The permanent Catch & Release area/TMA is medium-low, very wadeable, and fishable for sure at 152cfs total flow this morning & dropping (71cfs from the dam in Riverton, 83cfs from the Still River), 8am water temp was 52 degrees in Riverton. The entire river from Riverton to Unionville is fishing well with water temps averaging low/mid 50s, so don't limit yourself to just one section or pool. Highs will average low 60s through Thursday, so take advantage of the milder late October temps, it will be truly cold before you know it. Some afternoon showers Tuesday plus a 1/2" of rain predicted for Tuesday night should help keep water levels from getting too low. They will be doing maintenance work on the dam for the next 3 months and doing a minimal water release from the dam (just like now/lately), so regular shots of rain are what we need to keep water in the Still River, which will augment the flows (in a good way). So far the long range forecast looks good in that regard.
Successful flies & tactics include quite a variety: streamers, nymphs, "Junk Flies" (eggs/Mops/worms), dries, and wets/soft hackles. Junk Flies have been working well during non-hatch times & moments when flows bumps up due to rain. Streamers can work anytime of day in the Fall, especially early & late in the day during low light. Trout, especially browns, get extra aggressive toward streamers this time of year. Go with bigger streamers for less but bigger trout, or small to medium for better numbers but smaller trout- 3" long would be the in-between size choice for the best of both worlds. Main hatches are Tan Caddis (mostly #16-18), Blue Wing Olives (averaging #22 of late), and Isonychia #12-16. Overall the best insect activity is in the afternoon to dusk period when air temps are more pleasant. Cold nights now mean that early morning can be slow due to big water temp drops overnight, so if you start early try bugs & techniques that are not hatch dependent during that time slot: streamers, or Junk Flies (Mops, Squirmy Worms, and especially Egg Flies). As water temps rise in the afternoons, both bugs & trout get more active. Soft Hackles sometimes work quite well when Caddis are hatching.
Trout are just starting to spawn now, so watch out for redds (light colored patches of gravel in riffly areas where the female browns dig a depression in the gravel to lay their eggs). Several points: 1) please leave the spawning trout alone so they can make more wild trout, 2) spawning is very stressful, so don't add to their stress by catching them, and 3) don't walk on the redds or you will crush the eggs and kill them. Fish in the darker/deeper water downstream of the redds and there will be hungry, egg-eating non-spawning trout there for sure. An egg fly fished there can be absolutely lethal- eggs are a high-value food item for trout, and bigger trout love them.
FYI we now carry Fasna Jig hooks, we have the F-415 in stock in sizes #14-20 (we will expand out all the way up to #10 in the future). They are high quality, stronger than average, come 30 to a pack, and similar in shape/design to the ever popular Hanak 450 (which is wide gap/short shank/curled in point). Be aware they run about a size smaller than marked compared to the Hanak 450 (i.e. the #16 is more like a #18, and so on)- compared to a standard jig hook they are a full TWO sizes smaller FYI. Check 'em out if you are looking for a smaller jig hook with a wide gap, shorter shank with a turned in barbless point. These hooks won't bend out when you are playing a bigger trout- many comp style hooks are medium wire, and when you combine that with a wide hook gap (especially on the smaller hook sizes) and a big trout, the result can be a lost fish when the hook bends.
Check out local guide/writer/blogger Steve Culton's article on the Farmington River in the latest issue of Eastern Fly Fishing- there's even a big picture of yours truly in the article, but check it out anyways...:)
The low light periods of dawn & dusk are typically the best streamer bites, but overcast days are good and as we get further into Fall the bite can often be good all day as trout aggression ramps up. Try different size flies. Yes, on average, bigger flies will catch bigger fish, but some days the trout (even the bigger ones) don't want big flies. Or try a two-fly rig, with either a smaller, unweighted streamer or a nymph behind a weight streamer- this will get you some of those trout that move for your bigger streamer but won't eat it. In lower flows like we've been having a floating line with a weighted streamer will get you deep enough, but if flows are medium to high you may want to use some sort of sinking line or leader to get your fly deeper. Use heavy enough tippets so that you don't break off fish on the strike- I typically go 0x on my bigger streamers (you can go even heavier with really big flies), and even on average sized ones (#6-8) I wouldn't go below about 2-3x as trout hit streamers HARD. You can fish normal ize streamers on your #4-5 rods for sure, but.... a #6-7 rod with a medium-fast to fast action will do a better job casting, setting the hook, playing bigger fish, and throwing bigger flies.
As of September 1st, the entire Farmington River from the dam in Riverton for 21 miles downstream to the Rt 179 bridge in Unionville is now Catch & Release until Opening Day in April 2020. If you see anybody keeping fish in this section, please call the CT DEEP at 1-800-824-HELP and report the violation. Even if they are not able to respond to it on time, the info goes into their database and helps to create better/more policing of the area in the future.
Dry/Dropper can be a fun way to fish as long as water temps are 50 degrees or higher (I'd do mainly in the afternoons), and there are decent hatches: use a bigger buoyant dry (like a Mini Chernobyl, Chubby Chernobyl, etc.) and drop a #16-18 tungsten bead nymph 1-3' below the dry. Most fish will take the nymph, but you will get some bonus fish on the dry also. Tie the nymph off the hook bend. Run it closer (12-18") to the dry during insect activity/hatches or in shallow water, run it further apart (2-3') in deep water and during non-hatch periods. It's like the fun of dry fly fishing, combined with the consistent effectiveness of nymphing. Plus it allows you target fish at distance and not spook them. If you wanna target big trout on the surface after dark, try a short/heavy 6-7.5' leader (0x) with a deer hair mouse pattern- make sure to bring a BIG landing net with you...:)
Zach St. Amand, one of the top local guides and frequent flyer in our big fish pictures, is leading a trip with Andes Drifters to Patagonia for big wild trout, February 8-15th 2019. He still has some availability, call him at 646-641-5618 to find out more or to get onboard.
From April through October we are open 7 days a week, 8am to 6pm Monday through Friday, and 6am-5pm on weekends (this will be pared back to 8am-5pm 7 days a week in November).
Hatches/Dries: