A wild brook trout and striped bass doubleheader

Oct1

It’s been like forever since I’ve played a doubleheader. And it really wasn’t looking good to start. I’ve been suffering through a series of random back spasms over the last few weeks, and the morning — Tuesday — I was planning on going, one snuck up on me and blasted my lower back. But I decided that movement was probably a good thing, bending over and uneven terrain be damned, so I loaded my ice packs and heating pad in the truck and headed for the Litchfield hills.

I’ve hadn’t been to this stream in about a year, and in a situation like that, on the drive I’m generally obsessed with questions like, what has changed? Will it be better, or worse? What will the flows be like? Well, not much had changed. There were, as usual, some randomly-placed-by-Mother Nature branches in the water that completely cocked up a pool or run. Despite last weekend’s rain — it didn’t deluge everywhere — the water was on the low side of medium, just barely what I would call decent. But there was cloud cover, and there were fish on the hunt, along with some active hatches. I fished a dry (ARF Humpulator size 14) with a size 18 2x short BHPT dropped off the bend by a foot of 5x. They mostly wanted the dry, including the one rising fish I targeted, but I pricked several on the dropper. I would have liked more water in the system, but you take what nature gives you and do your best. Cigar? Rocky Patel 55 Robusto. It was delicious.

You can see the full video of the release if you follow me on Instagram @stevecultonflyfishing.com. I put all kinds of unique content on Instagram, from fishing experiences to instruction to tips, so following me is a worthy addition to your social media experience.

Since no backs were harmed in the making of the wild trout expedition, I got reckless and decided to go striper fishing. Surfcaster extraordinaire Toby Lapinski and I travelled to a top-secret location on LIS, and although we had favorable wind and surf — the water had cleaned up nicely from the storm — the bass didn’t get the memo. Toby took the only hit of the night, but even that was momentary. I wish I could tell you that we were bailing 20-pounders, but I don’t get to make that call. I’ll end here: in what universe can it be late September, and I have yet to catch a striper this year?!? Eight trips. Eight blanks. Not even a courtesy tap. Yeesh.

And now, I gotta go use the heating pad.

Back in the Small Stream Groove

Jun9

What a treat to be able to fish a small stream again. It’s hard to believe that this was my first fishing-for-fun-only outing of 2025. Surfcaster extraordinaire Toby Lapinski and I spent a few hours last week exploring a woodland gem. Although we fished mid-afternoon, dense canopy blocked the sunlight and the water was surprisingly cold. Water height was on the low side of medium. Although I fished a dry dropper system, the local char showed a clear preference for the dry. Toby fished a size 10 hopper, and they attacked it with wanton ferocity. We pricked a bunch, landed several, and left feeling happy.

I could get used to this. I really, really could. *Toby Lapinski photo*

Given the daylight and shallower water, I found it curious that the fish weren’t that interested in subsurface offerings. Besides the dry/dropper, I also fished the Squirmy Jiggy Thingy. I felt many nips and tugs, but those were clearly generated by smaller fish. (By the way, we saw/spooked dozens of fingerlings, which portends for a bright next year.) The moment of the day, however, was when we witnessed a 3-foot long northern water snake capture and kill an 8″ brook trout. I’d never seen anything like it. The snake took the fish out of the water, and clamped down on its “neck” to suffocate it. There’s a theory which states that on small streams, terrestrials become a huge part of the trout’s summer diet. Apparently, the tables are sometimes turned.

Two hours on a small stream

Apr27

That’s all the time I had. But there’s a certain comfort in having a time limit. It forces you to keep moving. To spend more time with your flies in the water. And if you feels the pangs of regret over pools not covered and fish not caught, there’s always next time.

It was a lovely, sunny afternoon, albeit with a slight chill in the air. The water was perfect: dropping after the weekend’s downpours, just a tinge of color, nice and cold. There were the ubiquitous midges, BWOs sz 14-16, and some caddis. I fished with a dry/dropper and a small tungsten bead jig. Although I had a few slashes (and one landed) on the dry, the natives showed a clear preference for the jig. I had great success in deeper, darker holes, and along shaded cutbanks.

**When I began, it was all BWO duns. But by the end of the trip, I started to find spinners. I love finding the same mayflies on small streams that I see on bigger rivers. Now, to find some risers…**

**The skunk cabbage is asserting itself in the moist bottoms of the woods. I ran across these on my hike out. Anyone know what they are?**

The less photos you take, the less stress you place on the fish. I encourage everyone to Take The Wild Trout One Photo Challenge when fishing small streams. You get bonus points if you keep the fish’s gills submerged.

From the article archives: Everything You Need to Know About Fly Fishing in Small Streams

Mar3

Everything You Need to Know About Fly Fishing in Small Streams first appeared in Field & Stream Online in August 2021. It covers basics like rods, flies, finding water, tactics, and C&R best practices.

And that’s a wrap for Wild Trout/Small Stream Week! I hope you’ve enjoyed it. And as always, thanks for reading.