Wade, who ties some of the excellent flies you see in our bins, is pictured here with a beautiful holdover brown he caught recently. It taped 19", and the yellow elastomer behind the eye & the clipped adipose fin denote it as a Two Year Old stocked in spring 2014, so it's now 4 years old and has held over for 2 years. Another success for the Survivor Trout program, thanks to the CT DEEP.UpCountry has just received a huge closeout of Hardy Zenith and Hardy Proaxis X fly rods. As anyone who has been in earshot of me over the last few years knows, these are my absolutely favorite fly rods. These rods use Sintrix, a technology licensed from 3M which makes them stronger and nearly unbreakable under normal fishing conditions. You can find them in our flyshop or in our online store at a great discount. - Grady
The Farmington is currently 265cfs & clear from the dam in Riverton downstream to the confluence of the Still River. We are at 683cfs total flow and already peaked & dropping, with a clarity of about 2 feet through the Catch & Release area. Rain yesterday & overnight has put some much needed water back in the tributaries. Light rain/showers are supposed to end by early afternoon. The extra water is coming from the Still River, it drops like a rock and it has already peaked and is now on the way down & clearing fast. Above the the Still River, up in Riverton, it is almost always clear, even after a good rain.
Overcast, wet days like today are great for fishing, and you have a better shot at catching a big brown- you just have to modify your approach. Streamers are an EXCELLENT choice when the water rises & discolors . Low light conditions like we will have much of this week are perfect for fishing streamers too.
Dry fly fishing has been excellent at moments recently, with trout rising throughout the day- make sure to move around if you are not doing well in one spot, don't be a stick-in-the-mud. Sulfurs (and/or Vitreus) in about #16-18 have been on the water in the evenings and catching trout from Unionville through the middle reaches of the Catch & Release area, at least as far up as Church Pool (probably even farther up than that by now)- they will move upriver a bit each day, and they are hatching great downriver too (Canton/Collinsville/Unionville). June is normally the peak month or Sulfurs on the Farmington. Caddis are strongest hatch on the river currently, so have #14-18 in your box, in both olive/green body and Tan body colors. Winter/Summer Caddis #18-22 have been hatching well in early mornings in the Catch & Release area (normally early to mid mornings), with adults on the water in the afternoon and evening, and pupa very active subsurface in the mornings. Blue Wing Olives duns & emergers #18-24 have been on the river during the day this past week, as well with their spent form- the Rusty Spinner #18-24 showing in the late afternoon and evening. March Browns/Grey Fox #10-14 are showing up in the late afternoon and evening. Look for March Brown/Grey Fox Spinners (sz 10-14) in the hour before dark.
Subsurface, Caddis Pupa & Larva in both olive/green & tan #14-18, Hare's Ear soft hackles #12-16, Golden Stoneflies #6-12, Pheasant Tails #14-20, March Brown/Gray Fox Nymphs #10-14, Fox Squirrel Nymph #10-14, Prince Nymph #12-18. We are starting to see Golden Stonefly nymph husks on the rocks in fast water, so they are active & hatching, and are an especially good nymph choice in the mornings (they crawl out to hatch/emerge at night and in the early to mid mornings) . Streamers are working well in the early morning and again toward dark- look for low-light conditions for best results.