Out store hours are now 6pm on weekdays, but staying at 5pm on weekends. We are also closed on Wednesdays, at least for a while.
Store
ours currently are 8am-6pm Monday & Tuesday, closed on
Wednesdays, 8am-6pm Thursday & Friday, and 8am-5pm on
Saturday & Sunday.
Pictured up top is local guide
Johnny Stratton with one helluva nice big brown trout he landed last
week on a nymph, it’s his new PB wild Farmington River brownie.
More fish like this exist than you might imagine, but you have to do
everything right to fool them, and then you have to land them. Not
easy.
We have a lot of used reels at the moment. As such,
we are doing a 20% off sale on the used reels in that specific
case. Get ‘em while they last! This is an in-store promotion
only, no mail order on these.
We received a small batch
of the new Diamondback Gen IV Nymph Rods with carbon grips- the
first batch prior to this was all with traditional cork grips. Carbon
grips are very sensitive, more than cork, as well as quite durable
(they won’t chip like cork can). There is a $25 upcharge for the
carbon handle. We got them in the popular 10’ 7” #2 & #3
rods, and the 10’ #2. We can order the carbon grip in any size rod
you want though. We have very limited quantities on this first batch,
so don’t wait if you want one.
The store is stocked
with tons of books at the moment- we received a bunch
of used books as well as a big order of new books. Also,
more used rods & reels came
in, we have a LARGE inventory of used stuff.
We are once
again carrying the very popular Frabill
Landing Nets. They are very reasonably priced ($35-45),
lightweight, and capable of netting large trout. Rubber coated mesh
nets with flat bottoms make it easy to handle the trout once you net
them. Hard to beat for the money. This first batch is sold out, but
we have another big batch of them on the way.
Diamondback
Generation IV Euro nymphing rods are available. I know
many of you have been eagerly anticipating them, and we have the full
line-up, minus the 10' 7" #4 (not available yet, probably in
early/mid fall). The models we have include 10' and 10' 7"
lengths in #1, #2, #3, and 10' 7" in #6 & #7. These rods are
very nice with crisp, responsive tips that recover fast with minimal
wobble.
After walking through the woods, check
yourself for ticks- they are extremely active now. I’m
picking 1 or more off the dog on a near daily basis, and also finding
them on me regularly when I walk in the woods or through tall
grass.
Monday afternoon 6/2/25 5pm Flow Update:
Just received an email from MDC. Over the weekend, due to rain Colebrook Reservoir exceeded Army Corps of Engineers acceptable maximum stage (water height), and as such the Army Corps is implementing a flow increase at the dam to approximately 600cfs in order to lower the lake level to an appropriate height. This will begin overnight (Monday night 6/2). FYI Army Corps oversees flood control. Typically when they do this it lasts 2-4 days, and then they cut it back to a more typical release, usually before the weekend. In anticipation of this, at 2pm the MDC increased the dam release by 40cfs (160 to 200cfs). At the 4:30pm USGS streamflow gauge update, the Farmington River at the Rt 20 bridge in Riverton was reading an increase to 232cfs, and the Still River was at 257cfs & dropping. This puts the total flow downstream of the Still River at 493cfs. When the full 600cfs dam release kicks in overnight, that will put the total flow in about the mid 800cfs range and slowly dropping (as Still River recedes) by Tuesday morning. I would expect to see them cut the release back on Thursday or Friday, but that's an educated guess.
Monday
morning
6/2/25
Report:
The total flow on the river below the
Still River and in the Permanent TMA/Catch & Release (C&R) is
473cfs,
the historical median total flow for today is 347cfs- I would
classify this morning’s flow as medium to low end medium-high and
dropping, water clarity is good. Riverton is 186cfs
between the dam and the Rt. 20 bridge/Riverton Self Storage
(historical median flow for today is 258cfs)- that’s a pretty
normal, medium to medium-low flow for that section. The Still
River is adding in 287cfs a little below the Rt 20
Riverton bridge, it’s steadily dropping- historical median flow is
110cfs. Riverton water temp is 47.5 degrees this morning, it reached
51.5 degrees yesterday afternoon. Downstream water temps are higher,
averaging mid 50’s to low 60’s of late, depending upon the daily
weather and time of day. Peak water temps are normally mid to late
afternoon, with warm sunny days seeing the biggest temp increases.
Unionville USGS gauge is reading 947cfs (medium-high to low
end high) and steadily dropping, historical median flow for today is
575cfs.
We are coming into June with nice river
conditions. The recent rain pushed the river up high for a couple of
days, be we bounced back into nice shape quickly, which is typical
for us. With total flow in the upper 400’s and dropping, the river
is very fishable and pretty wadeable too. We had some cold days over
the past week, which stifled some of the hatching activity, but
temps will be mild to hot for the long range forecast, with highs
from 70 to 90 (!) degrees, and nights mostly in the 50’s to 60’s.
This will probably lead to better hatching activity, and on the hot
days (87 Wednesday, 90 Thursday), the best time to be on the water
will probably be morning & evening. Riverton can be an exception
to this, with water coming out of the dam in the upper 40’s, the
hatch times don’t vary much even on hot or cold days. FYI with the
warm to hot weather moving in, don’t neglect terrestrials such as
Ants & Beetles, both can be VERY effective, especially when there
isn’t a good hatch but you have sporadic risers. Air temps 68-70
and above get terrestrial insects active, so they will be in play
from now through October. You can also blind fish them over likely
water. I’d say #16 Sulfurs mayflies (Invaria) are the current
glamour hatch, on virtually the entire river at this point. The books
say it’s a late afternoon to evening hatch, and it is, but with the
icy cold water coming out of the dam in can also come off in the
morning and early afternoon. Tailwaters like the Farmington and
Delaware system often have hatches at times of day and times of the
year that deviate quite a bit from standard hatch charts.
We
are in the front end of “Crazy Time”, when all sorts of bugs are
hatching, June is a killer month on Farmington. Look also for #12-14
Vitreus (looks sorta like a bigger/paler Sulfur), March Browns
#10-12, assorted Caddis #14-20 (tan, olive/green, black, etc.), Light
Cahills #12-14. Caddis typically hatch best on milder days, so with
the warming trend here now expect to see more Caddis (especially in
the faster water)- they typically hatch sometime between mid morning
and mid afternoon, and come back to egg-lay in the eves.
Hatch
intensity has varied from day to day, with light to moderate being
typical most of the time, but there has been some heavy hatching when
you are in the right place at the right time and the weather
cooperates. FYI, in general, most of the hatches get heavier as you
go further downriver as the river picks up increased fertility from
the tributaries. It has also varied a lot depending upon location,
with some pools seeing better bug activity than others, and it’s
not 100% predictable either. Various Caddis are showing up, from a
#14-16 tan, to #18 olive/green, #20 black, down to Micro Caddis and
other assorted sizes & colors. Pupa patterns #14-18 nymphed in
the fast water work very well when Caddis are active, and there can
be some good dry fly action during milder eves when they come back to
egg-lay in low light. #12-14 Vitreus hatch in fast water between late
afternoon & dusk, albeit it’s been on the lighter side this
year. #10-12 March Browns are a sporadic one here/one there kind of
bug that hatch in fast water in the afternoons & evenings. If
they rise to these bugs, match with dries- you can also blind fish
big March Brown dries. Also fish nymphs that suggest them (#10-12 Fox
Squirrel, Hare’s Ear, or a specific MB nymph). #14 Pheasant
Tails/Frenchies work well for the Vitreus. Evenings are also seeing a
few #12-14 Light Cahills.
Streamers can be a good option
when you don’t have bugs hatching (early AM, cold days, in between
hatches, etc.), if you want to cover a lot of water quickly, or when
you have high and/or dirty water. Make sure to get them down,
experiment with different retrieves, change colors, and play with
different fly sizes & designs (length, bulk/sparseness, shape,
etc.). I usually start with a fast strip his time of year with water
temps mostly in the 50’s to low 60’s. But if that doesn’t work,
slow it down, change your presentation angle, swing them, twitch
them, fish them on the dangle- experiment based upon the trout’s
reaction (or lack thereof lol). Go smaller if you cannot get eats on
bigger patterns. Also try trailing a nymph or wet fly/soft hackle
about 18” behind a weighted streamer, very effective for converting
follows to eats, and a great way to “nymph” if you aren’t
proficient at nymphing.
Caddis remain a major hatch and
will be present daily to various degrees straight through mid fall.
They are most active in the faster water: pool heads, riffles, runs,
rapids & pocket water. Trout will gorge on the pupa surface, hint
hint. Vitreus hatch and are active between late afternoon and dark,
and they hatch best when it’s cooler and cloudy. They also require
high quality water, which we are fortunate to have on the Farmington
River. Various other nymphs from #10-20 are catching fish. Caddis
pupa are working great subsurface in #14-18 (olive/green, tan). You
can use specific pupa patterns, Walt’s Worms, and Sexy Waltz (has
flashy rib & hotspot). For Caddis dries think tan #14-18,
olive-green #16-18, and black #20. Seeing clouds of tiny cream Midges
at moments. On crappy, cooler overcast afternoons, we’ve been
seeing #20-24 Blue Winged Olives (BWO’s/Olives).
The
fast water is currently full of trout, they are literally everywhere.
FYI after the CT fisheries sampled the trout population last
September, they estimated the trout per mile in the Permanent TMA/C&R
at 2,800+ fish- that’s a lot! Tight-line nymphing with one or two
weighted nymphs is your best option to probe faster riffles, runs,
rapids & pocket water, but Indicator nymphing is effective also.
Make sure one of your flies is a pupa-type pattern. Junk Flies such
as Mops (also Eggs & Worms) are still very effective at moments,
especially on the stocked fish that aren’t totally dialed in on
real bugs yet. Also hard to go wrong with a #14-20 Pheasant Tail or
Frenchy (just a hot-spot PT). FYI, small PT’s work 12 months a year
and are a great dropper fly when you are not sure what to put on.
From May through October, if I’m nymphing, at some point there will
definitely be a Caddis pupa pattern #14-18 on my rig at some point.
In case you missed it up top, we have gone to a 6pm
closing time on weekdays. Also, we are now CLOSED on
Wednesdays at least for a while, so please plan
accordingly.
Caddis &
General Fishing Tips:
We are seeing multiple
different Caddis hatching. FYI, all Caddis look tan while flying in
the air, you have to get one in hand and flip them over to determine
the true body color. And they are not easy to catch by hand, as they
will actively try to avoid your hand, unlike a mayfly. You can look
for them in spiderwebs. Pupa color should match the adult BODY color.
Tan and olive/green are the two most common body colors, and small
black Caddis are very common now and hatch all year long on the
Farmington River. Tan Caddis are picking up now, they can be as big
as #14, but also commonly are #16-18. At the moment the subsurface
nymphing with Caddis pupa and other nymphs is the most consistent &
predictable method. I’m still catching trout on Junk Flies at
moments, so make sure to have some Mops, Eggs, Worms & Weenies.
Junk typically either works great, or not at all. Pair them up with a
more natural, imitative nymph. Caddis are a great bug to imitate with
wet flies/soft-hackles too, and that’s a fun method. You will find
the best Caddis action where the water is broken and has some
current. If you have fish breaking on the surface during a Caddis
emergence, a Dry-Dropper rig works well. Run a pupa or soft hackle
wet 12-18” under a buoyant Caddis dry. Streamers are also a good
choice, a great way to cover a lot of water in a hurry, and also be
able to fish the water that you cannot nymph. They are at their best
early & late in the day, on cloudy days, and during higher flows.
Make sure to cover lots of water, play with streamer color/patterns,
and vary your retrieves. Try tan, olive, white, yellow, black, or
combinations thereof.
Kudos to CT DEEP for their wise
management of the water in Colebrook Reservoir since they took that
over around June of 2024. They were dealt a crappy hand in terms
of weather (and by that I mean an incredibly dry 9-10 months in a
row), but they did the right thing and ran the dam release low so
they could fill the reservoir back up, instead of running the flow
according to historical norms that are no longer relevant due to
changing weather/climate. After the recent rains we are finally full,
and a little over 100%. This means we don’t have to worry about
running out of water in July & August. At some point though, they
will likely need to increase the dam release to get the reservoir
down to or below 708’ by July 1st (the beginning of
hurricane season).
Vitreus often get labeled as a
bigger Sulfur (#12-16, averaging a 14), but they are close cousins to
the Quill Gordon (same Epeorus family of bugs). They have 2 tails,
hatch in faster water, and the winged dun emerges from the nymph on
the stream bottom and then swims/rises to the surface- most mayflies
emerge in the surface film. The eggs inside the females give a
distinctly pinkish-orange cast to their abdomen, and some people call
them a Pink Lady or Pink Cahill. Pale Evening Dun is another common
name for them. March Browns average #10-12 (can even be a #8
on the lower river) and are another bug that lives & hatches in
fast water. They are a sporadic, one here, one there type of bug,
hatching sporadically in the afternoons & eves. They are starting
up, and we are seeing a few as far upstream as about Church Pool. FYI
1-2 weeks before they hatch, they nymphs migrate to the edges of fast
water, and many end up in the drift, creating some good nymph
fishing. You can use a specific March Brown nymph, and also bigger
Hare’s Ears & Fox Squirrels. Unlike the light and sporadic
daytime emergence, spinners fall all at once at dusk over fast water.
Don’t be afraid to explore and fish new water to get
away from the crowds, there are literally fish EVERYWHERE, including
all the water in between the pools. You are also more apt to get into
wild fish when you fish water that isn’t as busy. Wild fish don’t
like being constantly disturbed by anglers. The further you go
downstream, in general the less anglers you will see- especially if
you walk 5-10 minutes away from the easy access points. Most anglers
focus on the famous named pools that have easy access, and skip the
water in between. The water outside of the Permanent Catch &
Release/TMA gets less pressure for the most part.
Fishing
reports have varied widely, depending on the angler, river section
fished, time of day, and methods/flies used. Overall we are getting a
LOT of good reports from smiling anglers. Dry fly fishermen have come
into their time now. Expect to work for the high quality bigger
holdover & wild fish. If you get into a pod of stocked fish, you
can do some big numbers with subsurface flies. It pays to move around
and cover water currently. It one section is not producing, don’t
beat it to death, move to a new area. The big wild browns are the
hardest to fool, you need to do everything correctly. They’ve seen
it all, and they spook easily. They are also very tuned into real
bugs & minnows.
The Permanent TMA/C&R was stocked
in mid April with a lot of brown trout of various sizes- that section
gets stocked once per season. Most sections outside that have been
stocked 3-4 times now, with more to come for July 4th and
Labor Day. FYI, 20% of the trout they stock throughout the state are
over one foot, with some much larger. The Permanent TMA/C&R gets
1,000 fat Two Year Old Browns that average 14-18”, and some are
bigger than
that.
****************************************************************
Dries:
-Assorted
Caddis #14-20 (tan, green/olive, black): major hatch on all of the
river, very active mid mornings to mid afternoons, nymphing with pupa
is currently the most productive tactic for them. They typically
egg-lay later in the day in low light, in the faster water.
-Vitreus
#12-14: late afternoon & eves, fast water
-March Brown
#10-12: light hatch, sporadic fast water bug, afternoons/eves.
Spinners fall over fast water at dusk.
-Light Cahill #12-14:
eves
-Summer/Winter Caddis #18-24: hatch is typically early to
mid morning, all year long. Trout focus on the pupa first, and then
as the morning progresses they normally switch to the winged,
egg-laying adults.
-Midges #20-28: afternoons/eves
-Ants &
Beetles #14-20
Nymphs:
-Assorted
Caddis Pupa #14-20 in various colors (olive/green, tan). Use specific
pupa, Walt’s Worms, and Sexy Waltz.
-Pheasant Tails/Frenchies
#12-20: imitates a wide range of Mayflies including Sulfurs, Vitreus,
Blue Winged Olives, small Stoneflies, and more.
-Blue Winged
(Baetis) Olive Nymphs #16-20: all year long
-Caddis Larva (olive
to green) #14-16: lots of these in the river (most other rivers too),
imitates the common Hydrospyche, good all year
-Junk Flies
(Mops/Micro Mops, Squirmy/San Juan Worms, Eggs, Green Weenie): eggs
are deadly in the fall/winter/early spring, and the others are good
change-up flies when the usual imitative flies aren’t producing,
during non-hatch times, cold water, on recently stocked trout, or
during higher/off-color water.
-Attractor Nymphs #14-20: such as
Sexy Waltz, Rainbow Warriors, Frenchies, Prince, Triple Threats, Pink
Bead Walt’s Worm/Pheasant Tails/Hare’s Ear, etc. Often work
better than drabber, more imitative flies.
-Cased Caddis #10-16:
all year, but especially after rain or flow bumps (higher water
knocks them into the drift)
-Winter/Summer Caddis Larva #18
(yellow)- also imitates Black Caddis larva & some Midge
larva
-Midges #18-22 (black, olive, red): Zebra Midge, Flash
Midge, Red Iris Midge.
Streamers:
*We
have a lot of new streamer patterns from MT Fly Co in the bins,
including plenty of bigger articulated patterns.
***Don’t
neglect streamers! - top colors have been olive, tan, white, and
black. Black is good on recently stocked trout (of which there are
lots right now), during low light (first & last light), and
high/dirty water.
-Jigged Streamers #8-12: various
patterns/colors, deadly fished on a tight-line/Euro rig, often sorts
out bigger fish. Great to use as a clean-up fly after you nymph a
run.
-Ice Picks (tan, gray, white, yellow): tied by Rich
Strolis, a very nice single hook baitfish pattern
-Woolly Bugger
#4-12: assorted colors, try also Don's Peach Bugger
-Zonker
#4-6: a classic fish catcher! In white, natural
-BMAR Yellow
Matuka #6: deadly fall fly! Also standard Matuka in olive,
brown
-Zuddler #4-8: one of our favorites, in olive, white,
brown, black, yellow
-Complex & Mini Twist Bugger #2-6:
assorted colors, very effective