A brief wet fly outing on private waters and other notes of interest

May8

On Monday I had the opportunity to fish a private stream, so naturally I jumped on it. This is a lovely brook that wants to be a river, and it’s not easy water. Its banks are overgrown, and there’s often a three foot drop from terra firma to water. The first beat we fished was particularly challenging; a lot of the water crawls along, creating glassy pools where any movement sends the fish into flight toward the nearest cut bank. I was instructed to stay out of the water as much as possible, but when did I ever follow directions when I wanted to do my thing? I decided that I needed to get in, summon my inner stealth ninja, and fish downstream.

Sure enough, I crept up on pool that had risers. The hatch was midges and caddis, and there were a few stray Hendrickson spinners. Some of the takes were more emergery, some gentle sips. I had two fish slam the fly the moment it hit the water, and a few more that required a little coaxing. I took six fish, which I was told was pretty darned good, a nice mix of stocked and wild brookies and some chunky rainbows. All three flies were eaten: Squirrel and Ginger (sparkle variant — more on that soon!), Hendrickson spider, and LaFontaine’s diving caddis, tan.

The second beat was not as kind. It began good enough, with my biggest fish of the day, a rainbow with a dramatic pink band (you can see it on Instagram @stevecultonflyfishing) on the second cast. But even though this mark was far better suited for wet flies, I only managed one more trout (do creek chubs count?), and even with that one, I had to wait a half hour and go back after I missed her the first time. I think the lack of activity was due to the hatches being over, and everyone with fins being well fed. Or, maybe I just stunk. Or maybe it was just fishing. No matter. It was just capital to be out fishing. Thank you. Peter G., for your most generous invitation.

It’s almost never a bad idea to swing wet flies when you see feeding fish, especially during an emergence. However, be advised: if the trout aren’t feeding regularly and rhythmically, and you don’t get hit after three good presentations, you may be in for a bit of a wait…

Meanwhile, nose to the grindstone on the book. As far guide trips go, I am not taking any more dates in May. If you see me on the river, please come say hello.

Then, of course, there’s the new house and vegetable garden, which won’t plant itself. What a wonderful collection of obligations.

Currentseams Best of 2023: #7-#5

Dec28

#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!

#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!

**All kinds of sizes and color combinations are possible. This is a size 14 in tan. You can find the recipe here.**

#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.

In just one month, LaFontaine’s Diving Caddis wet fly is already paying huge dividends

Jun14

Back in the lonesome, isolated days of the pandemic, I mentioned that I’d never read Gary LaFontaine’s masterwork, Caddisflies. Currentseams subscriber Mayson Neel would have none of that. So he found a used hardcover copy of Caddisflies in fantastic condition (the book is out of print) and had it shipped to me. I started reading it, was intrigued, but like so many other projects, finishing it just fell by the wayside.

Cut to this winter, where I cracked it open, found my trusty yellow highlighter, and started anew. I’m happy I did, because I can tell you that what I’ve learned has resulted in dozens of trout caught, for both me and my clients.

I have so much to share about Caddisflies — I really can’t believe I ignored this book for so long — but I’d like to start with LaFontaine’s Diving Caddis wet fly. The female of many caddis species dive to the streamed to lay their eggs, encased in a gleaming bubble. LaFontaine writes, “Both the brightness and the action of the diving female are enough to make a wet fly imitation necessary…(the fly’s) pure Antron filaments, hanging free over the back, reflect more light.” He goes on to list four primary patterns, plus eleven secondary ones. I was dumbfounded to see that there isn’t a tan caddis pattern in the group; the closest we get is a tan/pale green version. So I made up my own tan diving caddis variant:

**LaFontaine Tan Diving Caddis (Steve Culton variant)** **Hook:** Standard wet fly size 14-20; **Thread:** Tan UNI 6/0; **Body:** Tan Caddis LifeCycle dubbing, small gold wire rib; **Underwing:** brown partridge feather fibers; **Overwing:** 20-30 tan sparkle yarn filaments; **Hackle:** One turn brown rooster hackle

Tying notes: LaFontaine specified the Mustard 7957-B hook; I went with my standard issue heavy wet fly hook, the TMC 3769, size 14. He doesn’t include a rib, but I like the segmented look it creates. While he specifies Sparkle yarn for the body, the LifeCycle dubbing makes a fine stand-in with its blend of natural and synthetic fibers. I plan on trying a few without the rib, and using the sparkle yarn, chopped up, to create a rougher, buggier body. I found it curious that he chose stiff rooster hackle, but LaFontaine explains that the fibers “Stand out from the body and add vibrancy to the moving wet fly.” Many of the photos I’ve seen of other ties feature a collar using several turns of hackle, but LaFontaine is adamant that the collar be kept sparse.

Although I’ve only been fishing this fly for a month, I’ve had several outings where it was the only fly on the team of three that was getting eaten…or the fish chose it by a wide margin over the other patterns.

LaFontaine Diving Caddis Wet Fly Rogues’ Gallery