The International Fly Tying Symposium is the world’s largest show dedicated to fly tying. And what a show it is! Vendors with all kinds of good stuff (bring a shopping list — I always come away with some nifty items); some of the best-known fly tyers in the world (like Tim Cammissa, Tim Flagler, Barry Clarke, Cheech Pierce, and Son Tao, just to name a few) all ready to meet and greet and answer your questions; live tying demos (free with admission, and I’m doing one of them); seminars (ditto free and me); and tying classes led by experts (you must pre-register here).
My wet fly seminar on Saturday the 15th is unique to the Symposium, so there’s your reason to come. I’ll talk about materials, tying, wet fly styles, and when, where , and how to fish them. It’s the next best thing to a private lesson.My Sunday 11/16 demo will do two things: show you how to tie four proven, high confidence patterns for this highly technical river, and get you home in time for Sunday afternoon football.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: events like this are a tremendous opportunity learn new techniques, improve your skills, and catch more fish. Please stop by my tying table, or come see me talk, and be sure to say hello.
I guided — we’ll call him “Bob” because he’s in incognito mode — last Thursday. We did a little dry fly and a lot of wet fly. The Farmington can be a highly technical dry fly arena, and sometimes it comes down a perfect drift and a little luck. But a good starting place is a long leader. I was happy to see that Bob was using a 13-foot minimum line-to-fly leader/tippet length. We added a couple more feet of 6x and had at it. Unfortunately, we missed the Trico spinner fall, but we did manage some practice, and by the time we made the decision to go to wets, Bobs drifts were noticeably better.
We spent the next six hours on classroom, then banging around the PTMA, as well as above and below it. Like many people who take a wet fly lesson with me, Bob had to learn to wait a few beats — “Are you still there?” — after the hit to let the trout hook itself. We missed a handful of strikes, but stuck four and landed three, which was pretty darned good under some tough conditions. Low water/seasonal hint: all of our hookup came in fast, bubbling water.
A lovely wild brown from the PTMA, taken by Bob on my Drowned Ant soft hackle. And on the first cast! At first, Bob thought he was hung up on a boulder. But boulders don’t shake their heads…
Which brings us to the conditions. We’re out of meteorological summer, and the water is running clear and low. Because of the drought, the trees are behaving like it’s fall, turning color and especially shedding leaves. On windy days from now until the trees are bare, expect organic matter to be blowing into the river. Leaves were a constant challenge for us on this gusty day. The trout and bugs are also in a transition. Most of what’s hatching is very small (there are exceptions, like Isonychia). The trout are getting into pre-spawn mode. This adds up to more frequent windows where fish are much harder to catch. Bob was the only angler I saw land a fish on Thursday, and we encountered multiple anglers who were astonished by our success. Well done, Bob!
But wait, there’s more. Normally, the slug of rain we received over the weekend would mix things up a bit. However, Tuesday through Thursday this week, the CT DEEP will be drawing down the dam release to do their annual broodstock sampling. You can still fish the river, but vast stretches will be rendered as rock gardens. If you do fish, please give the sampling crews a wide berth. Things should be back to normal by Friday.
However, that normal will still mean challenging fishing — which makes every trout you land even sweeter. Catch ’em up!
Part of my wet fly lessons includes leader construction. As we’re building a team of three flies, I tell students that the single best material I’ve found for dropper rigs is 4-lb. Maxima Ultragreen. In fact, I tell them, it’s the only stuff I use. But every once in a while, I try to cheat the process and make the tag with some other stuff, thinking it will be OK. And it usually isn’t.
The most recent incident came last week when I tied a simple two-fly wet fly team for smallmouth. I lazily decided to attach a piece of Maxima Ultragreen to the end of the tapered 3x leader. A few casts into my fishing, the non-Maxima tag section was already tangling. What do you know? I re-rigged the leader with Maxima Ultragreen 4lb for the dropper tag and point fly, and suddenly all was right with the world.
The one, the only. Accept no subsitutes.
How much do I love and use this stuff? I buy it in the One Shot spool size, which gets you 280 yards of glorious green dropper goodness. I just wrap 30 yards of it around a smaller spool, and it fits easily into my pack or on my tippet holder. It’s so true: confidence catches fish.
Holy mixed metaphors, Batman! Or would that be idioms? Either way, I wanted to talk about terrestrials today, specifically wet or sunken flies.
It’s prime terrestrial season in these parts. Hoppers, Stimulators, beetles, crickets, ants, flying ants — they’re all fair game. I believe most anglers think of terrestrials as dry flies, and that’s not surprising. Watching a trout stomp a hopper or sip an ant from the surface is one of the big bonuses of summer fishing. Terrestrials also make great floaters for dry-dropper combos, whether it’s a single wet or nymph dropped off a hook bend, or a classic three-fly rig like the hopper-copper-dropper. I like to wander the Farmington’s riffles, runs, and glides on a breezy summer afternoon and prospect with a terrestrial dry and dropper.
But sometimes, I’ll do my terrestrial fishing subsurface. Consider this: what happens to all those hapless land insects that fall into the river? They struggle, and some get eaten. I think most don’t — get eaten — at least not on the surface. All that unconsumed biomass eventually sinks, and becomes a new item on the subsurface menu. Drowned bugs are easier to eat, and require less risk for the trout to dine. Winner: you.
Was a big golden stone. Now, it’s a hapless hopper.
Here are a couple wet flies to get you started on your summer terrestrial wetstravaganza. The Drowned Ant is an old favorite, not too hard to tie, and can be completed with very easy-to get materials. It’s been one of my most consistent producers since I created it. If you’re a fan of the oddball and obscure, try the Hopper Hammerdown, which is based on a steelhead stonefly by Dave Hall. The hits are electric.
Just make sure you have plenty of 4lb. Maxima Ultragreen.
Here we are, already at the mid-point of July. Blink, and you might miss summer. We really don’t have much to complain about weather-wise — it’s standard-issue hot and humid, there have been rains (but nothing catastrophic [he said, knocking on wood]), and the reservoirs are full. The Farmington is running clear and cold — in the 50s coming out of the dam — and at a terrific summer height. Please be sure to carry and use a thermometer, and make your cutoff 67 degrees. You should be able to find ample cold water from the PTMA and points north. Tip of the week: ants, beetles, crickets, and small hoppers, fished in faster water and languid currents under trees and shade. Oh. And small nymphs. You can thank me next time you see me.
I owe you a Block Island report, and spoiler alert: it’s not good. Locally, I know a few surfcasters who are doing OK. Things may pick up in another 30 days or so.
Meanwhile, I’m trying to play catch-up with my fishing. The yard work is settling down a bit, the garden’s in good shape, and the book is off with others. I think I’ll smoke a few cigars while I’m at it.
John and Chris took a wet fly lesson with me on Tuesday, and we were having grand old time — a little streamside classroom action, a leader tying clinic, lots of fantastic Q&A (very inquisitive minds, these two, which I loved). When we finally got into the water, darkness fell across the land, and the thunder rumbles began.
This is good time to say this: get out of the water and seek shelter if there’s a threat of electrical storms. I am routinely astonished that some people still don’t do that. End of public service announcement.
We drove along the river trying in vain to find sunshine, which took about an hour. By then, the storm was over, and we had blue skies and hot weather. We headed north to fish above the PTMA. Finally able to wet a line, we got into some fish, although in the bright sunshine they didn’t come easy. It wasn’t until after the session ended that John and Chris were able to test their new wet fly skills. Both took multiple trout during the evening rise. Tremendous job, gentlemen. Your instructor couldn’t be prouder!
This brown fell for my Partridge and Light Cahill soft hackle. So simple and so effective! John Ryan photo
By now, I’d hoped to be back to my normal routine on these pages. But every time I think I’m in the clear, the book comes a callin’. So that’s why posts have been so spotty. All I can tell you is that when things do return to normal, you’ll be the first to know.
I just finished an article for Surcasters’ Journal. I’ll letcha know when it comes out.
It’s getting steamy out there. Time for the summer under-waders kit.
Fishing in brief: Block Island stunk again this year: slow, slower, slowest. Then there was last week on the Farmington. I gave Andrew a wet fly lesson, and it was likewise a non-action fest. We fished three marks, and it wasn’t until the last one that we found some fish. But Andrew was enthusiastic and persistent, and we ended up with two in the hoop for the win. Great job Andrew! I stayed to fish the evening rise. The location was above the PTMA, and the hatch and rise activity was one of the worst I’ve experienced in a decade. Very little hatching (mostly dorothea) and, almost impossibly, nothing on it except for a few small fish. Highly disappointing. I managed two small wild browns on wet flies and one stocker rainbow on the way out after I could no longer see my fly. Blech!
Of course, we hav the blank canvas of this week, upon which we may paint spectacular fishing images. Yeah. Let’s go with that.
I can’t remember specifically when I came up with the Grass Shrimp Solution, but it was a long time ago, maybe decades. I do remember wanting to create a fast, simple-to-tie, impressionistic soft hackle that would mimic this tiny bait in size, color, and profile. Years later, this fly continues to be a favorite of other anglers who have discovered its deadly effectiveness. It’s one of my favorites, too.
In case you’ve missed it over the years, or are new to currentseams, here’s a crash course on the pattern. The Grass Shrimp Solution was first published in 2015 in my American Angler article “Soft Hackles for Striped Bass.”It was featured in On The Water’s “Guide Flies” Column. I frequently fish this pattern in estuaries when stripers are selectively feeding on small food items. Here’s an article that covers how to do that. This piece discusses the concepts behind the pattern’s bite triggers. Those four articles ought to keep you busy for while, after which, I would guess, you’ll be heading to your tying table — and then, to the closest tidal marsh or flat.
Here we are again on the FeedSpot Top 40 Fly Tying Blogs list. This is our second time on the list, and for those of you keeping score at home, we are #17. But the ranking isn’t really what this is all about; rather, it’s the company we keep. AvidMax. Fly Tyer. MidCurrent. Gink and Gasoline. Orvis. Just to name a few. These are all quality sites, worthy of your attention, and I’m honored to be included in their company. So, yay us!
The summer striper box, from seasons past, raring to go. Those are Big Eelie variants on the right. I love the colors, although I’m not sure the stripers care all that much. Catching a big fish on fly you tied is one of the more rewarding aspects of our hobby/sport.
What’s this? Two posts in one week? Yessir, campers! As promised, we are trying to return to a regular posting schedule on currentseams.com. I want to thank everyone for their patience and loyalty over the past year. Let’s get to it.
The Iso Soft Hackle is a wet fly I prototyped several years ago. Then, I test it on the river for months or years to prove its worthiness before I pass it along to you. This is an outstanding pattern (he said, modestly). The past two summers, it has accounted for some of my biggest trout taken on wet flies. It’s easy to tie, and the materials are readily available. Here’s the fly and the recipe as outlined by Tony Lolli in his outstanding Guide Flies column from On The Water. So what are you waiting for? Get to the vise. It’s Iso time!
currentseams.com 