Here's a uncommon catch from the Farmington River: a Golden Trout caught by DEEP Brian this week. I guess the MDC stocked a few last week, as the state stopped stocking them over 30 years ago. Fishing has been GOOD. The improved water levels & temps were just what we needed. The
Farmington River is 107cfs from the Goodwin/Hogback Dam, back to a normal 176cfs through the
permanent Catch &
Release. Wednesday's rains did a nice job of refreshing the water levels
and the river looks great. The weathermen have backed off on this weekend's forecast, with just a very modest chance of showers today & Saturday. No rain in Sunday's forecast. Cloudy weather should mean some Blue
Winged Olives #20-26 along with some Tan Caddis #16-18 and a few
Isonychia #12-14. The Farmington River Anglers Association
stocked 1,100
12-14" Rainbow and Brook Trout in the upper river on last week and
the
MDC loaded the river with 1, 100 brown trout last Friday. All of the
fresh
trout are in the Riverton area (between Whittemore Pool & the
Goodwin/Hogback Dam), and
folks have been having luck with Woolly Buggers & nymphs underneath, and Tan
Caddis #14-18 on top when
targeting them. Even without the stocking, fishing has been good from
Riverton all the way down to Unionville. For those seeking less pressure, downriver usually sees a lot less anglers. We literally have a ton of sale and clearance items at the moment- rods, reels, lines, etc. We've been getting trade-in rods & reels faster than we can list them on our website, so make sure to stop in the store and take a peek, the best stuff goes fast. We just received a pile of closeout demo Scott rods from our rep, so if you are a fan, check 'em out ASAP. We also have lots of closeout rods & reels from Sage, Hardy, Winston, Redington, Echo and others. We are receiving next years products on a weekly basis, as most of the companies debut their new stuff in the early fall. This includes the new Hardy Zepherus rods, Scott Meridian rods, Redington Hydrogen and just about all of the new rods from Sage. Grady has let me slowly but surely let me beef up our book selection. There are some fantastic books available that can shortcut your learning curve big time. Take a peek, and don't be afraid to ask me (Torrey) for suggestions, I'm a book fanatic. FYI George Daniel's fantastic new streamer fishing book "Strip-Set" just came out, and it's phenomenal. Local fly tyer/guide/author/streamer fanatic Rich Strolis is prominently featured.
On the surface, Summer/Winter Caddis #20-24 are on in the morning. Afternoons have been bringing Flying Ants #22-24 and Tan Caddis #16-18, and Isonychia #12-14. Lt Cahills #12-14 and Summer Stenos #18-20 are hatching before dark. The cloudier days have seen afternoon/evening hatches of Blue Winged Olives in the #20-26 range. When nymphing use a mix of larger and small flies including Black and Golden Stonefly #6-12, smaller Yellow Sally Stonefly nymphs #14-16, Hot Spot Nymphs #16-20, Wade's Clinger Nymph #16, Blue Wing Olive nymphs #16-20, Yellow Sparkle Prince #16-18, Rainbow Warrior #16-18, Caddis Pupa & Larva in both tan & olive/green #10-18, Pheasant Tails #16-20, Prince Nymph #12-16.
As you move into 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. Play around with streamer size- smaller patterns often catch more trout (especially if the water is lower), and larger flies typically catch less but bigger trout. Low light is prime-time (early mornings & evenings). With floating lines, use weighted flies, split-shot, and/or sinking leaders to sink your streamers. If you are fishing unweighted flies, use sinking lines, sink-tips, sinking leader or split-shot to get your flies down. Streamer fishing normally picks up in October as we get closer to brown trout spawning time, they get more aggressive. Dropping water temps and shorter days also gets them to put the feedbag on. - Torrey