The big news is twofold: 1) the Hendricksons are a real hatch now, complete with rising trout, and 2) MDC cut the flow from the dam and we are at a great medium level now (we missed the heavy rain yesterday). The hatch is at least as far upstream at Campground. The hot weather the past few days really warmed things up and got the bugs cranking. Blue Wing Olives (#18-20), Winter Caddis (#20-24), and Tan Caddis (#16-18) have also been hatching throughout the river. Look for Hendrickson Spinners to start falling in the afternoons and evenings anytime now that warm weather has arrived. Traditionally Henny spinner falls are an evening deal, but on this river I've seen them occur at almost any time of day, with mid/late mornings being quite common. If it's cold, wet or windy in the evenings, they often fall in the mornings instead. I've even seen the afternoon hatch overlap with a spinner fall sometimes. Saturday looks awesome with sun & clouds, a high of 72, and not windy. Game on!!
The permanent catch & release (C&R/TMA) has now been heavily stocked with the two year Survivor Strain brown trout and many thousands of smaller yearling/one year old browns. Riverton and New Hartford were stocked recently with large numbers as well. Suffice it to say the river is loaded with trout- stocked, holdover & wild. If you aren't catching them, you have only yourself to blame, haha. Streamer fishing has really picked up in the last 2 weeks FYI.
Flows/Water Temps:
Water levels are the best they've been in quite a while- MDC reduced the dam flow (damn flow? haha) by another another 60cfs Thursday (280 down to 220cfs), and we missed the heavy rain they originally forecasted Thursday/Thursday night. The Still River not only didn't rise yesterday, it actually dropped and is flat as I write this. Total flow in permanent Catch & Release (C&R)/TMA is 372cfs (236cfs in Riverton, plus 136cfs from the Still River). Water temps are reaching into the mid 50s now (mid 40s in Riverton above the Still River).
Sage's "On the Water Tour" is coming to UpCountry on Sunday May 6th, 12 noon to 3pm, it will be held just down the street at Brewery Legitimus. You need to stop by UpCountry on the day of the event to sign up for this free event & get entered for the drawing to win a brand new Sage X rod, SPECTRUM LT reel, and InTouch RIO Gold fly line. There will be a barbeque provided by Sage (50% off food tickets for the first 50 people) some fantastic beer, and you will have the chance to cast & handle the latest Sage rods/reels and pick their brains. Click the link at the beginning of this paragraph for more details.
There is one spot available in "Fishing Wet Flies & Soft-Hackles" class this Saturday 5/5 - Steve Culton will be teaching this one, call the store at 860-379-1952 to sign up
Pat Torrey's first two "Fishing Wet Flies & Soft-Hackle" classes filled up fast, so we scheduled a 3rd one on June 2nd, 2018 (click on class name to go to a description of it).
Hatches:
Hendricksons #12-14 and early season Baetis (Blue Wing Olives/BWOs) that run about a #16-20 are both hatching in the afternoons. Hendricksons are a full-blown hatch now, and the trout are finally rising to them. Fishing a Hendrickson nymph or a bigger Pheasant Tail is very effective prior to the hatch (and even during it....). Paraleps/Blue Quills/Mahogany Duns in about a #18 are going too. We are still seeing some Stoneflies- Tiny Winter Black (Capnia, #18-20) and Early Black (#14-16). Midges are emerging, mostly dark colored (black/gray)- if you are fishing Midges subsurface use flies in the #16-22 range, on top more like #22-28. They normally pop during the mildest part of the day, typically in the afternoons, but will sometimes start in mid/late morning when it's mild.
Dries:
Hendrickson: #12-14 emergers, Sprouts, parachutes, Catskill-style, rusty spinner, Comparaduns, etc.; Baetis/Blue Winged Olives: #16-22 emergers, parachutes, CDC, Sprouts, rusty spinners; Midges: Griffiths Gnat #20-26, Fowler's Midge #20-22, Hi-Vis Griffith's Gnat #22; Stoneflies: B-MAR Black Winter Stone #22, Grey Stonefly Double Wing #16, Black/Brown Cadddis patterns in #14-18 (for Winter & Early Stones);
Nymphs:
Hendrickson Nymphs #12-14, Olive Nymphs #16-20, Pheasant Tail/Quasimodo Pheasant Tails #12-20, Black Stoneflies #14-18, Midges / Zebra Midges #16-22, Skinny Nelson #18, Egg Flies (yellow/pink/orange) #10-18, Squirmy Worms /San Juan Worms (pink, red, worm tan), Caddis Larva (olive to green) #14-16, Cased Caddis #8-16, Mop Flies (various colors, especially cream/tan) #8-12, bigger Stoneflies #6-12, Pat's Rubber Legs #6-10, Antoine's Perdigons (various colors, especially olive, black) #16, and Attractor / Hot-Spot nymphs #12-20 (Pineapple Express, Frenchy, Triple Threat, Pink Soft Spot Jigs, Carotene Jigs, Egan's Red Dart, Rainbow Warrior, etc.).
The "New"Cortland Ultra Premium Fluorocarbon tippet is by far the strongest out there with the most abrasion resistance, stretch, flexibility & clarity. Total game-changer, and an extra-good choice if you like to nymph with lighter tippets - here's a link to purchase it off our site: http://www.farmingtonriver.com/cortland-top-secret-ultra-premium-fluorocarbon/
Streamers:
The streamer bite has really picked up. Try #6-14 patterns, especially in colors like white, black or olive- other colors are good too, and it pays to experiment. If you're specifically targetting larger trout, go bigger, but expect to catch less fish. Water temps are into the 50s now, which means you can start to speed up your retrieves now. Play around with your presentation & retrieve and see what works. If you listen, the trout will tell you what they want. Think Zonkers, Woolly Buggers, Bruce's Yellow Matuka, Dude Friendly, Ice Picks, Mini Picks, Mop Heads, Slump Busters, Sculpin Helmet patterns (for a weighted sculpin imitation), etc.
If you have some equipment gathering dust in your closet, our shop is "hungry" for trade-ins. We give fair market value toward new equipment in the store..... no waiting for your item to sell, just bring your used fly rods, reels, and fly tying equipment to us and we will turn it into something shiny and new for the upcoming season. Please call ahead for an appointment.