Tag Archives: Steve Culton

Getting Chris Into Some Steelhead (A Thanksgiving Story)

I can’t be the only person who feels this way.

You go on a fishing trip to unknown waters where there are going to be crowds. You’re unsure about what the energy will be. Competitive? Territorial? Downright rude? I must confess that I have a tendency to expect the worst from my fellow man (or woman). But, we can always hope for the best. And on my first solo run to the Erie tribs for steelhead, I got hopes and dreams and better angels.

It started Thursday morning when I was speed wading in the dark to the mark I wanted to fish. I could see headlamps bobbing in the woods upstream. I could tell they were moving at a slower pace, and as I closed ground I could see it was a guide with three clients. I caught up to them, and asked the guide where he was heading; in my mind, they were there first and would get dibs. I reassured him that I wasn’t going to race ahead and Bogart their water. The guide was appreciative, so much in fact that he asked for my cell number. His idea was that if I was blanking and they were pounding them, I could fish near them. Or if vice versa, we could share water.

It was a most excellent way to start a day. I was so excited by this conversation that I suddenly realized I was 100 yards past my mark. (I suspect the pre-daylight savings darkness had something to do with it, too.)

Cut to an hour later. First light. I saw Chris wading upstream toward me. I’d met Chris the day before when I came to the creek to scout some water with my guide, Bob Packey. Chris was new to fly fishing and had a positive energy and friendly spirit. He remarked how he’d seen me pounding fish up yesterday, and that he was having a tougher go of it. So I told him that if he was blanking, come find me later and we’ll see what we can do about it.

Around 11am, Chris shows up. I could tell from the look on his face that he had been struggling. He confirmed that he hadn’t had a touch. Come on in here, Chris, and let’s take a look at your rig. I didn’t like the size or placement of his shot, so we re-rigged. I told him what I’d learned about the 50-foot run I’d been working, how I had been approaching it, and where I thought he’d have success.

You can imagine how cool it must have been for Chris to hook up within a few casts. All told, he got into four steelhead in about a half hour. Chris’ excitement was matched only by the positive wave of sheer enjoyment that washed over me as I watched him do battle.

Chris getting acquainted with one of the locals. Sometimes a little instruction goes a long way.

The next day, I fished for just over two hours. I saw an angler looking for space, and I told him if he cared to wait, he could have my spot in 10 minutes. He did, and I ended that session with a smile on my face.

Thanksgiving is a season when we acknowledge the many blessings we have. I’m thankful to have met some nice people on the river. I’m thankful for the opportunity to give to someone in need. I’m a confident person, but I am humbled by this experience. Thank you for reading, and please do likewise the next time you fish.

Some TGIF Odds & Ends

Hot on the heels of the International Fly Tying Symposium, I made an overnight run to the Salmon River in Pulaski. I left Tuesday afternoon and was back home by 9pm Wednesday. I’ll post a more detailed report soon, but I ran the middle river with Row Jimmy. We had decent action in the mid-to-late morning, but then the bite tailed off and I had to be content with four in the hoop.

Another satisfied customer. I like the transparency of the tail on this one.

If you won flies from the 1k Followers contest, and you’re wondering where they are, I’ll tell you. I haven’t tied them yet. You have my apologies for the delay, and you’ll be pleased to know that it’s on my sooner-rather-than later list of things to do.

In the striped bass management world, ASMFC is soliciting public comment on Draft Addendum 2 to Amendment 7. Your participation and comment is important, so look for a post from me soon with my thoughts and the ASGA’s party line on the subject. We need to keep hammering ASMFC until they get it.

I’m still guiding if you’re interested in a late fall/early winter outing. This can be a very productive time to fish. Not to mention it’s less crowded!

Finally, my latest article for Surfcasters Journal should drop any day now. When it does, I’ll let you know.

2023 International Fly Tying Symposium Redux

My second Symposium is in the books, and like last year, I had a most wonderful time. Saturday was the busiest of the two days, both in terms of my schedule and attendees. After getting set up and saying my pre-show hellos, I tied up a storm before my noon seminar.

What an honor to be included in this slate of presenters. I was thrilled that my seminar was one of the better-attended talks for the weekend. If you were in the audience, thanks so much for coming, and I applaud the group for having so many excellent questions. I had to scoot to my 1pm wet fly tying class, which went very well. It’s always easy to teach people who are curious and enthusiastic.
I’ve won the tying table-mate lottery for two years in a row. This is is Paul Gruver from Wake Forest, NC. He was kind and thoughtful and a pleasure to be with. At these event, there’s often a lot of fly swapping, so I’d like to thank Paul for the gifts, which I will fish with pleasure. One of the main points of a tying show is to learn, and I made sure to take the time to see what Paul was tying, and how he was doing it. What a master craftsman!
The Saturday night banquet is always a high point of the show. In addition to dinner, you get a swag bag loaded with all kinds of useful tying stuff. Plus, there’s a raffle, and wouldn’t you know it? Mr. Someone-Who-Never-Wins-Anything won a fly box! I sat with luminaries like Tom Rosenbauer and Tim Flagler, but my newest bestest buddy is Lou DiGena, who had the planning skills and foresight to bring a couple of bottles of red wine to share with the table. Atta boy, Lou! Oh…did I mention he also brought a bottle of 10 year-old bourbon? Many thanks for your generosity.
Some surprise guests, Bob and Andy! I didn’t recognize them without their waders. Bob and Andy are two Farmington River fishing buddies who, several years ago, graciously shared their water with me, a total stranger, during the Hendrickson hatch. We seem to have an unplanned reunion every year, since we all like this mark, but in April 2023 we missed each other. What an unexpected treat to get to see them.
Lou DiGena and Tim Flagler doing their thing in the main hallway Sunday afternoon. I believe their table was the New Jersey Fly Tyers Guild. That a lot of talent representing.
Barry Ord Clarke of The Featherbender fame working his magic. Barry has written, co-written and contributed to more than 30 books about fly tying. He has won medals in some of the worlds most prestigious fly tying competitions. So when I went to introduce myself, I was totally stoked to find out that not only did he already know who I am, he’s also a fan. Barry is supremely nice, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching him tie. See you next time, mate.

And there you have it. I can’t say this enough: if you’re not going to fly fishing and tying shows, you’re really missing out on the opportunity to meet, watch, and speak with some of the best fly anglers and tyers on the planet. Thank you to everyone who took the time to stop by my table, and I’ll see you at the Fly Fishing Shows in Marlborough and Edison in January 2024.

Erie Tribs Steelhead Report: So high, solo

After fishing two Erie tribs in OH and PA last December, I knew I would have to get back there. Soon, nine-ish hour drive be damned. I had to wait a full 10 months to do it, but it was so worth the wait.

Unlike the northeast, Steelhead Alley has seen very little rain this summer and fall. The timing for my trip could not have been better, with a decent slug of rain before the weekend that marked the true start of the fall run for many tribs. Still, the water was on the high side of low — if that makes sense — meaning that 90% of the fish would be in 10% of the water. The spook factor would likely be very high, along with angler traffic.

Adding to my challenges was that I had zero experience fishing public waters. So I hired the guide I used last year, Bob Packey of Solitude Steelhead Guide Service. Bob focuses on fishing private water — an absolute treat — but that would do me no good when it came to public water. So we formed a game plan: fish Wednesday morning on private water for a few hours, catch a few fish, then bounce around to some public access marks so I could learn some spots. Since Bob has deep domain experience on Erie tribs, I knew I’d be in good hands.

The dread cold front hit the night before day one, putting the steelhead in winter mode. We saw runs and slots that held dozens of steelhead, but even with precision casts and presentations, they were just not having it. Once the sun rose and the water inched up a precious degree or two, the natives decided to play. We had success with sz 14 Blood Dot eggs and sz 10 White Deaths fished as the point fly on a two-fly rig under an indicator. Switching to the White Death fly was a revelation, as fish that couldn’t be bothered with eggs suddenly opened their mouths and moved to take the fly. Bob is a terrific guide, and I’m learning so much from him about this unique fishery. Photo by Bob Packey.
We had to work for our fish in the morning of day one, but beauties like this always make it a labor of love. I also stuck a big ol’ brown trout — funny how that’s considered by-catch when back home it would be a trophy. By 11:30am we were at a public access point on Elk Creek. Although there were plenty of anglers — “crowded” on Erie tribs is not the same as “crowded” on the Salmon River in Pulaski — we were able to find a half dozen highly productive marks because so many anglers were fishing in the wrong place. Cracking the Erie tribs fish-finding code is a major part of success. Once Bob showed me what to look for, finding the fish was much simpler task.
The answer to the question, “Was that the bottom or a fish?” On all three mornings I fished, the steelhead were sluggish at first light. Once they turned on, there were far fewer fouls. When I foul a steelhead, I try to rope it in fast. I find I have very few breakoffs; most of the time, the hook comes away without breaking the tippet. I caught and released several fish that had hooks imbedded in their fins or bodies.
What a rugby ball of a hen! She took the top fly on my rig, Clyde Murray’s Spider, size 12, in low light. My strategy on days two and three was to focus on a few marks and learn them cold (as much as I could in a few hours). Not all of the water was productive over the course of two days — steelhead are on the move this time of year — but I certainly had fun trying different flies and different combinations in different runs at different times of the day.
So that’s why I lost that fish…
Elk Creek living up to its name, a small window of wonder on an early morning when I was the only angler on the water for a few hundred yards. My final tally over 2 days and 3 hours was 20 steelhead landed, a bunch lost, and immeasurable fun. A little more rain, a little more flow, no bitter cold. Those are my hopes for December. Steelhead dreaming is a thoroughly enjoyable pastime.

One week away! The International Fly Tying Symposium

Where did the time go? It’s almost here: the International Fly Tying Symposium, Nov 11 & 12 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Somerset, NJ. come see Tim Cammisa, Barry Orde Clarke, Bob Clouser, Joe Cordeiro, Pat and Forest Dorsey, Tim Flagler, Ben Furimsky, Cheech Pierce, Tom Rosenbauer, John Shaner, and even me, plus dozens of other talented people tying up a storm, demoing patterns, giving seminars, and teaching classes. What a tremendous opportunity to rub elbows with and learn from some of the best fly tyers on the planet!

Watch me tie classic wet flies and soft hackles like these — or come see me speak — or take my wet fly tying class — or, better yet, all of the above.

On Saturday, November 11 at noon, come to my seminar, Tying and Fishing Wet Flies. The seminar is included in the price of your admission ticket. Then, take my tying class, Soft Hackles, Winged, and Wingless Wets at 1pm. You need to register for the class, and you can do that here.

Don’t forget the vendors! Lots of good stuff to be had, and you better get to the soft hackle and ducktail bins before I do. See you there — and please come say hello.

Want to up your fly fishing game? Then come to these seminars! They’re all included in the price of your ticket.

Building a more Erie tribs-appropriate fly box

Here’s where I ended up after this past April:

There are a few holes on the bug side that I’d normally fill with small, simple black stones for the Ontario tribs. The egg side is a little too large and loud, especially for the current low water. Time to fill some corks!
Clockwise from lower left: sz 14 Electric Caddis and Yerger Miracle nymphs; Winger’s Mallard Minnow and Jeff Blood’s White Death, sz 10; egg/apricot supreme Blood Dots sz 14; various implements of Squirmy Wormy destruction; Kopczyk’s Super Fruit, and Murray’s Go-To and Mini-Bug, all sz 14. I got most of these patterns from John Nagy’s Steelhead Guide, the definitive work on Erie tribs steelhead. Let’s see where they fit in…
Ready to go! I replaced the top egg row, which was mostly Estaz eggs, with more muted fare. The Blood Dots are a proven favorite. I love that you can fish a tandem rig in OH and PA, and I’m looking forward to giving the steelhead a choice. Steak? Or eggs? Both?…

The lost hat disaster

I lost my fishing hat. I’ve no idea where, but it’s gone. And it’s not coming back.

Okay. So, it was on its last legs. So, it was decades old. So, it’s been fraying and worn and even threadbare in a couple places for years. But it was a constant companion from shoreline to mountain stream to steelhead alley and back. It fit just right. It worked in the summer and it worked in the winter. And now I don’t have it. Which makes me very sad.

Sure, I was going to replace it soon. But I would have liked to have archived it. L.L.Bean no longer makes that hat, so I can’t even replace it with something similar. It was lightweight and supremely comfortable. It was a wonderful understated earth tone color combination. I’ve got a ton of other hats, but none of them are MY hat, and I’m very particular about what I put on my head. What shall I do?

An exhaustive search lead me here. It’s an Orvis Battenkill cap, and it has a lot going for it. It’s a good earthy color. It’s simple. It’s not an obnoxious branding billboard. And what’s that fly?!? A bead head soft-hackled Pheasant Tail? I love that fly. I tie that fly. I fish that fly.

Hello, new friend. Let’s go on an adventure.

Official custom Currentseams hats, anyone? Because I’ve been thinking about it for a while now…

Re-thinking my steelhead box

About this time every year, my thoughts turn to steelhead, and of course, steelhead fly tying. I pull out my steelhead chest pack and the two fly boxes within its zippered pouches. The “big box,” as I call it (both boxes are, in reality, the same size) doesn’t change much from season to season — it’s mostly streamers and experiments and one-offs and flesh flies. The nymph and egg box, however, gets a serious going over and then a restocking.

But, things are a little different this year. I’ve got plans for two sorties to Steelhead Alley. These rivers and creeks are a universe away from a big, brawling river like the Salmon in upstate New York. They’re smaller, with different bugs and different water color and clarity and flow (very low right now) and different bottom structure. So I should be thinking differently with my flies.

What I’m currently tying up is generally smaller and more muted. I’ll give you a closer look next week. But right now, I’ve got corks to fill.

The Jeff Blood influence is unmistakable.

Many thanks to the New England Fly Tyers for hosting me

Last night I presented The West Branch Farmington River — Southern New England’s Blue Ribbon Trout Stream to the New England Fly Tyers. NEFT operates out of central Massachusetts, and they are an enthusiastic, dedicated group of tiers and anglers. For understanding that a fed presenter is a happy presenter, I hereby award them the Legion of Potluck Yumminess with Homemade Brownie Clusters. Thank you again, and I hope you’ll invite me back!

Thanks Croton TU, ASMFC Striped Bass Addendum II, Small Stream, and Happy Monday!

A quick greetings and salutations before I dive into a sound bites — word bites? — edition of currentseams. Hope you had a swell weekend. Me, I took a beating in my NFL ATS pool but still managed to win. (Unlike my Dolphins, but that’s another story.)

Many thanks to the fine men & women of the Croton Watershed TU Chapter for hosting me Thursday night. The subject was “The Little Things 2.0” — the second chapter in my series of seemingly insignificant things that can have a huge impact on your fishing. And the pre-pres cheeseburger was delicious. Therefore, I bestow upon Croton TU the Order of the Cheeseburger with NE-style IPA Clusters for recognizing that a fed presenter is a happy presenter. I’m at the NE Fly Tyers tonight in Massachusetts, talking about the Farmington River.

I hit a small stream last week for a quick 90-minute session. I went bushy dry the whole way, and pricked a bunch of fish. None were brought to hand, and that was just fine with me. Water was low and clear and there were no signs yet of redds on this brook.

The Maryland Juvenile Striped Bass Index recently came out and the results were discouraging again:

The ASMFC Striped Bass Board will soon release Addendum II for public comment. You can read more about their annual meeting here from the American Saltwater Guides Association, who once again are doing so much of the striped bass conservation heavy lifting. We can’t thank them enough! Stay tuned for the official ASGA position on the commenting. We’ll need all hands on this one!

I just completed a piece for Surfcasters Journal. It’s about waiting out a slow spot or hour or night. Should you stay or should you go? You can read the answers in the November edition. Again, SJ is an e-zine that’s loaded with fantastic saltwater and surfcasting nuggets, and is a bargain to subscribe. If you’re not subscribing, you should be.

Now, off I go to rehearse tonight’s presentation.