8am-6pm
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. Wednesday 10am-3pm, Saturday &
Sunday 8am-5pm
We are still looking for one more part-time employee, someone who knows the river well, is experienced and knowledgeable about flyfishing, and has a flexible schedule.
Pictured up top is local angler Jonah with another beautiful brown trout while nymphing in the morning. Persistence pays off!
We will match most advertised deals and sales from other stores local or on the internet. We want your business, and as your friends and local fly shop please come to us first if we can help. Our business only survives because of your support.
The new 2026 Thomas & Thomas Contact III+ Euro rods are now available. We are happy to accept various trade ins toward the III+ to make them more affordable, and you can also trade in your Contact II. They have two different tips, including a solid one that if more flexible and enables you to more easily cast lighter flies, cushion lighter tippet, fish thin Micro Leaders, and it also makes it harder for smaller fish to throw the hook. The Contact III+ is made of a new material that’s twice as strong and recovers noticeably faster/crisper. This will translate into greater accuracy. With the included second tip, it's like getting two rods in one. Lengths remain the same at 10' & 10'9" with the exception of the new 11’ 5“ 3wt (3" longer, a great rod for fishing at distance). If you break a rod tip on these, T&T has an expedited repair program for the Contact III+ series that should have you back on the water with a new tip in a week, instead of the usual 6-8 weeks. Between the improved damping/recovery, new low profile single foot guides, and the added snake guide below the tip-top, you also get dramatically less tip wrapping with micro leaders.
We are now a Guideline dealer, They are a Scandanavian company that makes some great rods & reels and more. Zach & Derrrick are both BIG fans of their products. We have Euro, dry fly, and streamers rods from them. We also have Guideline Euro leader butt material in 3x to 5x for making micro leaders, plus a cool mini chest pack that you can attach 5 different ways.
Hours:
Wednesday
10am-3pm. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday 8am-6pm. Weekends
remain at 8am-5pm. We will stay on this schedule through the end of
the summer.
7/6/26 Afternoon Flow Update:
The dam release was decreased at 9am from 200cfs to 110cfs. This puts the total flow below the Still River at 143cfs currently(a low but definitely fishable flow), additional rain later today & overnight will likely increase the Still River flow to some degree. So far we have received about 1.3" since Saturday evening, with another .90" forecasted by Tuesday morning. The Still River only bumped up a smidge, it is reading 31cfs in mid afternoon. The ground is absorbing most of the rain up to this point, we could use a real deluge.
River
Report:
We’ve
taken in 4 different book collections over the past 2
weeks,
we literally have so many used books there is not room on our
bookshelves! We have many of those books on the red tables in the
book room. There are many excellent titles in the recent batches. FYI
we also have quite a few autographed books.
The
holiday weekend is over, and I’d expect to see some changes in
conditions this week in
terms of the dam release, the weather, and
water conditions.
Not positive
what they will do with the dam flow this morning, but I’m guessing
it is likely they will cut it back close to 100cfs to conserve water-I'll update this report in the afternoon as necessary to reflect any flow changes at the dam.
They put it up from 110 to 200cfs for the holiday weekend on Thursday
7/2, partly to keep the river cooler during the record-setting heat
wave (highs 98 & 99 degrees), and also (I think) to give the
tubers & boaters enough water to float down the river. The USGS gauges are totalling 236cfs this morning below the Still River. We are
finally getting some real rain currently, but not as much as
originally
forecasted, which
is a bummer.
We received about ½” Saturday evening, and another ½” plus
Sunday night, with 1”+ to come today/tonight, and maybe another
dribble Tuesday morning and that’s it. Originally the total was
supposed to be 3.5-4”, now it looks like 2” or slightly more.
I’ll take it, but we still need a lot more rain. It’s
so dry that
the ground is just soaking it all up like a sponge.
If
they cut the dam release this morning as expected, you need to be
careful about how far downstream you go, especially on sunny, hotter
days in the afternoons & evenings. No need to worry today &
Tuesday though, as highs will be in the 60’s, with nights dipping
down into the upper 50’s, and the weather will be very overcast.
Temps go back to normal starting Wednesday, with highs mid 80’s and
lows in the 60’s. So far the weekend looks nice- no rain, with
highs in the mid 80’s.
We
are fortunate to be a true bottom release tailwater, which means that
water is released at the dam from the bottom of a deep reservoir.
Cold water is denser than warm water, so the coldest water is on the
bottom and that is what comes out of the dam. It is still coming out
of the dam in the mid 40’s, and then the water temperature
gradually rises as it goes downstream. Because of this, we remain
very fishable in July. It does not mean we are immune to the effects
of hot weather though, eventually as you go downstream far enough the
water temps will exceed 68 degrees and you should move upstream until
you find suitable temps (ideally 65 or less). The demarcation line
varies during the day, and also depends upon the weather. Coolest
water temps are at first light, and the highest is typically in late
afternoon/early
evening.
Sunny days will see much bigger temp increases than cloudy days. This
is the time of year to own a thermometer, and use it frequently to
take water temps. This
will keep the trout safer and put you in the best water that will
give you better fishing.
A word about taking water temps. I see people doing it wrong all the time, and this can give you an artificially high reading. You need to do two things: 1) take the temperature in moving water, and 2) make sure your thermometer is in the shade when you take a reading. If you don’t do this and you take the temp in the slack water along the shoreline that is exposed to the sun all day, you can easily get a reading 5+ degrees above what the water temp is in the current. Some people will tell you taking the surface temp of the water in the river is no good, but that is not true. The max difference you may see in the slowest, deepest pools is maybe 1 degree between the surface and the bottom. And to the folks who dispute this and say the bottom layer of pool water is significantly cooler than the surface, I would point out that even if this was true, you still have to play your fish in the middle and upper layers of the water column.
CT DEEP is being conservative with water released from the dam due to drought concerns- we are about 4.5” short of normal precipitation so far for 2026, and we finished 2025 6-8” shy of normal. They are attempting to maintain a bank of cold water in the reservoir system so that they don’t run out of cold water when we really need it in August & September. If they were to steadily release 200cfs+ and this drought continues, we could end up at 50cfs by the end of the summer, so this reduced release is necessary.
Main
bugs are still Sulfurs, assorted Caddis, and Isonychia. Don’t
forget about Terrestrials, especially Ants & Beetles, they are
very active in the summer. If they are not rising (often the case),
go subsurface with nymph & wet flies/soft hackles, blind fish an
Attractor dry fly, or do a Dry/Dropper rig with a nymph 18-24”
under a buoyant/visible dry. Don’t go too heavy if you are nymphing
during low water conditions (often the case this time of year), or
you will hang bottom constantly and not catch fish. Plus you don’t
need to dredge bottom this time of year. Streamers are at their best
during first and last light, and at their worst in the middle of a
bright, sunny day. Mousing at night is a good option for big brown
trout, keep your leader very short and heavy.
Sulfurs
are a mix of #16 Invaria and #18 Dorothea- make sure you have BOTH
sizes, trout can be picky on that. Sulfur hatches are trending more
toward #18’s now. Typically an evening hatch, but the further
upriver you are the more the chances you may see an early to mid
afternoon hatch of them. Assorted Caddis going from #16-24 (tan,
olive/green, black, gray) are major players. Most Caddis hatching
occurs from about mid morning to early afternoon, and then the adults
come out in the evening to egg-lay in riffly water. July is the peak
Isonychia (“Iso”) month. Isonychia are a big #8-12 fast water bug
that typically emerge between late afternoon and dark. You can even
blind fish them over likely looking fast water. This is one of my
absolute favorite hatches. Iso’s will continue right into the mid
fall time period, but they get smaller as the season progresses, and
the color changes from brownish to more of an olive color. #10 is
about average for them currently, but some are bigger, some are
smaller. Other bugs in the mix include #14 Light Cahills in the
evenings, and #18-22 and smaller Blue Winged Olives (evenings, cloudy
afternoons).
Dry/Dropper
with a Caddis dry and a trailing weighted pupa 1-2’ below can be an
effective combo during a Caddis emergence- they usually take the
pupa, and the dry acts as a suspender/indicator, but sometimes they
eat the dry. Frequently the better dry fly action for Caddis is when
they come back later in the day to egg-lay, usually in the low light
of evenings. And sometimes swinging wet flies/soft hackles is the way
to go when Caddis are hatching and/or egg-laying. On average, they
are much better/faster swimmers than Mayflies, which is why the takes
to them are often violent and trout will sometimes jump out of the
water. They also tend to be most active in faster, broken water like
riffles, pool heads, pocket water, etc. When fishing Caddis dries,
sometimes the fish want them dead-drift, but frequently they won’t
eat it unless you twitch/move it, the naturals are very active, not
passive like a Mayflies.
****************************************************************************
Dries:
-Sulfur
#16 (Invaria) and #18 (Dorothea): we are seeing more 18’s than 16’s
now
-Assorted Caddis (tan, olive/green #16-18, black, gray #18-22)
-Isonychia #8-12: Fast water bug, usually about 4pm to dark.
-Beetles & Ants #12-20: great option when bugs are not hatching
-Blue Winged Olives/BWO’s #18-22: afternoon hatch on cloudy days, also on the water in the last hour of daylight in flat pool water. Don’t sleep on #18-22 rusty spinners at dusk.
-Light Cahill #14: evenings
-Summer/Winter
Caddis #18-24: hatch is typically early to mid morning. Trout focus
on the pupa first, and then as the morning progresses they normally
switch to the winged adults when they return to egg-lay. Try both
twitching & dead-drifting your fly, trout often key on movement
with this bug.
-Midges
#20-28
Nymphs:
-Caddis
Pupa #14-18 (tan, olive/green)
-Sulfur Nymphs #16-18: you can use specific imitations, or go generic with Pheasant Tails/Frenchies
-Pheasant Tails/Frenchies #12-22: imitates a wide range of Mayflies including Sulfurs, Vitreus, Baetis/Blue Winged Olives, Isonychia, small Stoneflies, Hendricksons, and more
-Small Nymphs #18-22: try Pheasant Tail’s, Hare’s Ears, Walt’s Worms, etc. Size is often more important than the exact pattern, and the bugs get smaller (mostly) in the Summer
-Isonychia
Nymph #10-12: dead-drift, swing, twitch, and even strip them in. They
are great swimmers, and some days trout prefer different
presentations- you won't know until you experiment.
-Baetis/BWO Nymphs #16-22
-Caddis Larva (olive to green) #14-16: tons of these in the river, good all year
-”Junk Flies” (Eggs, Mops, Squirmy/San Juan Worms, Green Weenies): Often work when standard nymphs fail, especially when there aren’t many hatches.
-Stonefly Nymphs #8-10: golden/yellow, brown, black, Stoneflies are a mouthful that can be hard for trout to pass up, and there are a surprising amount of them in the river. Good choice when flows are up. Some days when trout won’t move for a small nymph, it takes a bigger bite of food to get an eat. Often catches larger than average fish. Best in early morning during summer
-Midges
#18-22 (black, olive, red): Zebra Midge, Flash Midge, Red Iris Midge,
etc.
-Attractor
Nymphs #14-20: such as Sexy Waltz, Rainbow Warriors.
-Winter/Summer
Caddis Larva #18 (yellow)
Streamers:
Streamers are a great “clean-up” fly to fish after you have thoroughly nymphed a run, and often will produce a bigger fish than the nymphs did. Also, anytime flows are higher or off-color is a great time to use a streamer.
Top colors currently are olive, tan. A little yellow paired with another color (olive, tan, etc.) in a streamer can trigger brown trout. Black can be good on recently stocked trout (especially rainbows), during low light (dawn/dusk), and high and/or dirty water.
-Jig Streamers #8-12: various patterns/colors, deadly fished on a tight-line/Euro rig, often sorts out bigger fish. Can also be fished under an indicator, or stripped/swung like a regular streamer. Great to use as a clean-up fly after you nymph a run.
-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 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 good fly
-Muddler
Minnow #6-10: a classic, underfished & still deadly!