Big fish pictures just keep rolling in- Zach St. Amand's client got this 22" (yes, measured) 'Bow this week, and I've had multiple other people bring me pix of some really nice fish lately, both browns & rainbows. Caddis have been the glamour hatch up and down the river from Unionville (and below) all the way up to the dam in Riverton. If they aren't rising, then nymph deep with Caddis pupa, that's been a deadly tactic lately. Vitreus (Pink Lady/Pink Cahill/Pink Sulfur) & March Browns are starting to mix in, they are at least as far upstream as the lower 2 miles of the Catch & Release (C&R)/TMA in New Hartford, and with the milder weather here now expect them to move upstream daily.
The Farmington is medium and clear at about 450cfs & dropping
through the Catch & Release
area in BarkhamstedNew Hartford/Pleasant Valley/ (about 300cfs in
Riverton above the Still River). Tan
body/tan wing Caddis have joined the olive body/tan wing Caddis, both
mostly in the #16-18 range, with some tan ones as big as a #14. Fish are rising at
moments, and both streamers & wet flies/soft-hackles are catching
too. Caddis are currently the main hatch all over the entire river, but the Vitreus #14-16 & March
Brown/Gray Fox #10-14 will now increasingly be a factor as the hatches progress upriver. FYI the Vitreus are an Epeorus species,
just like the Quill Gordon- they have only 2 tails, and the duns hatch
out of the nymph near the stream bottom and swim to the surface, making
flies like a Partridge & Orange a good choice to swing during the
hatch. .
The
long awaited book "Nymph Masters" arrived recently, and it's really
good! 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. He codified what he learned into a systematic approach covering all styles of nymphing.
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. We still have some closeout Sage ONE's left.
Current flies to have:
Caddis
pupa (olive/green, tan) #14-18, Caddis dries #14-18 (olive/green, tan-
X2 Caddis, Elk Hair, CDC Caddis, Emergent/Crippled Caddis, etc.), Vitreus #14-16, Usual #14-16, March Brown/Gray Fox #10-14,
Baetis/Blue Wing Olive dries & emergers #18-22 (on cloudy days), Midges #20-26. Subsurface try
Caddis pupa #14-18 (olive/green, tan), March Brown Nymph #10-14, Hare's Ear #12-14, Frenchies
#14-18, Quasimodo Pheasant Tails #14-20, Caddis Larva #10-16 (olive,
green), Baetis/Blue Wing Olive nymphs #16-20, and #8-12
Stonefly nymphs (gold, brown, black. Make sure
to also try Hot Spot & Attractor Nymphs #14-18, and Mops.
Streamers have been very effective at moments (especially early, late, on overcast days, and when water is high or murky) 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.