A couple of big browns caught in past couple days by Aaron Swanson. Some good to excellent fishing reports from yesterday, especially in the TMA/C&R section (it was heavily stocked on Tuesday/Wednesday), with trout caught via all methods: wets, dries, nymphs
& streamers- some big fish were landed, both holdovers & Two Year Olds. The influx of stocked trout last week seems to be creating competition and getting the holdovers fired up. Wet flies/Soft-Hackles have been very effective, and
are a fun way to catch trout & cover the water efficiently &
quickly. There have been trout rising in the
TMA/C&R section if you want to fish dries, albeit the subsurface guys are catching the most fish. Hendrickson hatch is picking up every day, best hatching reports were downriver towards Collinsville/Unionville, they are always at least a few days ahead of us. Some of the risers were big holdovers too. Although most of the
catch has been comprised of recent stockers, some big holdovers have
been mixing in, the competition from stocked trout seems to have them
feeding better, plus the increase in water temps & increased bug
activity. A "Perfect Storm" of sorts, in a good way. Water temps, flow,
hatches & trout stocking have all lined up perfectly, finally! I've
seen a lot of fish porn over this week, with some big trout in
the pictures, a mix of holdovers/wild trout, and large recently stocked
Two Year Old browns.
The Farmington is currently 282cfs total flow
through the catch & release area (111cfs from the Still
River). The MDC cut the flow back on Friday, making wading even
easier and increasing dry fly opportunities. The Farmington River
Catch
& Release area was stocked on this past Tuesday & Wednesday
with thousands of trout trout, including 1,000 Two Year Old Survivor
Strain brown
trout which average over 16 inches and some of which are bigger and top
out at 3 1/2 to 4 pounds- they put in some hefty trout this year. The
Hendrickson hatch has started, and though it has been only a modest
hatch so far, it it increasing daily and it will
only get heavier- highs today will be upper 70's, and 84 on Monday,
wow. Trout are being caught on the surface using a combination of
Hendricksons (sz 12-14), Winter Caddis (sz 18-22), Caddis (sz
16-18), Blue Wing Olives (sz
16-24), and Mahogany Duns/Blue Quill (sz 16-18).
Subsurface, try fishing Hendrickson nymphs, a bigger #12-14,
Pheasant Tail can also work well. #16-18 Olive nymphs imitating
Baetis Vagans are also a good choice now, they are active.
Early Black & Early Brown Stoneflies (sz 12-16), Pheasant Tails (sz
12-18), olive/green caddis larva (sz 8-16), cased caddis larva (sz
8-16), midge larva/pupa (sz 16-20, especially in red), attractor nymphs
(sz 12-18 in Red Headed Stepchild, Copper Johns, blue Lightning Bugs,
Yellow Prince, Rainbow Warrior, and egg flies (sz 10-18) are still a
good choice. Don't be afraid
to fish some some gaudier/flashy/attractor-type nymphs, the trout
sometimes show a preference for them, doubly true for recently stocked
trout.
UpCountry Sportfishing is always looking for good used fly fishing gear for cash and trade. This is how we get those great items we list on our website and you see on our racks. We buy fly rods, reels, quality classic bamboo, and fly tying equipment etc. Bring in your old items and we can help turn them into something new. Call ahead for an appointment at 860-379-1952.
UpCountry Sportfishing is always looking for good used fly fishing gear for cash and trade. This is how we get those great items we list on our website and you see on our racks. We buy fly rods, reels, quality classic bamboo, and fly tying equipment etc. Bring in your old items and we can help turn them into something new. Call ahead for an appointment at 860-379-1952.
