Monday 4/24/17 River Report- Big trout are active, Hendricksons are moving upriver.

Fishing is really picking up. Multiple reports of Hendricksons hatching downriver in Collinsville and Unionville, with some trout feeding on the surface. Regardless of whether you find fish on top, you can catch them on #12-14 brown nymphs. I fished a juicy looking riffle last night after work, and I caught quite a few trout on nymphs (mostly Pheasant Tails & big Rubber Legs). The Hendrickson hatch should be going in the permanent C&R/TMA by this weekend.

The state stocked the permanent Catch & Release/TMA with thousands of adult & yearling Survivor Strain brown trout on 4/21, and the big fat Two Year Olds (14-18"+) will go in this week on Wednesday 4/26. In fact last week, literally the entire river from the dam in Riverton down to the Rt 4 bridge in Farmington was stocked. There are literally trout everywhere. Last week the fishing really turned on, and not just because the whole river was stocked- many above average holdover and even some wild trout were landed both in and out of the permanent TMA/C&R. It's a combination of rising water temps, bug activity, and dropping flows. We are seeing more & more bugs on mild afternoons including Hendricksons (downriver now, bug should be going in TMA/C&R by this weekend if not sooner), Blue Wing Olives, small dark Caddis, Midges, Early Stoneflies, etc. As I mentioned above, Hendricksons are hatching downriver, and a few have been spotted in the permanent C&R. Downriver is a legitimate hatch, and if you give it a few days, it should be a fishable hatch in the C&R/TMA. We get 5 consecutive days in the 70s from Thursday through Monday, and that should really get things going.

Total flow in the permanent Catch & Release is a normal 405 cfs, with 262 cfs from the Goodwin/Hogback Dam in Riverton, and the Still River adding another 143 cfs below Riverton. Water temps in the permanent Catch & Release/TMA have been reaching into the low 50's on a daily basis in the afternoons. Riverton (above the Still River) is still averaging low/mid 40s.

A beautiful over 20" brown caught by Kevney Moses

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There is more and more bug activity everyday, with the bulk of it in the afternoons:  Baetis/Blue Wing Olives #16-18, Hendricksons #12-14 (downriver, but very soon in TMA), Early Stones #12-16, Midges  #20-26, and a few Paraleps/Blue Quills sz 18, plus assorted dark Caddis. If you find mayflies hatching & rising trout, emergers will usually outfish traditional dun dry flies. Caddis Larva #12-16, Hendrickson nymphs #12-14, Frenchies #16-18, Quasimodo Pheasant Tails #12-18, Attractor Nymphs, Mops, San Juan Worms/Squirmies, Green Weenies, Egg Flies and bigger Stonefly nymphs #8-12 are still working well. Streamers have been very effective on both the fresh stocked trout and also the big holdover and wild fish. Experiment with colors & retrieves to find what will attract the trout.