The
Farmington River remains at a low flow but normal for September level,
140cfs in
the permanent Catch &
Release. Fishing reports from yesterday were good with many trout being caught in the 12-18 inch class. The Farmington River Anglers Association stocked 1,100
12-14" Rainbow and Brook Trout in the upper river on Wednesday and the MDC loaded the river with 1, 100 brown trout yesterday. All of the fresh trout are in the Riverton area and folks have been having luck with streamers, wooly buggers and larger caddis patterns on top when targeting them.UpCountry is in the middle of a giant fly rod and reel clearance sale. We are loaded with sale rods and reels from Sage, Winston, Redington, Hardy, Lamson, Ross, and more that need to be cleared out by the end of October. If you are thinking about a new rod for yourself or a gift for Christmas, now is a great time to buy as they are 30 to 50% off of the original retail. Only a few of the items are listed for sale on our website as we are holding them back for our loyal customers instead of shipping them out to who knows where. We have also received much of our spring merchandise early and have in stock the new Scott Meridian, the new Sage Little One, Pulse, Mod, and Bolt, plus my own favorite the new Hardy Wraith and Zepherus freshwater rods, and Zepherus SWS saltwater rods. In reels we have just recieved the 2016 Lamson Guru, 2016 Sage Click, Redington Zero and the Ross Animas.
Needhamis #20-26, and Summer/Winter Caddis #20-24 are on the water in the mornings through midday. Afternoons have been bringing plenty of Flying Ants #22-24 and Tan Caddis #16-18. Lt Cahills #12-14, White Flies #12-14, and Summer Stenos #18-20 have been hatching just before dark. The cloudier days have seen afternoon/evening hatches of Blue Winged Olives in the #20-24 range. If you are nymphing, think #16-20 mayfly and midge patterns for most of your offerings but include Isonychia #12-14 and Stones #6-12 in the mix as well. When nymphing, focus on the medium to fast choppy water, and don't skip knee-deep spots. Currently effective nymphs include: Yellow Sally nymphs #14-16, Hot Spot Nymphs #16-20, Tungsten Sunk Ant #16, #10 Tungsten Carotene Jig, Wade's Clinger Nymph #16, Olive nymphs #16-20, Yellow Sparkle Prince #16-18, Rainbow Warrior #16-18, Caddis Pupa & Larva in both tan & olive/green #10-18 (#14-18 on the pupa), Jig nymphs #10-16, Pheasant Tails #16-20, Isonychia Nymphs #12-14, Prince Nymph #10-18.
As you move into late summer/early fall, trout (especially bigger ones) turn to larger food items like minnows & crayfish, or in the case of this river also Salmon Parr. Look for snags, big rocks, fallen trees, undercut banks, drop-offs, current seams, shady banks, etc.- anywhere you think a bigger than average trout might hide. Cover lots of water and change streamer color & presentations until the trout tell you what they want at that moment (it can change from day to day, and even during the same day as light conditions change). Streamer colors of tan, olive, and white are a great starting point. Play around with the angle you cast & your retrieve. Currently, with the lower water, smaller streamers are best overall. Low light is prime-time (early mornings & evenings). Streamer fishing normally picks up in October as we get closer to brown trout spawning time, they get more aggressive. Dropping water temps also gets them to put the feedbag on. - Torrey