Another nice November brown, 19+ inches, caught on an egg pattern Sunday- this one by Wade Schools, who ties some of our nymphs. Looks like temps are back to normal this week, with highs averaging in the mid 50's, and lows in the 30's to low 40's. MDC is bumping flow up by about 75cfs this morning (additional flow coming from Otis Reservoir in MA)- we are 198cfs this morning, flow will rise to about 275cfs this afternoon. Historical median flow per USGS for today is about 350cfs, so this puts us back close to normal, which is a good thing. Some trout are still spawning, this will help them access some of the gravelly spawning areas (more wild trout in the future!). For those fishing subsurface, various egg flies are still hot, as are various small nymphs including Zebra Midges in #18-20 in black, olive, and #18 Olive Flashback WD-40's. Streamers are also quite productive at moments, it's fun looking for the big grab from a trophy brown- don't be afraid to throw some bigger streamers right now, and make sure to experiment with different colors and cover lots of water. Look for good Blue Wing Olive hatches in the afternoons, November is a top month for them on the Farmington- think small, as in #22-26, and make sure to have some matching Rusty Spinners. Other than the Olives, we are also seeing Winter Caddis #20-24 most mornings. In the afternoons look for Tan Caddis #16-18, October Caddis #10-14 and Isonychia #14. Effective nymphs include Yellow Stoneflies #8-16, Black Stoneflies 8-14, Fox Squirrel Nymph #12, Egg Flies #12-18 (yellow, pink, orange, cream), Squirmy Worms #10-14 (red, tan, pink), Hot Spot Baetis #16-20, Blue Wing Olive #16-22, Rainbow Warrior #16-18, Tan Caddis Pupa #14-16, Green/Olive Caddis Larva #14-16, Pheasant Tails #16-22, Prince Nymph #12-14. Play with colors on your streamers, lately some of the better ones have been brown/yellow, olive, yellow, and brown. Nothing lighter than 2-3x on your streamers, and go heavier if you are tossing big ones. 5x fluoro is a good average for your nymphs, and 5x-7x tippet for your dries (depending upon size). Long tippets help with both dries & nymphs: it will give you "S" curves to get a drag-free float with dries, and it will sink faster & with less weight when nymphing.
Don's Beginner Fly Tying Course on 11/14 & 11/21 is almost full, so sign up ASAP if you want in. Call 860-379-1952 to reserve a spot. From now until April 2016, we close at 5pm every day. Our rental apartment is now closed for the season, and will be available again starting in April 2015