Pictured is a just under 20" brown I caught on Wednesday, believe it or not on a nymph in the almost dark! Nymphing got fast & furious at the end of the night on Pheasant Tails. With the hotter weather here now, it feels sooo good to stand in water that is averaging low/mid 50's, love it! Sulfur hatches are cranking now, medium to heavy in almost all areas, upstream to Riverton at least as far as just below the Still River (extra-cold flow above the Still delays hatching in upper 2 miles). Make sure to have matching patterns in nymphs (Pheasant Tails in #16-18 normally work great), emergers, duns & spinners. While it is traditionally an evening hatch, we've seen them coming off as early a 1pm some days. The closer you get to the dam, the more "evening hatches" tend to come off earlier in the day. Nature loves to defy the rules, and cold tailwaters such as this one can make traditional hatch calendars wrong at moments. Evening Sulfur spinner falls can brings some pigs to the surface. Still lots of Tan Caddis around too.The Farmington is currently a perfect 322cfs through the catch & release area (265cfs from dam in Riverton down to the Still River). This is an excellent level for fishing in all areas. Not really a hatch up in the TMA/C&R yet, but Isonychia ("Iso's") are starting to appear downriver in the Canton through Unionville stretch (a few, not a lot yet). In the C&R section, Winter/Summer Caddis #18-22 have been hatching well early morning to 11am, with adults on the water in the late afternoon and evening. Sulfurs #16-18 are on the water in the late evening (sometimes afternoons). Blue Wing Olives #18-24 have also been out in good numbers at moments, especially when it's cloudy. Caddis #14-18 in both olive/green body and tan body colors have been strong- the tan ones seem to be the more dominant hatch now, but check body color because it can be the difference between a great day and a slow one. And FYI, they ALL look tan in the air until you catch one and turn it upside down. Lt Cahills & March Browns #10-14 are showing up from mid afternoon and on. March Brown Spinners (sz 10-12), Rusty Spinners (18-20), and Sulpher Spinners (sz 16-18) are on the water toward dark.
A lot of fly fishermen only fish in the TMA/C&R section, and they miss out on a lot of great fishing outside of it. While the TMA holds a pile of fish and many big ones for sure, it also can get quite crowded on the weekends. Outside of the TMA pressure is normally noticeably lower, and the further downstream you go, the less people there are. Water temps downriver are still fine, but keep an eye on it as you move into July/August, as the further you get from the dam in Riverton, the warmer the water gets in the summer. The 2 fish/12" limit they instituted years ago does a good job keeping more fish in the catch & keep sections. In a normal year, my largest trout comes from outside the TMA, and frequently these are holdover or even wild trout.
UpCountry has just received a huge closeout of Hardy Zenith and Hardy Proaxis X fly rods- these are literally flying out the door, so don't wait or they will all be gone. As anyone who has been in earshot of me over the last few years knows, these are my absolutely favorite fly rods. These rods use Sintrix, a technology licensed from 3M which makes them stronger and nearly unbreakable under normal fishing conditions. You can find them in our flyshop or in our online store at a great discount. - Grady
Subsurface, Caddis Pupa & Larva in both olive/green & tan #14-18, Hare's Ear soft hackles #12-16, Golden Stoneflies #6-12, Pheasant Tails #14-20, March Brown Nymphs #10-14, Fox Squirrel Nymph #10-14, Prince Nymph #12-18. We are seeing Golden Stonefly nymph husks on the rocks in fast water, so they are active & hatching, and are an especially good nymph choice in the mornings (they crawl out to hatch/emerge at night and in the early to mid mornings) FYI big trout LOVE them, use matching nymphs in #6-10 right now. Streamers are working well in the early morning and again toward dark- look for either low light or murky water for best results during this time of the year on the Farmington. Mice, Rats and giant Streamers are working after dusk.