Some very good reports from Friday & Saturday, with trout caught mainly on a mix of dries & nymphs. Pictured is a beauty caught by Andy Lyons in the early AM this week- sometimes the Early Bird does get the worm. This time of year, early & last are normally the peak times. Andy starts at 5am (except in the winter), and catches an impressive number of big browns. An even bigger fish smoked him, taking him way downriver and eventually breaking off. C'est la vie. FYI if you are nymphing with a 2 fly rig, make sure one of your nymphs is small, as in #18-20. This time of year when flows are normal (say 300cfs or less), the trout really key into smaller nymphs, as that is what is mainly available. The execeptions would be Isonychia & big Stoneflies. Also, nymphing the broken, faster water will greatly outproduce nymphing the softer, slower runs. Same is true if you are prospecting/blind-fishing with dry flies during non-hatch periods, target the broken riffly water. Don't skip the shallow bank water, especially if it is in the shade. 6" of water can easily hold a 15-20" trout in the summertime.
River remains in very nice shape, with 298 cfs (medium to medium-low, just about perfect & very wadeable) through the Catch & Release
area and water temps are mid 50s to mid 60's, making it fishable at least downstream as far as Collinsville currently. Temps are lowest near the dam up in Riverton, and morning water temps are lowest of all. Needhami's
averaging a #22-26 are on the water (a small brown mayfly) from 7am to 1pm (approximately).
Needhami Spinners dropping from previous day's hatches come first, then
the duns in the later morning. There are still Winter/Summer Caddis
#22-24 in
early/mid mornings with Tan
Caddis in #16-20 hatching
sporadically from mid/late morning through the day, and they are back on
the water egg-laying in the evening (they hatch best in riffled to faster water). Isonychia are lighter than they were but still hatching late afternoon thru early/mid evening, they are running
about #10-14 and
hatch in the faster, choppy water (pool heads, riffles, faster runs,
pocket water). Sulfurs averaging a #18 are on the water in the evening
with spinners at dusk- they are very sparse in the Catch & Release
section and are hatching best upriver (I've seen them hatching well into
August close to the dam) above the Still River up to the dam. Blue Wing Olives #20-24 are hatching
in
the late afternoon as well with spinners at dusk. Ants
& beetles in various sizes are fooling fish in the daytime, including Mini Chernobyls in #12-14.
Currently effective
nymphs include: Hot Spot Nymphs #14-20, Wade's Clinger Nymph #14-16,
Olive nymphs #16-20, Yellow Sparkle Prince #14-18, Sulfur Nymph #16,
Caddis Pupa & Larva in both tan & olive/green #12-18, Jig nymphs
#10-16, Pheasant
Tails #16-20, Isonychia Nymphs #10-12, Fox Squirrel Nymph #10-14, Prince
Nymph #10-18, and Golden/Brown/Black Stoneflies #6-12 are all working
well. 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.