Photogenic recent Farmington brown trout by the McFarlands. Cool fall weather is now here and the recent blast of July temps is over- we have 5 days in a row now with nights down into the 40s, and daytime highs from mid 50s to low 70s. This is a good thing, and it will pull morning water temps down into the 50s, which should get the trout fired up. It's not quite foliage season yet, but splashes of fall color are here and there, and with the cold nights back again, look for this to increase over the next week.
Flow is low but fishable for sure, and improved from last week with a total flow in the permanent Catch & Release (C&R)/TMA of 101cfs
(90cfs from dam in Riverton, plus 11cfs from the Still River). This is still about 40cfs higher than the 60cfs flow we had most of last fall. And FYI, the low water last fall led to plenty of rising trout and good dry fly fishing. An
additional 25cfs is being released from Lake McDonough into the East
Branch (it dumps in 3/8 mile below UpCountry), making the total flow below that 125cfs+. These cool temps make the entire river from Riverton to Unionville once again fishable for trout. Downriver sees less fishing pressure if you want some elbow room.
We are looking for volunteers to help with the FRAA trout stocking on the afternoon of October 10th- call store at 860-379-1952 to sign up.
Cherry pick during low flows and only fish the better water where you
have some flow & depth (depth
is a relative thing, when flows are down, a 2' pothole in a 1' riffle
can hold a big trout). The upside to low water is that it's easy to read
the water and figure out where the trout are, and if there is a hatch
you will typically see lots of rising trout. The downside to low flows
is spookier trout and
less good holding water. A big key to success during these
conditions is a stealthy approach, smaller flies, and
use longer leaders (12-15' or even longer). Stay a bit further away
from the
trout, and if you have a lighter line weight rod, now is the time to
use it for a more delicate presentation. A longer/lighter tippet (3-5'
of 6x-7x) will greatly assist in getting a drag-free float with your #16
and smaller dry flies (5x for your Isonychia).
Morning Trico hatch is over in the C&R
and near the end upriver, but you might still see a few in Riverton (think
Hitchcock up to the dam). Terrestrials
(Flying ants #18-24, Ants & Beetles #12-18, Hoppers #8-14),
Attractor dries &
Nymphs remain your best midday bets. For Attractor Dries try: Mini
Chernobyls #12-16, Monster Beetles #10, Stimulators #10-16 & Hippy
Stompers #16-18, #10-14 Wulffs, etc. You can even combine a buoyant dry
with a small beadhead nymph for a Dry-Dropper combo. Tie 1-3' of tippet
to the dry fly hook bend, and run the beadhead nymph on the other end.
Go longer (2-3') when there is not much hatching and/or you are fishing
deeper water, go shorter (12-18") when there is hatching activity and/or
you are fishing shallower water.
Other bugs:
Assorted Caddis #14-22 (tan, brown, black, olive), especially the
tan/brown variety in #16-18- think mainly mornings & evenings. If you
want to blind fish Caddis dries in the riffles and broken water, stick to slightly bigger ones around
#14-16. Pupa in #14-18 are excellent choices to nymph with. The other
Caddis to match is the Summer/Winter Caddis #18-24, typically an early to
mid morning deal. Isonychia ("Isos") #12-14, typically hatch late
afternoon to evening in the faster water. They get smaller as the season
progresses, and will average #14 in October. Blind fishing Iso dries
can be effective, as can fishing Iso nypmphs or swinging Iso
wets/soft-hackles. We've also been seeing Cahills/Summer Stenos #12-16
& Blue Wing Olives (BWOs/Olives) #22-26 in the eves (BWOs also hatch
on cloudy afternoons). Sometimes fish will key on BWO spinners, which
are typically change to rusty brown, not olive. The best dry fly
activity has often been in the riffles and the
upper end of pools including Pipeline,
Roberts, Whittemore, People's Forest, Church Pool,
Greenwoods and the Boneyard.
The Farmington
River is now Catch & Release from 9/1 until Opening Day in April (21
miles
straight from Goodwin/Hogback Dam in Riverton down to Rt 177 Bridge in
Unionville). If you see anyone keeping trout, POLITELY
inform them that it's C&R now- not everybody is aware of this,
especially when it first kicks into gear this month. The state stocked
the river just before Labor Day weekend, from below the Rt 219 bridge in New
Hartford, downstream to Unionville. Soon the
FRAA will stock 1,000+ rainbows & brookies in the upper river- we
are still collecting donations to fund this stocking, just drop them in
the jar next to the cash register. The more we get, the better the
stocking.
FYI we
currently have a big selection of used rods/reels, many are listed on
the website, but some purposely are not, so stop by the store and take a
peek. Please no phone inquiries for unlisted used rods/reels, they are
for walk-in customers only, plus we are so busy we don't have time to
run through all the used equipment in the store over the phone.
Many early fall bugs are smaller, so when nymphing
make sure to downsize your flies, especially when flows are lower. #18-22 nymphs are often the key to
success, with
fly size more important then the exact pattern (although I prefer either
a
little flash or a fluorescent hot spot in my small nymphs). I like
5x-6x flurocarbon tippet for fishing small nymphs (5x is usually light
enough, but they will sink quicker on a long 6x tippet due to decreased
water drag from thinner tippet). If you like to go light on your tippet, I HIGHLY recommend the new Cortland Ultra Premium
Fluorocarbon, it is stronger and more durable than any other fluoro on
the market and will save you both flies & fish. 6x in this stuff
will break less than 5x in other brands. Some days
small flies are the difference between struggling to hook trout versus
catching a bunch. The biggest exceptions to the small flies would be
Isonychia nymphs #12-14, big Stonefly nymphs #6-12, and giant #8-12 October Caddis (Pycnopsyche). Isos are
typically active later in
the day, say late afternoon through dusk. The big Stonefly nymphs
emerge by crawling out onto rocks overnight and in the early mornings,
making early/mid mornings prime to fish their large imitations for
larger trout.
Giant October Caddis are most active at the end of the day, and also at first light. If you do have a big fly on, make sure you also have another
pattern in your rig no bigger than a #18, it's more in line with what
they are seeing this time of year. Or pair it up with a #14-18 tan/brown Caddis pupa.
Nymphing has typically been the most productive method and is
accounting for the lion's share of truly big fish. Use patterns like
big Stoneflies #6-12 &
Pat's Rubber Legs #6-10
(especially in the mornings), Caddis
Pupa #14-18 (tan, olive-green- Caddis pupa are especially active in the
mornings), Antoine's Perdigons #16 (various colors), Attractor nymphs
#14-20 (Frenchies #14-18, Egan's Red
Dart #14-16, Rainbow Warrior #16-18, etc.), Quasimodo Pheasant Tails #12-22, BWO
nymphs #16-20,
Isonychia #12-14 (mid afternoon thru eves), Fox
Squirrel Nymphs #12-16, and Zebra Midges #16-22.