Store Hours:
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 one more
part-time
employee, someone who knows the river well and and is knowledgeable
about flyfishing*****
Pictured
up
top is a
high quality wild brown trout I manage to pull out of a day that was
filled with many stocked fish, what a fight it put up. Caught it on
the new Contact III+ 11’ 5” #3, love it! I’ve also fished the
10’ 9” #2, with the solid tip (more flexible), and it might be
the ultimate Micro Leader rod for fishing lighter flies and lighter
tippet. And the 10’ 9” #3 would be the all ‘rounder.
We
have the brand spanking new Simms
Flyweight Waders
in
stock now, check ‘em out. Super 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. The all new Contact III+ is available now in the
store.
-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 while they last.
***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.
The
brand spanking new
Thomas & Thomas
Contact III+ Euro rods have arrived!
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 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). 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 and one snake guide (right next to the
tip top), you get dramatically less tip wrapping with micro leaders.
Friday
Morning 4/9/26
River
Report:
*****We
are looking for a part-time employee, someone who knows the river 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/Salmon Stamp, you need it to fish the
Farmington River and any other river that is a TMA (Trout Management
Area).
We
currently have almost all models of the Thomas & Thomas Contact
III+ rods in stock,
with the exception of the 4 weight, we just received another batch of
them. They are sweet! I (Torrey) got to spend two days fishing the
11’ 5” #3 and the 10’ 9” #2, loved them both, happy to
describe how they fish if you stop by the store.
“Opening
Day” is at hand this Saturday April 11th
at 6am. Well technically there is no more Opening Day because CT
abolished the closed season during
COVID, and now the “off season” remains open in all trout
streams, they just all go catch & release (C&R) during that
time period. So most of us still think of the 2nd
Saturday as Opening Day because that’s when you can keep trout (2
fish 12” or bigger in the Farmington, except for the 6.2 mile year
‘round TMA/C&R section), and it’s also right after they stock
all the streams & lakes. Looks like nice weather for the weekend
too, with highs in the
upper 50’s,
sunny Saturday with a mix of sun & clouds on Sunday. Next
week will see highs in the 70’s and even low 80’s.
Total flow this morning is in the low 400cfs range, looks like they
bumped the dam release up by approximately
70-75cfs
Wednesday afternoon. My guess is they will cut it back Friday for the
weekend, they like to run it somewhat lower for Opening Day to people
don’t drown. Riverton above
the Still River is just
under 300cfs as I write this, they will likely
cut it back to 150-200cfs for Saturday. With the Still River added
in, that would put the total flow in the Permanent TMA/C&R in the
range of 275-300cfs for the weekend (this is all an educated guess,
it’s also possible they
will keep it right here where it is).
A
bit cooler the past couple of days, with highs in the 40’s and
nights in the 20’s. I was out most of Wednesday, started at 11am
and fished ‘till dark. The cold night and water temp drop made for
lethargic trout at first, the takes were very subtle and the trout
weren’t moving for the nymphs, you had to spoon feed them. The
action seemed to pick up as the day progressed and the bright
sunshine raised water temps, it reach the mid/upper 40’s. Ended the
day with 35 fish, all stockers except for one beautiful wild brown,
pictured up top in this report. Helluva fight, probably took me 3-4
minutes to land it.
Total
flow is 419cfs
in the Permanent TMA/Catch & Release (historical median/normal
total flow for today would be 576cfs).
Riverton from the dam to the Rt 20 bridge/Riverton Self Storgage
(Hitchcock) is 294cfs,
and a little below that the Still River is adding in 125cfs
and slowly going down. Morning water temp in Riverton is 39.5
degrees, it reached 43
degrees Wednesday
afternoon. Behind UpCountry it’s 38.8
degrees this morning, it reached 46
degrees yesterday afternoon. They
were dumping a significant amount of water
out of the East Branch (maybe
200-300cfs), but
they have cut it back to about
50cfs or so. Unionville
USGS is 634cfs,
that is a good and very
fishable water level for Collinsville/Unionville/Farmington.
The normal/median flow for Unionville would be 991cfs
for tday.
Rising
water temps are
picking the fishing up, especially where they recently stocked. You
still have to work hard and grind for the bigger holdover & wild
browns. Quite a few fish are holding in faster water now, it’s
definitely not Winter fishing anymore. The recent stockers are mostly
Rainbows that average about 13-15”, with some 16” and many
pushing the 1.5-2 pound mark. They fight HARD. There are also Brook
Trout & Brown Trout in the stocker mix. Above the Permanent
TMA/C&R in Riverton has been stocked once so far, it should get
hit again sometime this week before Opening Day (Saturday 4/11).
Below the Permanent TMA, it has now been stocked twice, with more to
come. The holdovers & wild Brown Trout have been a large average
size (16-19”, with some in the 20” plus range). Not surprisingly,
the brutally cold Winter we had is making the hatches start later
than normal- the
Baetis/BWO’s were about 2 weeks late.
Colebrook
Reservoir is full after being low for many months due to the drought
in the second half of 2026. The reservoir height/elevation has come
up about 40+ feet since
early March, from about
670 feet up to 711+ feet, “full” would be considered to be 716’
of elevation this time of year, and once it goes over that the Army
Corps will dump extra water to get it below that. The state began
their Spring trout stocking in rivers in
early March, and they have
stocked both upstream
and downstream
of the Permanent TMA/Catch & release in Riverton (from the dam
downstream about 4 miles through Whittemore, stopping just above the
Campground), also in New Hartford/Canton from just below the 219
bridge/the Wall in New Hartford down to the Rt 4Rt177 junction in
Burlington/Collinsville. The 6.2 mile Permanent TMA/C&R normally
gets stocked once a year in mid/late April.
When flows
are elevated and/or off-color, you should think about Junk Flies
(Worms, Mops, Eggs, Green Weenies), bigger nymphs (Stoneflies,
Princes, etc.), and streamers of course. Recently stocked trout also
love Junk Flies & Woolly Buggers. The higher the flow gets, the
more trout will move closer to the banks to get out of heavier
current. Darker colored flies show up well in off color water, nymphs
with hotspots are also good. Fish the water near the bank before you
step into the river, otherwise you may spook trout you otherwise
could have caught.
Baetis/Blue Wing Olives #16-18 have
gotten going in the past week,
they are an afternoon hatch and can bring trout to the surface in
slower water. You can also fish nymphs imitating them. Early Black
Stoneflies #14-16 also hatch in the afternoon, but
they are near the end.
They haven’t been bringing many trout to the surface, but the
holdover & wild browns are eating the nymphs subsurface. Cycle
between black nymphs & Prince nymphs #14-16 (to imitate the Early
Black Stones), Caddis larva (cased & regular), Blue Winged Olive
nymphs #16-18, nymphs #14-20
(Midges & Mayflies), flashy Perdigons, Rainbow Warrior #16-18,
Junk Flies (Eggs, Mops, Worms, Green Weenies), various streamers-
fish them all slow & deep. In the mornings (roughly 7am to
10am’ish) you may find some trout rising to Winter Caddis, and
during sunny afternoons, if you are lucky there may be a few trout
rising to Stoneflies or Midges. Strikes can be VERY subtle, so set
the hook on anything. Remember, “hook sets are free”. Some days
there can be a decent streamer bite. Top colors this time of year are
white, olive, tan, and black.
Baetis/Blue
Winged Olives (BWO’s) #16-18,
Midges, and
Early
Black Stoneflies
#14-16
(hatch
is near the end, more upriver now)
are
the
afternoon hatches, Early
to mid mornings, Winter
Caddis
#18-24 is the bug and may
bring some trout to the surface. The lower the flow, the more apt you
are to find some
risers.
*******************************************************************************
Dries:
-Baetis/Blue
Winged Olives/BWO’s #16-18: finally started up recently, afternoon
hatch, best action on cloudy, crappy days
-Early Black
Stoneflies #14-16: Mild sunny afternoons are best. Hatch is near the
end and more upriver now.
-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.
Nymphs:
-BMAR
Early Black Stonefly #14 (afternoon hatch, near the end/ more upriver
now)
-Baetis/BWO
Nymphs #16-18 (afternoon hatch)
-Cased Caddis #10-14: above
average pattern in the early season, especially when flows are up
(high water knocks them into the drift, they mostly live in slower
water near the stream edges).
-Pheasant Tails/Frenchies #14-20:
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 when there are not many
hatches. Also great in higher and/or off-color water, and on
recently stocked fish.
-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. 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.
Experiment!
-Small Nymphs #18-22: various patterns, many bugs
are small to tiny, 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.
-Caddis Larva (olive to green)
#14-16: tons of these in the river, good all year, especially in
March/April.
-Attractor Nymphs #10-20: such as Sexy Waltz,
Rainbow Warriors, Frenchies, Prince, Triple Threat, flashy Perdigons,
etc. Some 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, one of the only bugs that is active & hatching in the
Winter.
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 is a great time to use a
streamer.
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 very 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. White has been a top color, and olive and
tan are both very good.
-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
-Muddler Minnow #6-10: an
oldie but a goodie, still VERY effective