The improved flow over the weekend seemed to get some of the bigger fish active, check out the top pic with a true 2 foot Farmington River brown trout by Mike Querfeld, and below that a big one by his buddy William Cole. Both appear to be holdover Two Year Old Survivor Strain Trout- notice the clipped adipose fins on both. Junk flies did the trick for them Saturday morning and are good when the bugs aren't active. Pictured also is a Tan Caddis that is super common here in October, I've caught a lot of Fall trout fishing a #14-18 pupa to match this bug- the trout really seem to key on them when the pupa get active, and they hatch in good numbers. Below that is Preston Cheung with a handful of very pretty brown trout, and below that a true "Native", a fish with lips (Sucker!).
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.
Dropping temps & shorter days are not only triggering beautiful foliage colors, but those same 2 factors also make the trout go on the
feed & get more aggressive- don't forget about those streamers, Fall
is
prime time for them. Trout are getting caught on a mix
of dries,
streamers, nymphs, and wets/soft-hackles. Be flexible in your approach,
cover water, experiment and you should be successful. Or conversely be a
stick-in-the-mud one-trick pony, and you may get skunked if you try to
force feed unwilling trout the flies & techniques they have zero
interest in- the choice is yours. Being
adaptable/flexible is a major key to success, especially if the water is high, low, cold or dirty.
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 MDC stocked the upper river in Riverton on 9/17, and on 9/9 CT
fisheries stocked from Satan's
Kingdom down to the Rt 177 bridge in Unionville, as well as below that
too. There are also plenty
of holdovers and some wild trout throughout the river, so don't limit
yourself to only the recently stocked areas. But, if you are
looking for some easier & more abundant targets, head to the recent
stocking locations
and "educate" them- it's your "civic duty" haha.
Woolly Buggers, various "Junk Flies" (eggs, Mops, worms, Green
Weenies), and wet flies/soft-hackles should work well on them, but you
may want to pair them up with a drabber/natural looking nymph now that
they've been fished over and are learning what real bugs look like.
Plus, the
holdover
& wild fish will be more keyed into natural bugs. Isonychia nymphs,
Caddis Pupa, Stonefly
nymphs, and various small nymphs are all working well subsurface. Fall
streamer action is currently hot, so make sure to try them at some
point- read below for some Fall streamer advice &
tips.
If
you want a really sweet streamer specific rod, check out the T&T
Exocett SS series, they are grain rated at 160, 200 & 250, and are all great
Farmington River streamer rods and come with Recoil guides (click this
to go to the T&T Exocett SS page).
Dropping water temps
& shorter days has the Fall streamer bite in full swing.
Trout get more aggressive in the this time of year due to spawning,
plus it seems like Mother Nature programs them to eat more in
preparation
for leaner times in the Winter. Some keys to successful streamer
fishing: change pattern styles & fly color until you figure what
turns the trout on. Historically good
fall colors include yellow, brown, white, and olive. An all yellow
streamer, or yellow as a
secondary color paired with a predominately different color fly (such as
brown) can be lethal in the Fall. Try different casting angles, it's
not always down & across- frequently across & up is a better
angle. Experiment with your retrieves, although more often than not a
faster retrieve is better in the Fall until the water temps get really
cold, then you typically slow it down. Cover lots of water, you are
looking for the aggressive fish- at any given moment, only a percentage
of the fish are willing to eat a streamer, and you need to present your
fly to those fish. The more trout you show your flies, the more you will
catch.
DON'T be a stick-in-the-mud or your catch will be severely limited.
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.
If you are into Euro Nymphing, check out the new Rio Tactical Euro Nymph
Leader. Rio still offers their original/standard Euro
Leader (we sell an
obscene amount of these). Two main differences between them: the Tactical
version is both significantly thinner, as well as longer. (14 feet
versus 11-12 feet). The Tactical has a very thin butt diameter of .012"
tapered
down to 2x (.009"), tied to a 4x (.007") Sighter (indicator) colored
line section. Their standard Euro leader has a thicker butt (I'd guess
around .018"?) down to 0x (.011"), tied to a 2x (.009") Sighter. What
does this all translate too? Thinner leaders promote a better drift by
giving you less sag/bow, more sensitivity, letting you fish further
away, and are better with lighter nymphs. Longer leaders are also
stealthier and let you fish further away. The downside? Thinner butt
sections are harder to cast/turn over, a bit less accurate, and thinner
Sighters are a bit harder to see (but better if you need to dunk them in
deep water because they create less drag). If you are not very experienced with the Euro techniques
and/or have difficulty casting, stick with the original standard Euro
leader, but if you are fairly accomplished and looking to up your game
try the thinner/longer Tactical version. FYI both leaders end with a
tippet ring at the end of the Sighter, and then you build them out with
the proper length of approporiate sized tippet to match the conditions
& flies (4x-6x for standard leader, and 5x-7x for the Tactical).
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...:)
Try
fishing a pair (or better yet a
trio) of soft-hackles/wet flies, it is both fun & very effective. It's an
efficient and pleasant way to cover a lot of water, and you
can hit
those thin water lies near the banks that are hard to nymph- big browns
often hold in water like that, especially during hatches & low
light. It's also deadly during a hatch, as a lot of the bugs get eaten
by trout just under the surface, and that is where you are presenting
these flies.
Try soft hackles with
Hare's Ear bodies, Partridge & Orange/Yellow/Green/Olive, Isonychia Soft Hackles, Leadwing Coachman, etc. I recommend
fishing 2-3 at a time, on tag
end droppers, spaced about 20-30" apart. If tangles are a big problem,
go to 1 fly only, but be aware 2 and especially 3 at a time are more effective and
allow you to animate the flies in ways that you cannot do with a single
fly (eg. "dancing the top dropper"). We have a great assortment of
custom tied soft-hackles in our bins by Dick Sablitz, they are
both fun & deadly to fish. Don't just swing them, also dead-drift
& twitch them, animate them and give your flies the illusion of
life.
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.
Hours:
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:
