Sunday 6/21/15 Report - Big Brown, Father's Day & Afternoon Sunshine

Brian's Big Catch of the week

The Farmington River is flowing at 304cfs in Riverton downstream to the junction of the Still River. Total flow in the Catch & Release area is 446cfs. The river is medium and clear. Rain will end by mid-morning and sunshine is forecasted for this afternoon. If conditions change due to rainfall, remember that you always have the option of fishing in Riverton above the Still River (basically from Hitchcock up to the dam) and that will stay medium & clear. Unless we got a lot more rain, I suspect the C&R area/TMA will stay fishable for later today. Today would be a good one to chuck some streamers looking for big trout- hit the snags, drop-offs, big rocks, undercut banks, etc. Good #16-18 Sulfur hatch last night, and before that there were #18 Attenuata Blue Wing Olives.

Beautiful big 21" brown caught by DEEP Brian this past week, on a Sulfur dry, way outside of the Catch & Release area. Plenty of nice trout all over the river, so if a favored section is crowded, work your way downriver or upriver until you find some elbow room. There will be trout wherever you choose, I guarantee it. Catching them, however, is up to you.



Check out the cool new Green Weenies Don tied for us on Umpqua Competition jig hooks with tungsten beads- look deadly!  

Sulfur hatches are cranking now, medium to heavy in almost all areas, upstream all the way up to the dam in Riverton now, and down through Unionville and even below that. Make sure to have matching patterns in nymphs (Pheasant Tails in #16-18 normally work great), emergers, duns & spinners. While it is traditionally an evening hatch, we've seen them coming off as early a 1pm some days. The closer you get to the dam, the more "evening hatches" tend to come off & end earlier in the day. Nature loves to defy the rules, and cold tailwaters such as this one can make traditional hatch calendars wrong at moments. Evening Sulfur spinner falls can brings some pigs to the surface. Still lots of Tan Caddis around too.

Isonychia are starting to appear downriver in the Canton through Unionville stretch (a few, not a lot yet), and even a few (not many yet) popping in the TMA/C&R section. It's not really a full-blown hatch yet, but soon. In the C&R section, Winter/Summer Caddis #18-22 have been hatching well early morning to 11am, with adults on the water in the late afternoon and evening. Sulfurs #16-18 are on the water from late afternoon until dark. Blue Wing Olives #18-24 have also been out in good numbers at moments, especially when it's cloudy. Caddis #14-18 in both tan & olive/green body body colors have been strong- the tan ones seem to be the dominant color now, but check body color because it can be the difference between a great day and a slow one. And FYI, they ALL look tan in the air until you catch one and turn it upside down. Lt Cahills & March Browns #10-14 are showing up from mid afternoon and on. March Brown Spinners (sz 10-12), Rusty Spinners (18-20), and Sulpher Spinners (sz 16-18) are on the water toward dark.

Subsurface, Caddis Pupa & Larva in both tan & olive/green #14-18, Hare's Ear soft hackles #12-16, Golden Stoneflies #6-12, Pheasant Tails #14-20, March Brown Nymphs #10-14, Fox Squirrel Nymph #10-14, Prince Nymph #12-18. We are seeing 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) FYI big trout LOVE them, use matching nymphs in #6-10 right now, and focus on the faster, rocky water where they live & emerge from. Streamers are working well in the early morning and again toward dark- look for either low light or murky water for best results during this time of the year on the Farmington. Mice, Rats and giant Streamers are working after dusk.
   -Torrey

 UpCountry has just received a huge closeout of Hardy Zenith and Hardy Proaxis X fly rods- these are literally flying out the door, so don't wait or they will all be gone. 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