We are open 7 days a week, current hours are:
8am-5pm
Monday & Tuesday, Wednesday
10am-4pm,
8am-5pm Thursday & Friday, and 8am-5pm on Saturday &
Sunday.
We
are looking for a part-time employee, someone who knows the river
well and and is knowledgeable about flyfishing.
Pictured
is Mike
Andrews holding a high quality long & lean wild (I think) Winter brown
trout. You have to work hard for your fish right now, but the result
can be a trophy wild or holdover fish. Mostly browns, but the occasional big Bow is showing up.
We
have the brand spanking new Simms
Flyweight Waders
in
stock now, check ‘em out. Lightweight and fold into their own pouch
for easy carrying.
Current
Sale Items:
-Thomas
& Thomas Contact II Euro rods $499 (were $895): all sizes are now
completely sold out
-Scott G Series fly rods $660 (30% off, were
$945)
-Thomas & Thomas Lotic fiberglass rods $450 (were
$695)
-Sage Sonic fly rods 25% off
-Scott G Series fly rods
25% off
-Simms G3 Waders 20% off
-Simms Confluence Waders
35% off
-Scientific Angler Amplitude Smooth Trout fly lines 20%
off
-All
Airflo fly lines are 40% off
***Sales
apply only to
in-stock merchandise and can be bought in-store, or on the website &
shipped to your door - call with any questions***
Gift
Certificates are available and can be sent by mail or bought on our
website.
We
will match most
advertised
deals
from other stores local or on the internet if we have the item in
stock. 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.
We
are now accepting pre-orders for the first batch of Thomas &
Thomas Contact III+ Euro rods that will be available starting
sometime around mid February/early March.
We are also happy to accept various trade ins toward the III+ to make
them more affordable, and you can also trade in your Contact II.
UpCountry will be one of the first stores in the country to receive
these rods limited to an initial run of 500 nationwide, so get in
line by giving us a call now, a $100 deposit will reserve a rod for
you- we expect this first batch to sell out fast. T&T brought
these rods to us recently, and we were blown away. They have two
different tips, including a solid one that 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 more
casting distance, more accuracy, and greater sensitivity. 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). If you break a rod tip on these, T&T
has an expedited repair program that should have you back on the
water with a new tip inside of a week or so.
Friday
Morning 2/20/26
River
Report:
We
are looking for a part-time employee, someone who knows the river
well and and is knowledgeable about flyfishing.
Don’t
forget to get a 2026 CT fishing license, you will need a new one as
of January 1st.
You
can get a license here at UpCountry, on the CT DEEP website, or you
can get one in person at most town halls. Don’t forget to also
purchase the $5 Trout Stamp, you need it to fish the Farmington
River.
We now have FRAA Banquet tickets available for
purchase in the store via cash or check, but not credit/debit cards.
Date is Saturday March 7th, cost is $60 per ticket. We also have 100
Ticket Raffles for sale. FRAA puts on some of the best banquets we’ve
ever seen, and they do a fantastic raffle.
The
storm is behind us now, and we have about 1 foot of additional snow
on the ground now. Looks like milder weather comes back starting
Tuesday and goes straight through Sunday, with highs from the upper
30’s and into the low/mid 40’s. Most major parking lots are clear
of snow, but most of the pull offs are snowed in. The river is mostly
fishable from the dam down
through New Hartford, although the heavy snow did create some slush &
shelf ice. I’d expect it to melt out this week with the sun and
above freezing temps. Fishing lately has been a grind, you have to
work hard to get a bite. Be patient, as you need to hit a bite window
when the trout decide to feed, and it’s not 100% predictable.
It can last 45 minutes, or can go for 2-3 hours when it happens. Pick
likely looking water and fish it thorougly, slow & deep with
nymphs and streamers. Trout won’t move far to eat in icy water, so
make lots of casts in the higher percentage spots, and set the hook
on ANYTHING suspicious. Strikes
are usually very subtle in the Winter. Despite
tough fishing, the average size has been large, as in 16-19”, with
a few fish 20-22” landed recently. Winter
Caddis hatches are ramping up lately, and some fish have been surface
feeding on them in
the mornings.
Hope
for rising trout, but expect to fish subsurface.
Tiny
Winter Black Stoneflies (Capnia) started hatching recently in
the afternoons,
they average #18-20 but can go all the way down to a #24. A #18 BMAR
Winter Stonefly or a black Zebra Midge in those sizes can imitate
this bug, but sometimes I find I do better on other nymphs that look
nothing like a small black Stone, so pair that up with another nymph
pattern. If nothing else, bugs in the drift get the trout out of
hiding & feeding. They may move into the riffles in the
afternoons when there are insects in the subsurface drift.
For
you fly tyers, a Wapsi fly tying materials order arrived recently,
and a Hareline tying materials order came
in Friday.
The
flow gauge on the Still River froze
up again. The dam is
reading 87cfs
at the Rt 20 bridge, that’s a low flow (historical normal flow
would be 187cfs).
The Still River looks to
be an estimated 140-150cfs,
which puts the total flow below that in the Permanent TMA/Catch &
Release medium at
about 225-235cfs
(historical normal total flow for today would be 326cfs).
Riverton water temp this morning is 34.5
degrees, it peaked Sunday at about 35.5
degrees yesterday afternoon. Behind UpCountry (11 miles below the
dam) the water temp is 31.5
degrees this morning. Unionville USGS streamflow gauge is frozen.
I’d
recommend focusing on mid/late morning through mid afternoon when
water temps bump up a bit. Fish slow & deep, as trout are
lethargic when water temps are in the 30’s. Expect most eats to be
subtle, so set the hook on anything. Cycle between small nymphs
#16-22 (Midges & Mayflies), Junk Flies (Eggs, Mops, Worms),
streamers, and fish them all slow & deep.
Cold water
strikes can be VERY subtle, so set the hook on anything. Remember,
“hook sets are free”. The best subsurface fishing lately has been
somewhere between 10am and 3pm’ish most days (it can vary though).
But… don’t totally rule out dry flies, especially the Winter
Caddis hatch in the early to mid mornings (typically between
7am-10am, but can be earlier or later). Midges and Tiny Winter Black
Stoneflies (Capnia) are also a possibility during mild afternoons, a
little sunshine really helps.
If you catch a Winter bite
window when the trout decide to actively feed, double digit catches
are sometimes possible for skilled anglers who know the river well.
Lately though, anglers are working very hard for each and every bite.
You have to be in the right spot (the “spot within the spot”), at
the right time, with the correct flies, rigging & technque.
Lately the best time overall seems to be mid/late morning to mid/late
afternoon, when water temps rise and are at their highest. It’s
also the most pleasant time of day to be outside. Some days it can be
earlier than this though, especially if you have milder
night/morning. Nymphing has been the most consistent method, with
various nymphs #16-22 getting it done, as well as Junk Flies
(Squirmies, Eggs, Mops). We often pair a Junk Fly with a more
imitative smaller nymph, it’s a good Winter combo. Jigged streamers
fished slow & deep are also a good choice, white has been an
above average streamer color this Winter. Water temps are cold
(30’s), so focus on presenting your nymphs & streamers slow and
deep.
Small nymphs are sometimes the key to subsurface success in the Winter, and by small I mean #18’s all the way down to #22-24. Exception could be large Stoneflies #8-10 (golden, brown, black) & Mops. Most nymphs are small to very small right now, with some exceptions. Both Midges and Winter Caddis are small, and most other nymphs/larva are immature and still small in early Winter. Tiny Winter Black Stoneflies run #18-24. Some days fly size can make a big difference. Nymphing is typically the ticket in the Winter, with fish coming to flies like Egg patterns #14-18, and #14-22 nymphs such as Pheasant Tails/Frenchies and Walt’s Worms. Other good Winter nymphs include Midges #18-22 (black, olive, red), small flashy Perdigons, Rainbow Warrior #16-18, Prince #10-14, Caddis Larva, Mops, and nymphs with pink beads (PT’s, Walt’s, Hare’s Ears, etc.).
Some
days there can be a good streamer bite. Cold water temps means you
typically need to slow down your streamer presentations and get them
deep. The easier you make it for the trout to eat, the more strikes
you will get on streamers. Steamers fished under an Indicator
can sometimes get you a big Winter brown trout. Dead-drift them, but
also occasionally twitch/pop your indicator to give your streamer a
little movement. Top colors are white, olive, and tan.
When
water temps are in the 30’s (now), look for most of the trout in
Winter lies. That means deeper, slower water like pools, softer runs,
and deeper moderate riffles. Be aware that during afternoons when the
water temps bump up a little, trout will commonly move into the
riffles and into the current to feed at the pool heads. There are
often bite windows in the Winter, when all of a sudden after slow
fishing, the trout feed actively subsurface for 1-3 hours, so be
patient & persistent. Colder water means less bug activity and
less feeding by the trout, so expect to work for trout this time of
year. Trout normally will only move inches for your fly in icy cold
water. Having said that, I’ve had some surprisingly productive days
in the Winter. Fish will pod up in groups, and if you can locate the
pod and catch a bite window, you can do well some days. Keep your
expectations reasonable though. Work the high percentage water more
thoroughly with extra casts, because in the Winter trout normally
won’t move far at all for your fly. Slow & deep for your nymphs
and streamers, and set the hook on anything, even just gut instinct.
If you are headed out fishing in the Winter, in general
there is no need to get out there at the crack of dawn. Give the
water a few hours to warm up one or two degrees, that’s all it
takes to get the trout feeding. The exception would be the Winter
Caddis hatch, which goes on all Winter in the early to mid mornings
(7am to 10pm would be typical, but it can vary). Sometimes also, you
can get a mid-morning streamer bite before the nymph fishing turns
on. Other than that, I wouldn’t venture out before 10am, and I’d
expect the best fishing to be late morning through mid/late
afternoon, when water temps rise and are at their highest for the
day. Sunny days are best of all, they warm the water up more than
overcast weather. The general rule of thumb with trout is, fish at
the time of day when air temps are the most comfortable for you, and
it’s 90% accurate. The exception to warm days being best of all is
when there is a decent amount of snow on the ground. Warm sunny days
can melt the snow and send ice water into the river, dropping water
temps by lunchtime and totally shutting down the afternoon bite.
Sunny days with highs in the 30’s or less are better when we have
significant snow cover on the ground.
Midges and
Tiny
Winter Black Stoneflies (Capnia)
#18-24
are
the
afternoon hatches
now. Early
to mid mornings, Winter
Caddis
#18-24 is the bug.
*******************************************************************************
Dries:
-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: afternoon hatch, especially on
sunny/milder days. Sometimes brings trout to the surface. If not, go
subsurface with Midge pupa & larva.
-Tiny Winter Black
Stoneflies (Capnia) #18-24: sunny afternoons
Nymphs:
-Small
Nymphs #18-24: various patterns, most of the bugs are small to tiny
this time of year, with size of the fly often superseding the exact
fly pattern.
-Midges #18-22 (black, olive, red): Zebra Midge,
Flash Midge, Red Iris Midge, etc.
-BMAR Winter Stonefly
#18
-Blue Winged Olive (Baetis/BWO) Nymphs #16-22: all year
long
-Pheasant Tails/Frenchies #14-22: imitates a wide range of
Mayflies including Sulfurs, Isonychia, Vitreus, Blue Winged Olives,
small Stoneflies, and more.
-”Junk Flies” (Eggs, Mops,
Squirmy/San Juan Worms, Green Weenies): Can work when standard nymphs
fail, especially in the Winter when there are not many hatches. Also
great in higher and/or off-color water.
-Big Stonefly Nymphs
#8-10: golden/yellow, brown, black, Pat’s. Big Stones are a
mouthful that can be hard for trout to pass up, and there are a
surprising amount of them in the river. Some days in the Winter when
trout won’t move for a small nymph, it takes a bigger bite of food
to get an eat. Experiment!
-Caddis Larva (olive to green)
#14-16: tons of these in the river, good all year, especially in the
Winter.
-Attractor Nymphs #10-20: such as Sexy Waltz, Rainbow
Warriors, Frenchies, Prince, Triple Threat, etc. Some Winter days
trout ignore natural/drab nymphs but will eat gaudy attractors.
-Winter/Summer Caddis Larva #18 (yellow)- also imitates Black
Caddis larva & some Midge larva, works all year long, and one of
the only bugs that is active & hatching in the Winter.
Streamers:
The
low-light conditions of early & late in the day are prime time
for streamers, as are overcast days and periods of higher and/or
off-color water. Streamers are also 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.
Top
colors have been white, 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.
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 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