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.