Hope y'all enjoyed your Thanksgiving, and maybe some of you will take advantage of a mild (high near 50 degrees today), cloudy perfect fishing day this Black Friday and sneak out to catch some trout- Saturday looks pretty good too. Pictured are 4 pretty Farmington River brown trout Andy Lyons caught recently- every one different looking, and all pretty. Love browns!No major changes in conditions- river remains low but definitely fishable at 87cfs total flow in permanent Catch & Release/TMA (57cfs at Riverton USGS gauge, plus 30cfs from the Still River). Main two hatches are small Blue Winged Olives sz 24 (or smaller!) in the afternoons, and Winter/Summer Caddis sz 18-24 are starting to hatch in the mornings now. With the mild temps, you may still see a few Tan Caddis sz 16-18 and Isonychia sz 14, but both of these hatches are near the end. Streamers remain very effective, espeically during low-light conditions- experiment with colors & retrieves to find what's "hot" at any given moment (it changes!). FYI a nymph or soft-hackle trailed off the hook bend 18" behind a weighted streamer is still a great fish catching rig. See down 3 paragraphs below for our Black Friday specials.
Nymphwise: small nymphs sz 16-22 (Midges, Baetis, Quasimodo Pheasant Tails, Hot Spot Attractors, etc.) and Caddis Pupa sz 16-18 (tan, brown) and Larva sz 16 (olive/green) remain top producers, and egg patterns are very effective, so make sure to have some egg flies (small Glo Bugs/Sucker Spawn/Otter Eggs) in your arsenal. Although smaller nymphs have been more consistent than bigger ones, don't rule out Stonefly Nymphs sz 8-14 (brown, golden/yellow, black), sometimes they will pull bigger fish.
The MDC did their fall trout stocking in early November. This batch was stocked in the upper river from the Goodwin/Hogback Dam in Riverton downstream to Whittemore Pool.
Black Friday and the Holidays are upon us. This season please think of the small businesses that you frequent and support them. UpCountry values your business and has some holiday specials to share with you. Simms Headwater Waders are now $249.99.... $100 off. Hardy Lightweight series reels are now $120.00.....reg price was $249.99. Simms Tee Shirts size large are buy one get one free. Korkers Whitehorse Wading Boots $120.....reg priced $179.99. We have a limited selection of Simms & Umpqua Packs and Vests 40% off. In addition to these items, UpCountry will price match just about any sale or deal you can find on the internet.... we appreciate your business and recognize that sometimes a deal will pop up online that you can't resist.... just bring it to our attention.
UpCountry has recently acquired a ton of Simms closeouts that are now on sale. There is a huge selection of Mens & Womens: Gore-tex jackets, packs, slings, shirts, pants, tee shirts, and a few shoes/wading boots/waders. Sizes are limited (the Men's is mostly in Large, and the Women's is all in Medium) and there are only a couple of each item so when they are gone they are gone.
We are always looking for good trade-in fly rods and reels to sell on our website. If you are looking for some new equipment we will gladly put the value of your used gear toward new items in our store. Give us a call to make an appointment.... our prices on trade ins are typically higher than found anywhere else.
If you like our fishing report, please consider buying your gear from us. We generally ship the same day, for free anywhere in the country on all but the smallest orders. Our shop can only exist with your patronage.