Monday 5/22/17 Report- Reduced flows, BWOs Caddis and the tail of the Hendricksons

The Farmington is currently 400cfs through the catch & release area in Barkhamsted. The reduction in flow will mean warmer water and an improvement in the dry fly activity. I expect the effects of Monday's rain to be very mild as the majority of the storm is going to the south toward Long Island. Blue Wing Olives #18-22 should be strong this week on the cloudier days. Hendricksons mostly found only in Riverton now. Expect to see spinner falls from Campground Pool and north to the Hogsback Dam. Caddis #14-18 (mostly tan, some green) are all over the river from Collinsville to Riverton. Caddis Pupa patterns have been fishing excellent. Make sure to try both tan and green/olive. Trout have been rising to the Caddis in the faster water above the pools. Caddis can be active any time of day on the Farmington River, but generally the pupa hatch out in the mornings, and the adults come back to egg lay in the evenings.

A large order of fly tying materials from Wapsi arrived on Friday with orders of Whiting Hackle and Hareline on the way and landing this week.

The long awaited book "Nymph Masters" has finally arrived, and it's really good! Look for a review in the near future. Author Jason Randall fished with a bunch of the top nymphers in the USA (guys like George Daniels, Pat Dorsey, Joe Humphreys, etc.), and then wrote this book about his experiences.

We recently received a huge closeout of  Hardy Jet and Shadow fly rods which can be found in store and on our website on our Used Gear and Specials page. If you are looking for a great fly rod at at a great price, the Hardy rods are hard to beat and are available in most sizes.

The state stocked the permanent Catch & Release on 4/28 with the larger & obese Two Year Old Survivor Strain Brown Trout. The 2 Year Olds they stocked in the TMA have a left eye red elastomer, and the yearlings/adults have a right eye orange elastomer- all have a clipped adipose fin. The entire river has been stocked top to bottom multiple times now, and there are literally trout everywhere

Current flies to have:
Caddis pupa (tan, olive/green) #14-16, Caddis dries #14-18 (tan, olive/green- X2 Caddis, Elk Hair, CDC Caddis, etc.), Hendricksons & Hendrickson Spinners (rusty) #12-14, Baetis/Blue Wing Olives #16-18, Midges  #20-26. Subsurface try Hendrickson nymphs #12-14, Frenchies #14-18, Quasimodo Pheasant Tails #12-18, Caddis Larva #12-16 (olive, green), Baetis/Blue Wing Olive nymphs #16-18, and bigger #8-12 Stonefly nymphs. Make sure to also try Hot Spot Nymphs #14-18, and Mops #10. 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- olive, black, and white are good starting points, but also try brown, tan, and yellow or combinations thereof.