Tag Archives: fly tying

Some new events for January 2016

Yes, it’s late enough in the present year to be able to mention next year without it seeming like a ridiculous number of months away. Ladies and gentlemen, start your calendars.

I will be making two presentations of “Wet Flies 101” at the Fly Fishing Show in Marlborough, MA, Friday 1/22 and Saturday 1/23. More details once we get into January.

And a heads up: I will again be teaching “Wet Flies and Fuzzy Nymphs for the Farmington” on Saturday 1/30 at UpCountry Sportfishing. You cannot sign up for that tying class here, and you cannot sign up until they post it on their website. I’m just letting you know it’s coming. Last year’s class sold out in no time flat.

For those of you in the NYC/Fairfield County area, I will be at the Orvis store in Ridge Hill Shopping Center in Yonkers, NY, tomorrow night 12/17, presenting “The Little Things” to the TU Croton Watershed Chapter. You need to sign up to attend. For more information and directions, visit https://www.facebook.com/cwctu

What a fun job I have.

Soft hackles have been fooling trout for centuries — and the fish aren’t getting any smarter.

Partridge and Light Cahills

Steve Culton ties the 60 Second Redhead on HAN’s Yankee Fisherman

The host of Yankee Fisherman, John Kovach, was kind enough to feature me tying one of my favorite steelhead flies, the 60 Second Redhead, on the 12.10.15 show. The segment was recorded at the Arts of the Angler show back in October. You can see it here; I come in around the 17:40 mark. And of course there’s also the official currentseams tying video elsewhere on this site. Thanks again to John and Yankee Fisherman for their continued support.

Yes. The 60 Second Redhead catches steelhead. From November 2015.

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Thank you, CFFA

Many thanks to the Connecticut Fly Fisherman’s Association for hosting me last night. As always, it’s a treat to get out and connect with fellow anglers, share information, and see some familiar faces. Please mark Saturday, February 6, 2016 on your calendar. That’s the date for the CFFA Expo at Maneely’s in South Windsor. Since I was officially invited last night, I will once again be tying.

Pay no attention to that man in front of the curtain. Taken at last year’s Expo.

CFFA 2015

Next week’s gig: Thursday, December 17,  “The Little Things” at TU Croton Watershed Chapter, Orvis store in Ridge hill
Shopping Center in Yonkers, NY. For more information and directions, visit https://www.facebook.com/cwctu

December Appearances and Upcoming Events

It’s a busy time of year, and we’re certainly keeping our end up at currentseams:

Wednesday, December 9, “The Little Things” at the CFFA meeting, Veterans’ Memorial Clubhouse, East Hartford. For more information and directions, visit https://www.facebook.com/CTFlyFish

Thursday, December 17,  “The Little Things” at TU Croton Watershed Chapter, Orvis store in Ridge hill
Shopping Center in Yonkers, NY. For more information and directions, visit https://www.facebook.com/cwctu

Looking forward to 2016:

Tuesday, January 19,  “The Little Things” at Coastal Flyrodders, Wyckoff, NJ. For more information and directions, visit http://www.coastalflyrodders.com

I have not confirmed yet, but I will probably be tying at the CFFA show at Maneely’s in Manchester on Saturday, February 6, 2016.

I am in the process of scheduling a “Wet Flies and Fuzzy Nymphs” tying class at UpCountry Sportfishing, also in 2016. Date TBD.

I may be tying at the Fly Fishing Show in Marlborough, MA in January, but it’s an outside shot.

Your humble scribe in action.

TU_NYC

 

Howdy, Pilgrim

And a happy Thanksgiving to you.

I have so much to be thankful for, but I would like to start with you. Thanks for taking the time to read and visit currentseams. For those of you who have signed up (wow, 343 people), thanks so much for following. As Ray Bergman wrote in Trout, “This is my visit with you, our fishing adventure together.” I am grateful for the opportunity to share my time on the water with you.

And of course, I’m thankful for the blessing of fishing with my sons. Here’s Cam with a recent acquisition.

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The Master Splinter mouse fly on the J.Stockard Fly Fishing Blog

The Master Splinter is an impressionistic mouse pattern I put into heavy rotation this summer. You can read all about it on the J.Stockard blog by clicking here.

Mouse flies like the Master Splinter bring out the worst in big Farmington River browns.

Big wild brown hen 8-2015

Here we go again with proposed hatchery cuts — and here’s how you can help.

Once again, the Governor of the jolly old yo-ho-ho State of Connecticut has decided that a good way to save money would be to close our hatcheries. Never mind all that stuff about Connecticut and the Farmington River being a destination for anglers all over the northeast, or those bothersome guides and small businesses that would go under without a viable fishery, and never mind all the pesky retail sales and business entity taxes — who has time to count all that up, anyway?.

(The author of this post now gives out a long sigh, and searches for a word that best describes Governor Malloy’s thinking. Ah. “Obtuse.” Yes, that’s it.)

So, here’s how you can help. Sign this petition.

Thanks.

Fred here is in favor of keeping our hatcheries. But Fred can’t sign the petition. Help a brother out, will you?

October Brown 2014

 

Hare and Copper nymph variant (AKA that fly everyone has been asking about)

Now you can meet, up-close and personal, the fly that has taken the currentseams community by storm: the Hare and Copper variant.

I first saw the Hare and Copper in the Spring 2012 issue of Fly Tyer, in a piece written by George Daniel called “Confidence Flies.” The original calls for a Knapek Nymph Hook, red wire, Dark Pardo Coq de Leon tail, black tungsten bead, and an entire body of dark brown SLF Squirrel dubbing. You can see below how I modified it to suit my tastes. This is really nothing more than a slightly souped-up cross between a Pheasant Tail and a Hare’s Ear. No wonder trout like it. A fine addition to your fuzzy nymph stash.

Hare and Copper Nymph variant

Hare and Copper Variant

Good Times at the Arts of the Angler and Wet Flies 101 Thursday 11/5/15

No scary monsters. No ghoulish goblins. Just a good group of people who share a passion for fly fishing. That’s a pretty fair way to describe Halloween at the Arts of the Angler show. If you’re one of the people who stopped by to chat, ask questions, or watch me tie, thanks for taking the time. I truly appreciate your interest and your enthusiasm. And many thanks to the people from the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum for your hospitality.

Steve C. That’s me.

Arts of the Angler

My next appearance is this week:

Thursday, November 5, “Wet Flies 101 — The ancient and traditional art of subsurface fly fishing” at the HFFA meeting, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Wallingford. For more information and directions, visit https://www.facebook.com/HousatonicFlyFishermen

Soft-Hackled Bead Head Pheasant Tail

Consider the humble Pheasant Tail. Basic brown. Unpretentious. Traditional. Looks like nothing specific and a lot of things in general. Add a bead head — copper, if you please, which feels more understated than gold. But let’s not stop there. Let’s give our fly the breath of life. A soft hackle will do. Webby brown hen that pulses and moves and whispers to the fish, “I’m alive.”

If you told me I had to choose one fly to fish for trout for the rest of my life, it would be a soft-hackled bead head Pheasant Tail.  You can fish it like a nymph, fish it like a wet, or do both. All on the same drift. Woo-hoo!

~
Hook: Orvis 62KC size 8-12 (steelhead), 2x strong/2x short scud size 10-20 (trout)
Thread: Brown 6/0 or 8/0
Bead: Copper, sized to hook
Tail/Abdomen: Pheasant tail
Rib: Small copper wire
Thorax: Peacock herl
Hackle: Soft brown hen
When I first tried to catch a steelhead with a fly that used all-natural materials and drab colors, I chose this pattern. Mission accomplished, and now it’s a staple.
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The Soft-Hackled Bead Head Pheasant Tail Rogues’ Gallery:
Late winter Farmington brown, size 18.
3-10-14 Brown