Friday 5/1/20 Farmington River Report

We are remain open 8-5pm daily for curbside pick-up. Call us on the phone at 860-379-1952 before arrival or from the parking lot, tell us what you want and we will take a credit card payment over the phone.

We are also offering limited 1/2 hour shopping appointments in the store from 3pm to 4:30 pm daily, In order to do this under the new regulations, we are limiting to one employee and one customer in the store. These appointments are for those intending to make $200+ purchases, and this will also be the procedure for trades. Call in advance at 860-379-1952, and please make sure to wear some sort of face covering.

Website and Phone Orders get free shipping at $50. Please take advantage and we will ship the same day.

We will not be issuing fishing licenses during the closure to comply with the new rules, so make sure to purchase one in advance online by clicking on this link. If you don't have a printer, it's perfectly acceptable to keep your license on your mobile/smart phone nowadays.

This is uncharted territory for all of us, so please be patient as we figure this out and evolve. We are bound by a whole new set of rules & restrictions that is making it much tougher to do business. We will do our absolute best to accommodate all our loyal customers, we appreciate every one of you. Your continued support keeps our store open so we can keep supplying you with the best fly fishing stuff, fly tying materials & flies.

    Thanks!

     -Grady & Torrey

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Farmington River Report

The Farmington has been stocked five times now since February outside the Permanent TMA/Catch & Release, and 2 weeks ago the CT DEEP stocked the Permanent TMA/C&R. They stock this 6.2 mile section once per year in April with approximately 10,000 brown trout of various sizes including 1,000 large two year olds which average a fat 14-18" and over a couple of pounds. Electrofishing in September 2019 put the estimated trout population at just under 2,000 trout per mile in this section, with many of those being wild & holdover trout, mostly browns, and a smaller number of rainbows. The recent stocking should temporarily put the population of this section at 3,500+ trout per mile!! And that doesn't even include other stocked trout that have wandered in from above and below the C&R section.

Substantial rain on Thursday & overnight has pushed the flow up quite high in the permanent TMA/Catch & Release (C&R), just under 1,500cfs at 8am. We have another 1/4" or so of rain in the forecast for this afternoon/early evening. Most of the water is coming in from the Still River, look for flows to start dropping on Saturday, and should be substantially lower and dropping fast on Sunday. Highs upper 60s/low 70s for the weekend, no rain in sight. Currently we are at a moderately high but fishable 570cfs in Riverton (above the Still River, in the approximately 2 mile section below the dam), clarity is stained but not muddy. I'm guessing the flow will come back down under 1,000cfs in the permanent TMA/C&R on Sunday, that will make it high but fishable. Until then I'd stay up in Riverton above the Still River, flows are doable up there and there is adequate clarity to catch fish.

High flows means subsurface fishing with nymphs & streamers mainly. Fish near the banks, out of the heavy current. Don't just wade out crotch deep, fish from the bank and work your way out- the catchable fish will typically be in close to escape the heavy currents. Look for wider pool sections, inside turns, and behind objects that break the current (big boulders, downed trees). Larger dark color flies show up better (black, brown, dark olive), and Junk Flies (Mops, Squirmy Worms, Egg Flies, and Green Weenies), medium to large streamers, and big Stoneflies can all be effective high water flies. You can up your fly size to help trout find you flies, and you can fish heavier tippets too. Fish slower than normal and thoroughly, covering likely holding water: trout cannot see your fly in off color water until it gets close, so you want to make it as easy as possible for them to detect your fly and eat it. If you are streamer fishing, slow down your presentation. High water will drastically reduce dry fly fishing, although you may still find risers at Church Pool. Warm temps this weekend (upper 60s/low 70s) should see some really good Hendrickson hatching activity.

On cooler days Blue Wing Olives have been the main afternoon hatch, with excellent dry fly fishing in some areas (when water levels are normal), but cold days have also slowed the Hendrickson hatch. Milder days have seen excellent Hendrickson hatching with fish feeding on the surface, and gorging on nymphs subsurface.

Top pic  is a Zach's youngest with a beautiful brown he got all by himself on a dry fly. 2nd pic is Antoine Bissieux on his first outing of 2020 with a 20" brown on a dry fly. 3rd pic is a netful of big brown trout by customer Kevin Wietsma. 4th pic is Steve Hogan holding a big brown. Last fish pic is me (Torrey) with a very plump 2 Year Old Survivor Strain stocked brown trout I caught after work Tuesday, fishing from shore with no waders.

BMAR Hendrickon Nymph

Remember the beloved Grey's Streamflex rods? If you liked them, you will love what I'm about to tell you: Pure Fishing has released an updated version of the Streamflex series under the Fenwick name, using the latest materials that give the rods even improved rod recovery and durability. These rods feel fantastic in the hand. We have these in the Euro specific models, The 11' #3 & #4 Streamflex have an MSRP of $349.95- we are selling them for $265. The also do a Streamflex Plus that goes from 10' to 10' 6"- a six inch extension piece hides in the handle and can be put in or out in seconds. We have the 10' #3 Streamflex Plus (goes up to 10.5')- MSRP is $379.95, we are selling it for $285.

The Hendrickson hatch is at least as far upriver as the Campground now (likely even further upstream now), look for the upper boundary to move upstream a bit on a near daily basis. It typically starts at 2-3pm and goes until late afternoon, but none of that is set in stone. Soon we should be seeing spinner falls on milder days that aren't windy or rainy. Starting as early as 2pm and also mixed in with Hendricksons  have been hatches of Blue Wing Olives (sz 18), and Winter/Summer Caddis (sz 20-22, more of a morning hatch), Midges #22-28, and a few Blue Quills/Paraleps (sz 16-18) have also been making appearances.

Recently stocked trout often prefer gaudy flies that don't match the hatch, and "Junk Flies" (Mops, Eggs, Worms, and Green Weenies) often reign supreme and outfish normal drabber, more imitative nymphs that we fish most of the time. And sometimes recent intros will prefer a fly that moves or drags in the current, not a dead-dirft presentation, so let your nymphs, streamers & wets swing out at the end of each drift & try twitching them. But, once the trout have been in the river for 3-4 weeks they become attuned to natural food and will start to prefer drabber flies fished on a dead-drift (mostly, with plenty of exceptions). Fishing pressure will also teach them to be suspicious of commonly fished flies. Buggers can be deadly on recently stocked trout- start with olive or black and go from there if you don't get a positive reaction. Also experiment with your retrieve, and try a plain swing with no added action if stripping it in doesn't get a response. 

Specific imitations such as the BMAR Hendrickson nymph as well as other brownish Mayfly type nymphs #12-14 are working well throughout the entire river as they imitate the Hendrickson nymph. It can be a specific imitation, but it doesn't necessarily need to be (think GISS- general impression of size & shape)). It can be something brown with a Mayfly shape such as a Pheasant Tail/Quasimodo Pheasnant Tail, Frenchie (basically just a PT with a hot spot), a dark colored Hare's Ear, etc.

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Nymphs #12-18 imitating or suggesting Hendrickson nymphs, Blue Wing Olives/Baetis, Blue Quills (Paraleps), and Caddis Larva (regular olive/green #14-16 & cased #10-14) have all had their moments. Also try attractor patterns (gaudy flies with hot spots, flash, UV materials, or unusual colors), sometimes they will outfish the usual drabber flies. It can be worth trying bigger #6-10 nymphs such as Stoneflies & Mops too- larger nymphs sometimes interest larger trout (more calories in a single bite, just like with streamers).  Remember that GISS (general impression of size & shape) is far more important than having an exact imitation, and sometimes exaggerated features like a hot spot or flash gets their attention better than a "perfect" drabber imitation. Trout perceive our imitations differently than us humans do, so what looks good to YOU isn't necessarily what the trout prefer. We'd be lucky to catch any trout at all if our flies truly had to look just like the natural insects. If your fly size & shape/profile are close to the natural bugs, and the color is ballpark, all you then need is to put it in front of a willing trout with a good presentation. I've caught more trout than I can count during Hendrickson hatches on #12-14 Pheasant Tails & Frenchies. The shape (tails, slimmer abdomen, thicker thorax), color (brown) and size match up to the real bug. I've caught many a rising trout during a Hendrickson hatch on a #12-14 Parachute Adams after they refused a dozen different dun, emerger, cripple & spinner patterns.

In addition to the Hendrickson hatch, we are seeing #16-18 Blue Wing Olives (BWOs)/Baetis & Midges in the afternoons in the permanent TMA/Catch & Release. Think about fishing a smaller nymph that looks like BWOs (#16-18, slim, olive to olive-brown to brown). They have been rising to bugs in some spots in the afternoons, so have the matching dries/emergers. There are still some Early Stones around (black, brown), as well as the Winter/Summer Caddis & Midges. If you see splashy rises, that is probably either Caddis or Stoneflies. Gentle sips are more typical of trout feeding on BWOs & Midges. 

Streamer fishing has really picked up, and lately black or olive have been top colors, but I'm also a fan of brown this time of year, and white can be very good also- experiment! Two tone streamers such a brown/yellow, olive/yellow, etc. can sometimes be the ticket. Try the following hybrid rig: a weighted streamer such as a conehead Bugger, Complex Twist Bugger, Zuddler, Slumpbuster, etc. with a #14-16 soft-hackle, wet fly or nymph trailed 14-18" of the hook bend- the streamer often functions as the attractor, and then the trout eat the trailing smaller fly. This helps turn some of those chases, rolls & flashes into a solid hook-up.

We got in a pile of flies from Fulling Mill & Umpqua recently, including some cool streamers we haven't carried before, check out Tommy Lynch's deadly D&D that swims like a Flatfish lure- fish it on a sink-tip/sinking leader/sinking line to get this unweighted pattern to the proper depth, the action/movement on this fly is INSANE. Weighted streamers like Woolly Buggers, Zuddlers, Slumpbusters, and Complex Twist Buggers all continue to produce fish if fished down deep. Try also streamers with Sculpin Helmets, bounced & twitched along the bottom on a floating line- deadly on bigger trout. Play with colors, fly size, pattern style, retrieve, depth, and cover lots of water and you should be able to find success.

If you are fishing wets/soft-hackles, try a 2-3 fly rig, on tag end droppers about 24-30" apart, and use a lightly to moderately weighted soft-hackle or nymph on the point position to get your rig down deeper where the trout are. During hatching activity where you see bugs and occasional rising trout, keep all your flies unweighted and fish near the surface. Throw across & slightly upstream and make an upstream mend to sink your flies, let them dead-drift (watch your fly line tip for subtle strikes), and then let them do the traditional wet fly swing- expect strikes especially at the 3/4 downstream point when your flies rise toward the surface. At the end of the drift let them dangle for several seconds, then twitch them up & down a couple of times. Add some slight rod tip twitches during some drifts, and on others just let them drift. Keep your rod tip up around 10 o'clock during the entire drift for tippet protection, and better hook-ups- this creates very slight controlled slack you need so trout can inhale your fly and not short strike it. This technique is great for covering riffle & pool water where the trout are spread out and can be anywhere, the kind of water that can be difficult/challenging to nymph.

We've recently received BIG orders of assorted hooks from Umqua/Tiemco, Fulling Mill jig hooks, huge Wapsi  & Hareline tying material orders, lots more books including the hot new streamer book from Kelly Galloup "Modern Streamers for Trophy Trout II", a definitive new book on Brook Trout by Bob Mallard "Squaretail" (autographed copies), and lots of spin tackle. We are happy to mail order over the phone for you, or prepare a goody bag for curbside pick-up. Thank you all for the support you've shown our business since the CT shutdown of non-essential businesses, we appreciate every single sale/order you give us! Let's all stick together & stay safe as best we can.

Current Store Hours:
8am-5pm Monday through Friday, and 8am-5pm on weekends, "curbside pick up" only. Call 860-379-1952 to place orders or have us put together your order for pick-up.

Flows:
The Farmington is currently quite high at 1,483cfs through the Catch & Release (C&R) area and running in the mid/upper 40s for temperature in the afternoon- USGS historical normal flow for today is 437cfs- I'd expect to see this section under 1,000cfs on Sunday (that would make it high but fishable). Riverton is moderately high but quite fishable at 570cfs, and the Still River is adding in an additional 913cfs below it's junction with the West Branch. 8am Riverton water temp was 45 degrees this morning- downstream water temps in the C&R will be higher than this on milder/sunny days due to the Still River running warmer than the water from the dam.

Cortland's brand spankin' new Nymph Series Rods for Euro Nymphing are in stock. This series is all in a 10.5' length and three line weights: #2, #3, and #4, and retails at $299.99. These replace the extremely popular Competition Nymph Series. We have fished the new version in the 10.5' #3 model, and they are a noticeable improvement with a crisper action, faster recovery, more sensitivity, a downlocking reel seat for better rod/reel balance, and improved guide spacing to minimize line sag between the reel and the stripping (first) guide. The new construction also significantly improves the durability, and they maintained the stealthy matte finish to minimize rod flash on sunny days. You won't need a heavy reel to balance these either. I'm sure the #3 will be the best seller and it is the most versatile for all around Euro Nymphing, but the 2 weight is sweet with a soft tip that will protect 6x-7x tippet on big fish, and the #4 has the power to handle heavier tippets with bigger flies on bigger fish and can cross over as an Indicator nymphing rod too. This series looks like a real winner to us, and the best under $300 Euro rod on the market hands-down.

Thomas & Thomas's new Contact 10' #3 feels awesome in the hand, and it's a more portable length than it's longer brothers. Due to it being shorter than its 10' 8" & 11' 3" cousins, it has a crisper action that make it a very good choice for someone who likes to Euro nymph, but also likes to cross over and throw fly line with dries, wets, and small/medium streamers. Also good on smaller waters where the casting is restricted.

Hatches/Dries: 
-Hendricksons #12-14: as far upstream as Campground now, maybe even higher
-Blue Wing Olives #16-18 (aka Olives, Baetis, BWOs, etc.)- afternoons 
-Summer/Winter Caddis #18-24: pupa & winged adults (early/mid AM, sometimes afternoons 
-Midges #20-32 (late morn thru dusk) 

Nymphs:
-BMAR Hendrickson Nymph #12
-Hendrickson Nymph #12-14- can be a specific imitation like the BMAR Hendrickson, or a brownish Mayfly nymph such as a Pheasant Tail, Frenchy, darker Hare's Ear, etc.
-Olive Nymphs #16-18
-Pheasant Tail/Quasimodos/Frenchies #12-18 (in #12-14 imitates Hendricksons, smaller ones imitate smaller/immature Mayfly nymphs like BWOs, Blue Quill/Paraleps & others)
-Prince Nymph #12-16
-Caddis Larva (olive to green) #14-16 
-Cased Caddis #10-14
-Perdigons #12-16 in black, brown & olive
-"Junk Flies" #8-16 (Eggs, Mops, Squirmy/San Juan Worms, Green Weenies- great for fresh stockies)
-Zebra Midge #18-22 (black, red, olive)
-Attractor Nymphs #12-18 (Haast Haze, Rainbow Warrior, Blue Lightning Bug, Miller's Victim, 
   Triple Threat, Princes, etc.)- anything flashy, gaudy, or with a hot spot   
-Bigger Stoneflies/Pat's Rubber Legs #6-12 (gold/yellow, brown, black)       

Soft-Hackles/Wet Flies:
-Assorted Patterns #10-16: Hare's Ear, Partridge & Pheasant Tail, Partridge & Orange, Partridge & Flash, Starling & Herl, Leadwing Coachman, etc.

Streamers: 
-BMAR Yellow Matuka #6
-Complex Twist Bugger #2- assorted colors
-Sculp Snack #8 (George Daniel pattern)
-Home Invader #2-6- tan, black, white, yellow 
-Foxeee Red Clouser Minnow #6
-Dude Friendly #8 (white, yellow, natural)
-Woolly Buggers #2-14 (black, olive, white, brown, tan)
-Rio's Precious Metal #4 (Kreelex copper, olive)
-JJ Special/Autumn Splendor/Tequeely #4-8
-Matuka #4-8 (olive, brown, yellow)