pre-order, which would likely be cash, check or Venmo only, then out go signed copies into your hot little hands. I first need to research the costs of doing that business. Again, you’ll find out here once a decision is made.

I love the positive energy and anticipation I’m feeling from people who are really looking forward to the book. Believe me, I share your excitement!

CFFA Show Saturday, January 31 in South Windsor

Back from a terrific Fly Fishing Show in Edison, NJ, freshly dug out, and now prepping for “the best little fly fishing show around” — the CFFA Fly Fishing Expo & Banquet. It’s all happening this Saturday, January 31, from 9am-3pm at Nomad’s Adventure Quest in South Windsor, CT. This show is wonderful cure for cabin fever — I mean, it’s brutal out there, even by steelheading standards. I’ll be on Tyer’s Row for most of the day, probably focusing on wet flies, and taking a few walking breaks to stretch my legs and see what goodies the vendors have (I seem to always find a hidden gem that I didn’t know I needed). Stick around, because at 1:30pm I’m doing a new talk on the Farmington River. Even if you are a Farmington veteran, I guarantee you’ll learn something new. See you there, and don’t forget to come by and say hello.

Steve Culton Edison show schedule and class space still available!

This is the biggest fly fishing show on the east coast, and I’m ready and rarin’ to go! While my plate isn’t quite as full as Marlborough, I’m still going to be out and about and meeting and greeting and presenting and teaching and…whew. I guess I’m going to be pretty busy. Here’s the rundown. Friday, January 23 at 10:15am: Seminar, Catch Room, Beyond Cast & Strip: Presentation Flies for Striped Bass; 2:00pm: Destination Theater Room C, The Farmington River. Saturday, January 24 at 9:45am: Seminar, Strike Room, Modern Wet Fly Strategies; 12:00pm: Destination Theater Room D, The Farmington River; 2:00-4:30pm: Classes With The Experts: Beyond Cast & Strip – Presentation Flies for Stripers with Steve Culton. Click HERE for more info or to register. Sunday, January 26 at 8:30am-11:00am: Classes With The Experts: Tying & Fishing Wet Flies with Steve Culton. Click HERE for more info or to register; 2:00pm: Destination Theater Room D, The Farmington River. I know snow is forecast for Sunday, but we can get you in and out of that class before it gets bad. The show will go on!

As of this writing, I still have room in both classes. If you’ve never taken a FFS Classes With the Experts, this is a terrific way to spend some quality instructional time with me. It’s always a low student-to-teacher ratio, so you can be sure you’ll receive plenty of individual attention. And it’s fraction of the cost of a guided trip, so bonus, you. You can sign up HERE .

When I’m not speaking, I’m attending other talks and walking the show floor. Please come say hello. I’m expecting another strong turnout from currentseams followers!

Here’s a pdf of my Edison schedule:

A terrific Marlborough Show, and a heartfelt thank you!

I love show season. For me, the front half of January is almost like the buildup to Christmas. And then, suddenly, it’s here. But in the case of the Fly Fishing Show, you have multiple days to enjoy things. It’s rarely, if ever, an emotional letdown. And in the case of this year, it was perfectly excellent.

For starters, I was busy. Like talk here, then race down to there, get a bite to eat and say some hellos, and then setup and be Featured Tier, then zip back up there for a Seminar, and suddenly it’s 5:45pm busy. But it’s an extremely satisfying busy, especially so at this show. For my Friday noon Farmington River talk, I had standing room only, with people spilling out into the hall. Wow! More SRO at my Subsurface Caddis Lifestages tying demo. Then 35-40 people at my 4:30pm Seminar, which is a tough time slot to draw just a couple dozen. Double wow! If you were one of the people who showed up, thank you again. And if you’re one of the people who show up to my talks every year — I know who you are — I’m truly both humbled and grateful for your support.

Yeah. You know that guy. I had two Featured Tier gigs, and I had a blast tying and teaching and talking.

I was so busy, in fact, that I got to spend far less time walking Tyer’s Row and socializing and meeting and greeting and — dare I say it — shopping. But, you make time.

One thing I did get around to was meeting Tom Ames and attending his excellent presentation on modern hatch-matching. Ames’ original Hatch Guide to New England Streams was an invaluable reference material for the Farmington River book. He recently published an undated second edition.
Don’t know where I’d be without my pour-over coffee. Oh, wait, I do — I’d be stuck with dreadful hotel coffee. Lost Shoe also makes beer, and I walked away with a four-pack of their double IPA for enjoyment at a later date. Lost Shoe is about 10 minutes away from the show. How convenient!
The “Most Hysterical Moment of the Show” award goes to the gentleman who, while I was sitting at Joe Cordeiro’s booth (Joe was off doing a class), mistook me for Joe. When Joe’s assistant told him that I wasn’t Joe, the guy says, “Well, you two look exactly alike!” I mean, you can’t make this stuff up. Cue the laugh track!
It was cool to see so many familiar, local faces, among them pal Antoine Bissiuex who was there with The Local Fly Company. I can’t thank Antoine enough for all his help with the book. I think you’re going to really enjoy his contributions, his insights, and experiences.

Steve Culton Marlborough schedule and class space still available!

Once again, I’m honored to be a featured presenter and tyer at the Marlborough Fly Fishing Show. The fun starts tomorrow, Friday January 18, with two presentations. At noon, I’m debuting a new version of my Farmington River program in Destination Theater Room B; at 4:30pm, it’s a seminar in the Release Room, Wet Flies 101. Sandwiched in between, I’m Featured Tier on the main show floor at 2:30pm with Subsurface Caddis Lifestages. Saturday the 17th is just as busy, starting at 10am when I’m Featured Tier demonstrating North-Country Spiders. At 11:30am, you’ll find me in the Seminar Catch Room presenting Finding Small Stream Nirvana. I finish the afternoon teaching a class, Beyond Cast and Strip: Presentation Flies for Striped Bass, from 2pm-4:30pm. No rest for the weary! Sunday morning is my 8:30am-11am class, Tying and Fishing Wet Flies. Noon finds me with an encore presentation of the Farmington River program in Destination Theater Room A.

As of this writing, I still have room in both classes. If you’ve never taken a FFS Classes With the Experts, this is a terrific way to spend some quality instructional time with me. It’s always a low student-to-teacher ratio, so you can be sure you’ll receive plenty of individual attention. And it’s fraction of the cost of a guided trip, so bonus, you. You can sign up HERE.

When I’m not speaking, I’m attending other talks and walking the show floor. Please come say hello. I’m expecting another strong turnout from currentseams followers!

Here’s a pdf of my Marlborough schedule:

Currentseams Q&A: What to fish on the Farmington right now?

Today’s question comes from Charly F, and it’s a good one. Q: What might you fish on the Farmington during January to March with no real hatches going on?

A: Let’s start with the hatches. There are times during the winter when there’s plenty going on hatch-wise. We don’t have the glamour mayfly hatches, but midges hatch year-round, and are a primary food source. You won’t see trout splashing on the surface like you will during a June Sulphur emergence, bit it is possible to find trout sipping midges or W/S Caddis (a hatch that is sadly on a downward slope) or early stones on the surface or in the film. It should be also noted that March is very different from January and February. But that’s an entirely different article!

If the question is, what does Steve Culton fish on the Farmington in the winter, I can be more specific. I used to do some winter dry fly fishing on the Farmington, but for various reasons I’ve cut back on that. (If I saw fish actively feeding on the surface, I would not hesitate to go the dry fly route.) Most of my winter fishing is nymphing or streamers. The method I choose depends on conditions and what I feel like doing on that day or hour. Much of what is hatching or available to trout in the winter is small. So if I’m nymphing, we’re talking a point fly no bigger than a #14 (like this Frenchie variant) and a dropper above it that’s a #18 or smaller, like a Starling and Herl. That gives me a mayfly/caddis nymph and a something midgey to show the trout. I’m less hung up on patterns than I am presentation: the best winter nymphs are often the ones that are presented at a dead-drift along the bottom in a trout’s feeding lane.

The book will be a tremendous resource for anglers who want to fish 12 months a year. I’ve divided the year into three-month quadrants, and list fly patterns of all types. You’ll also find seasonal strategies to help you determine fly selection, and when and where to fish.

Streamers are a different animal. You’ve got to be willing to accept blanks in the winter. But if the streamer bite is on, you’re going to have fun. I tend to favor core patterns like Coffey’s Sparkle Minnow or my Deep Threat. I don’t go bonkers trying to find a magic color. As with nymphing, presentation matters. I may simply do mended swings. I may go for depth with an integrated sink tip line, weighted fly, and then a slow retrieve. I may do both. What is paramount is that I cover water. I’m looking for that one trout that has a protein payoff in mind.

What’s important to note is that the winter bite can be notoriously fickle. Some days, it doesn’t exist. Other days, it’s 30-45 minute window. Some days (however rare) the feed bag is on from 11am-3pm. Hope that helps!

Steve Culton Appearances, Schedule, and yes, I still have availability to speak to your fly fishing group — or take you fishing

This is shaping up to be a very busy early 2026! But we like that. As you can see, January is mostly filled; even though there are theoretical dates available, I’m not taking any guide trips from now through January 26 (unless we’re already booked, in which case we’re good to go!), although I could potentially do a Zoom presentation.

So, if you’re the person in charge of arranging speakers for your group, have presentations, will travel (within reason). Or, if we’re geographically undesirable, that’s why they have Zoom. You can find my current presentation menu here. If you’re itching to get out on the water, we can make that happen after January 26.

I’ll have more details as the list fills in, as well as book release updates. I’m hoping for a strong turnout from currentseams readers at the Fly Fishing Shows, so make sure you come say hello.

Currentseams Best of 2025: #1

Admit it: you saw this one coming a mile away. If so, pat yourself on the back, and treat yourself to a New Year’s toast. If you missed with your guess, there’s always next year (now only 365 days away)…

#1: Finishing the Fly Fishing Guide to the Farmington River. I have to admit that while I knew this book would be a lot of work, I didn’t know it would be as much work as it was. Part of it was that I thought I had finished half of it back November 2024. The reality was, instead of over 50% of the manuscript, it was only around 40% of what eventually became over 100,000 words. Then, I needed more photos. I finallyfinished it in June this year. And technically, I’m not quite done — I’m still waiting for final page proofs for final approval before it all goes back to the publisher during the first week of January.

And then…it’s off to the printers and hurry up and wait. As of this writing, I still think we’re publishing June 1. I’ll let you know as the drop date draws near. I’ll also let you know if I’m going to be doing a pre-sale here. Again, tbd. Looking back, I’m immensely pleased by what I’ve written, and I think you will be, too. And of course, there’s one more big question to be answered: What’s my second book going to be about?

While this cover follows the Stackpole “Fly Fishing Guide To” format, I do like it. Bob Lindquist took the hero shot, and that’s Joey Takeman’s box on the lower left.