Zach's client Ben with a 21" brown from 4/4/19 |
Marc McFarland 22"+ brown |
Andrew Kerilla got this tank brown on a streamer yesterday |
Dave Moranino with a gorgeous brown this week |
As of Monday April 1st, we went from to 8am-6pm on weekdays, and 6am-5pm on
Richie B with a beauty caught way out of the permanent TMA |
We have
Devin Olsen's hot new book "Tactical Fly Fishing", and it looks really,
really good- second batch just arrived this week. Covers
Covers Euro style nymphing, plus a whole lot more. Based
upon what he's learned from years of the highest level fly fishing
competitions against the best trout fly fishermen in the world. It
covers things in an extremely detailed way, and has some great "Case
Studies" where he shows you different water type pictures with photo sequences of how they were able to successfully catch fish in them, and what adjustments they had to make in their rigging, approach, presentation & flies to find success. It's a good
new option that does NOT duplicate George Daniel's two books on
nymphing, but rather it
compliment and adds to them.
Andrew K with another sweet brown! |
Recent solid brown by Mike Swierczynski |
Streamers have
picked up less but bigger fish lately. If you wanna throw 4-6" streamers
for trophies, you are swinging for the fence and may
strike out, but some days you will hit a home run and catch a giant. Be patient and cover lots of
water. Some anglers are finding fish rising
to Winter Caddis, Midges, and occasionally Stoneflies. Look to slower water
for dry fly fishing, but be prepared to go subsurface if needed. Sometime they will eat the Black Stones on the surface, but it's very hit or miss.
Junk Flies and various streamers fished slow & deep are
also the ticket sometimes. Experiment and the trout will tell you what
they want. It can vary from day to day, and even during the same day as
water temps, trout metabolism, insect activity, and light levels all
change as the day progresses.
While I still recommend focusing on the moderate speed water with some depth in early spring, this is just a starting point. Some of the better fish are moving into the faster water to feed in the afternoons. As water temps rise in the afternoon most days, trout often get more active and feed, and may move more into the current if there are bugs in the drift. When trout are less active due to cold water temps, it typically pushes them into the softer water of pools, deeper runs, and gentle/deeper riffles. But they (and especially bigger fish) will often slide up into the heads of pools/riffles/runs into the somewhat faster water to actively feed. This is most common later in the day (afternoons) when water temps are highest and light levels diminish. It's a combination of rising water temps, bug activity, and light levels that gets the trout feeding.
Nymphing is the #1 producer most days, as there are lots of nymphs in the drift now, but browns are hungry and sometimes want a big bite like a streamer. Many days Church Pool has been offering up morning dry fly fishing in the slower water (some days great, and some slow)- look for mornings that are not windy, preferably following a cold night. You may also see Midges sometime between late morning and the afternoon, and also Blue Wing Olives in about a #20. Other than the Winter Caddis, I usually target the late morning to late afternoon period for the most comfortable temps & best fishing (higher water temps = more active bugs & trout). The low light and higher water temps of the last couple hours often brings bigger browns out of hiding too.
Flow update as of 9am Friday 4/5/19:
Total flow in permanent TMA/Catch & Release according to USGS gauge has dropped nicely and is in unusually good shape for early April- currently medium at 361cfs and dropping (the Still River is 172cfs and dropping), and in Riverton above the Still River the Farmington is medium/medium-low at 189cfs. Normal median total flow for today would be 648cfs, so we are in great shape. The Still River joins the Farmington River about 1/4 mile below Riverton Rt 20 bridge, roughly 2 miles below the dam. East Branch release was 200cfs last I knew, it joins the West Branch about 3/8 mile below UpCountry near condos & sewage plant. MDC may have reduced the East Branch since then, but I'm not sure.
Click this Thomas & Thomas blog link for a very recent review I wrote about their awesome new Contact 10' 8" #6 rod for Steelhead & Lake Run Trout/Landlocks: https://thomasandthomas.com/blogs/news/torrey-collins-contact-1086
Check out this link to my blog post on 10 of my favorite books on a variety of subjects:
http://www.farmingtonriver.com/classes-news-reviews/10-of-torreys-favorite-books-december-2018/ I'll be doing more blog posts on recommended books in the future, there are many great books out there.
A favorite image of mine Matt Supinski used in "Nexus" |
Hours:
We will be open 8am to 6pm Monday through Friday, and 6am-5pm on weekends.
Water Temps:
Look for water temps to average somewhere in the low to mid 40s, but will vary depending upon the weather, time of day, and specific location. Weekend highs in the mid/upper 60s and lows in the 40s may see temps push even in into the upper 40s, which would really get the trout actively feeding. Highest temps will occur in mid/late afternoon, with sunny days seeing the biggest temperature increases- this often activates both the aquatic insects & trout. 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, as can nymphing with egg patterns or other "Junk Flies" like worm patterns & Mop flies, or flashy attractor-type nymphs that stimulate a reaction bite.
Hatches/Dries:
-Early Black Stoneflies #14-16 (mostly underneath, but sometimes gets fish on the surface)
-Early Brown Stoneflies #14-16
-Blue Wing Olives #18-20
-Winter Caddis: #18-24 pupa & adults (early/mid AM)
-Midges #20-28 (late morns through afternoons)
Nymphs:
-Black Stone/Black Nymphs #14-18
-Brown Stone/Brown Nymphs #14-16
-Large Stoneflies/Pat's Rubber Legs #6-12- gold/yellow, brown, black
-Assorted Olive Nymphs #16-20
-Mop Flies #8-12 (various colors, especially cream/tan)
-Egg Flies #10-18 (various colors: yellow, pink, orange, etc.)
-Blue Lightning Bugs/Copper Johns #14-16
-Pheasant Tail/Quasimodo Pheasant Tails #14-20
-Caddis Larva (olive to green) #12-16
-Cased Caddis #8-16
-Antoine's Perdigons (various colors) #12-18
-Attractor/Hot-Spot nymphs #14-18 (Haast Haze, Pineapple Express, Frenchy, Triple Threat, Pink Soft Spot Jigs, Carotene Jigs, Egan's Red Dart, Rainbow Warrior, Prince, etc.).
"Junk Flies": nymphs for high/dirty water, cold water, freshly stocked trout, or when there is no hatch and standard nymphs aren't working:
-Squirmies/San Juan Worms/G-String Worms #10-14 (pink, red, worm brown)
-Egg Flies #10-18
-Mops #8-12
-Green Weenies #10-14
Streamers:
-Dude Friendly #8 (white, yellow, natural)
-Woolly Buggers #2-14 (olive, black, white, brown)
-BMAR Yellow Matuka #6
-Rio's Precious Metal #4 (Kreelex copper, olive)
-Strolis Laser Muddler #6 (olive, tan, brown)
-JJ Special/Autumn Splendor #4-8
-Matuka #4-8 (olive, brown)
Cortland's "Top Secret" Ultra Premium Fluorocarbon tippet has a glass-smooth Plasma finish and 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/
-Report by Torrey Collins