 |
| A client of guide Rob Nicholas with a beauty of a rainbow |
This weekend looks nice with highs up near 60 on Saturday, sunshine, and no rain in sight. Think streamers, nymphs & egg flies mostly, with some limited dry fly fishing. The medium-high flows means that trout will mostly more subsurface. When the flows finally come down to normal, look for increased
 |
| Ryan "Pecktronic" Peck with a handful of rainbow trout |
Don Butler is doing his traditional two day beginner fly tying course on January 5th & 12th, 2019, call the store at 860-379-1952 to sign up, cost is $150.
October/November is prime time for medium to large streamers & big browns. Streamers are another fly that can be good in the early/mid mornings before the bugs get active. It's critical for success that you 1) cover lots of water, and 2) experiment with different streamers until you find the best color, it can make a huge difference in your catch rate. You need to cover water because you are looking for the aggressive fish, and they are only a percentage of the total fish population. Generally if they are willing to eat a streamer and you have the color & presentation dialed in, they will strike on your first presentations. After that you need to keep moving and showing your streamer(s) to new fish. BTW, a double streamer rig can be very effective, sometimes when a single streamer isn't getting the job done.
 |
| Colors of Fall |
"Rainy Week Sale" is still on through Sunday 10/21- in store only, no mail orders. 10% off all used rods/reels (does not include clearance/markdown rods/reels), 10% off discontinued clothing/rain jackets/vests/packs (does not include socks/hats/caps/gloves), and 20% off all fly tying materials (does not include tying materials already on sale/marked down in the bargain bin). Fly tying tools are 10% off.
Fall Tactics/Advice:
Now that true fall temps are here with cooler days and truly cold nights (lows averaging in the 30s), water temps are steadily dropping (averaging low/mid 50s and slowly/steadily declining), which call for some changes in tactics. Egg flies are starting to become effective now. This is a great time of year to toss streamers, and some good-sized ones at that, for what could potentially be some of the biggest trout you will catch all year. Brown trout get extra aggressive toward streamers in October/November due to spawning. Other than maybe a light hatch of Winter/Summer Caddis in the early AM, most bug activity has now shifted from late morning thru dusk, and subsurface patterns continues to outproduce dry flies. Main October bugs will be #14-18 tannish Caddis, #14 Isonychia, and on cloudy days some #22-24 Blue Winged Olives. You will still probably see big Stonefly shucks on the rocks through the end of October, and a few Giant October Caddis (latin name Pycnopsyche, different from the October Caddis they get out west) #8-12 in the eves.
High Water Flies:
During the not infrequent periods of higher and/or off-color flows the past 2 months, it's been mostly a subsurface game with nymphs & streamers, and "Junk Flies" have been been king many days. We are talking Mops, Squirmy/San Juan Worms, Egg Flies & Green Weenies. Junk Flies are often just the ticket for recently stocked trout too, as it takes them a little while to transition from getting fed pellets to dialing into natural food sources (FYI about 3 weeks according to some stuff I've read). It makes sense to pair up a Junk Fly with a "normal", drabber nymph to cover all the bases. Good streamer conditions now between it being fall & having extra water, and a variety of streamers are giving trout sore lips. Make sure to experiment with colors, it can make a big difference. Olive is a good starting color in clear water, but color preferences can change from day to day, and even during the same day as light conditions change. The correct color can be the difference between a lot of strikes and hardly any, so change colors every 15 minutes or so until you find the hot one.
We are open at 8am, 7 days a week, from now through March 2019. Weekdays 8am-6pm, weekends
Last 2018, "Fly Fishing 101" class with Mark Swenson on October 28th, call 860-379-1952 to sign
up- FYI class is now FULL.
New Stuff:
T&T's new award-winning Zone series is finally available, it's a mid-priced ($495) set of rods that perform at a high level, they feel great in the hand and cast beautifully- stop by and cast one in the backyard. They even do a 10' #7 for you Steelhead guys. We also got some cool tying materials in recently, including #20 Hanak 480 Jig Champion hooks, Jan Siman Fine Peacock Dubbing in all the best colors including some UV ones (one of the absolute best materials for nymph collars), and are once again fully restocked on all the popular colors of Montana Fly Company Barred Sexi-Floss in both small & medium sizes (this makes awesome legs on a Pat's Rubber Leg Stonefly Nymph).
Flows & Temps:
Total flow in permanent Catch & Release/TMA in Barkhamstead/Pleasant Valley/New Hartford is medium-high & fishable at 581cfs (431cfs from dam in Riverton, plus an additional 150cfs & dropping from the Still River 2 miles below the dam). Dam release is above average do to the excess rain the past 2 months, the reservoirs a full to near the top, and they need to lower the levels for the fall. Water temps are steadily decreasing, averaging low to mid 50s. With consistently colder weather here now, water temps will continue to slowly decrease. FYI after colder nights, it may be wise to wait until late morning, thereby giving water temps a chance to rise a degree or two, which will get the trout (and bugs) more active- streamer fishing can be an exception to this, as it's not hatch-related. Specific temps depend upon daily weather, specific location, and time of day. Highest temps will be in the late afternoon to evening, with sunny days seeing biggest temp increases. Lowest water temps will be in the early AM, with colder nights seeing the lowest morning temps. Cloudy days will see minimal temperature changes. The East Branch is dumping in an additional 80cfs, it comes in about 3/8 of a mile below UpCountry (by condos/sewage plant).
The recently stocked areas are yielding the highest catch rates, with Junk Flies & Woolly Buggers doing much of the damage. Make sure to pair your Junk Flies with a normal, drabber fly. However, the highest quality, bigger holdover and wild trout have mostly been coming from the permanent Catch & Release area, as well as downstream (that is during periods when downstream water levels have been doable). Be advised that you will work harder for these fish and you won't catch as many as in the freshly stocked sections, but your compensation might be a big holdover or wild brown.
The CT DEEP Fisheries did their fall trout stocking for the Farmington River on September 11th, they stocked from below Satan's Kingdom downstream to the Rt 177 bridge in Unionville, and also in the town of Farmington by the Larry Kolp Garden Plot (downstream from seasonal TMA). Also the MDC stocked their 1,000+ trout in the upper river/Riverton (they usually do from below the dam down to Whittemore) on 9/14. The FRAA stocked 800+ 13-18" fat rainbows (some to 3.5-4#!) in New Hartford between the Rt 219 bridge and the Satan's Kingdom bridge recently. But even without these stockings, there was already a bunch of trout in the river, including the sections open to harvest from April through August.
New T&T Contact Steelhead/Lake-Run Brown Trout Rod:
Many of you asked for a "Euro" Steelhead rod, well now you finally have it: T&T released their latest entry into their extremely successful "Contact" series of tight-line/Euro rods, a 10' 8" #6 T&T Contact rod designed for larger fish such as Great Lakes Steelhead & Lake Run Browns. It will handle heavier tippets in the 1x-3x range no problem, and has the power to subdue 10-15# fish, while still protecting your tippet. Joe Goodspeed designed it to have increased durability, while still having a light, flexible and sensitive tip that will help keep the hook from popping out. Not only can you tight-line with this rod, but it throws a 6 weight line like a champ for indicator nymphing & swinging, roll casts easily, and the extra length lets you mend your line better. They also beefed up the cork handle & fighting butt. Homerun!
Hatches/Dries:
-Tan Caddis #14-18 (especially mid/late afternoons)
-Baetis/Blue Winged Olives #20-24 (cloudy days especially)
-Giant October Caddis #8-12 (eves, a few)
-Isonychia #14 ("Iso") afternoon/eves (light hatch, in faster water)
-Summer/Winter Caddis: #18-24 pupa & adults (early/mid AM)
-Mini Chernobyl #12-16 (good for "searching the water" or as a suspender for dry/dropper)
Nymphs:
-Bigger Stoneflies/Pat's Rubber Legs #6-12 (esp. mornings)- gold/yellow, brown, black
-Mop Flies #8-12 (various colors, especially cream/tan)
-Tan Caddis Pupa #14-18
-BWO/Olive Nymphs #16-20
-Egg Flies #10-18 (various colors: yellow, pink, orange, etc.)
-Blue Lightning Bugs/Copper Johns #14-16
-Pheasant Tail/Quasimodo Pheasant Tails #12-20
-Prince Nymph #12-16 (makes a good Iso)
-Caddis Larva (olive to green) #14-16
-Antoine's Perdigons (various colors) #12-18
-Attractor/Hot-Spot nymphs #14-18 (Pineapple Express, Frenchy, Triple Threat, Pink Soft Spot Jigs,
Carotene Jigs, Egan's Red Dart, Rainbow Warrior, etc.).
"Junk Flies": nymphs for high/dirty water and/or freshly stocked trout:
-Squirmies/San Juan Worms/G-String Worms #10-14 (pink, red, worm brown)
-Egg Flies #10-18
-Mops #8-12
-Green Weenies #10-14
Cortland's "Top Secret" Ultra Premium Fluorocarbon tippet has a Plasma finish is by far the best and strongest stuff out there: it has 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:
Now that fall is here with the impending brown & brook trout spawn, trout are aggressive and the streamer bite is on. Try #2-14 patterns (FYI bigger is often better in the fall, gotta appeal to their aggression), especially in colors like yellow, olive, white, black, brown, or combinations of colors (a little yellow or orange mixed in can be very effective in the fall)- other colors are good too, and it pays to experiment. Typically the low-light periods of early & late in the day are the optimum times to fish a streamer, as are cloudy days. The day or two after a rain, when flows are still elevated & off-color can produce some really good streamer fishing conditions for big trout. During the day, especially when it's bright &sunny, target structure (undercut banks, fallen trees, undercut banks, big boulders, etc.) and shady areas. If you're specifically targeting larger trout, go bigger on your fly, but expect to catch less fish. And FYI a 4-6" articulated fly is not too big if you are looking for top end fish. 3-4" is a good compromise if you want a shot at better fish, but still want to catch some average ones in between the big dogs. Play around with your fly size/pattern/color, presentation & retrieve and see what works- it can make a BIG difference. If you listen, the trout will tell you what they want. Think Home Invaders, Zonkers, Zuddlers, Woolly Buggers, Bruce's Yellow Matuka, Don's Peach Bugger, Dude Friendly, Ice Picks, Mini Picks, Mop Heads, Slump Busters, Sculpin Helmet patterns (for a weighted sculpin imitation), etc.
-Report by Torrey Collins