Many of the rainbows we are catching lately have fantastic coloration. The Farmington is in very nice shape for the weekend, with 378cfs total flow in the permanent Catch & Release ( 288cfs of that from the dam in Riverton). The USGS historical total flow is around 400cfs, so we are about normal for today, right where we should be. This level is medium, and the water clarity is good. Look for highs in the low 50's, with a mix of sun & clouds, not too windy either. These are unusually nice fishing conditions for early December, take advantage of them while they last. Fish are rising in the
mornings to
Winter Caddis #20-24, and in the afternoons to small Blue Wing Olives
#22-28, and Midges #22-32 - these insects will continue be the main
hatches during December. You may still
see a few #16-18 Tan Caddis on milder days as well as some random larger
mayflies.
Streamers are still a good choice, especially in medium sizes (#6-8).
Egg flies & Squirmy worms are working well underneath, along with
stoneflies, and smaller nymphs in the #16-20 range- Flashback WD-40's,
Zebra Midges (black, olive), and Pheasant Tails are all good choices
now. The majority of the
browns have already spawned and are hungry, looking to bulk up before
winter.Other suggested flies include the following nymphs: Yellow Stoneflies #8-16, Black Stoneflies 8-14, Fox Squirrel Nymph #12, 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), with 6-7x being more the norm right now due to the small size of the flies & flat water they hatch on. 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.
We just scheduled our second & final Don Butler beginner tying class for this winter, it will be 2 day course, January 9th & 16th, 10am-3pm, cost is $125 per person. Call 860-379-1952 to sign up, class size is limited. See Events/Classes for more details.
Our apartment is now closed for the season, and will be available again starting in April 1 2016