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1st pic is a 21" brown that Zach sight fished to with a dry/dropper rig, what a fish! 2nd pic is my best fish from last evening, a quality brown caught on a small nymph. 3rd fish pic is Pat Lampart with a recent big brown he landed in the evening on a #16 Rusty Spinner dry- spinners catch big trout! 4th fish pic is a beautiful Brook Trout by a client of Dave Machowski. 5th and final fish pic is a colored up Bow I landed on a Perdigon.
I ventured out Thursday late afternoon/evening, and at first it was slow because I didn't take my own advice: my flies were too big. Once I downsized my dropper nymph to a short shank #18 pattern (about the size of a standard #20 hook), I immediately had good success, and even managed to slide the big brown pictured in this report into my landing net. Note to self: practice what you preach!! Most (but not all) bugs are much smaller in late Summer/early Fall, so it typically pays off to also downsize your flies. The current main exceptions would be Stonefly Nymphs (#6-12) & Iso dries/nymphs (#10-14). Stonefly nymphs are active in early/mid mornings, and again in the evenings. Isonychia are normally active/hatching sometime between late afternoon and darkness.
While most customers are rightfully focusing mainly on dry flies & dry/dropper (because they are fun and very effective right now, Euro nymphing can still be very effective, especially when not much is going on with hatches or rising trout. Just make sure to use much lighter and mostly smaller flies. Last night I used a 2.5mm tungsten flies for anchors (mostly #16s), and my top dropper was a small & light 2mm bead- the top dropper saw 90% of the action for me, even in the dark. A pair of 2.5mm flies was actually too heavy for where I was fishing in this low water. Typically #18-20 nymphs are the more effective sizes this time of year in these conditions. And as I've mentioned before, when you have optimal water temps (low 50s to mid 60s) and bugs hatching, you DO NOT need to be on the bottom with your nymphs. In fact the trout are doing much of their feeding on active bugs that are in the mid to even upper water column, plus they are willing to move a bit to eat right now. Trout are set up to feed at their level & above them, so don't drift your flies underneath them. The cool part about this is you will snag bottom far less, and have less false hook-sets due to constantly touching bottom (because most of the time you will be
above the bottom with lighter flies). FYI if you normally fish 5x, you may find better success nymphing with 6x in low water with smaller nymphs- it's help sink light flies quicker, plus the greater flexibility allows more natural movement of the flies. In really skinny water, sometimes only fishing one nymph works better than two.
Looks like some hot weather moving back in for the weekend, with highs in the upper 80s, nights in the mid 60s. Fortunately the water is still cominng out of the dam in the mid 50s, but it does warm as the day progresses and/or you move downstream. Be aware of water temps- as you go further downriver the afternoon/evening water temps can get too high to ethically trout fish. Look for temps
below 70 degrees, and ideally 65 degrees or less for optimal results. Work your way upriver as the day progresses during the hot temps the next several days, this will keep you in cooler water where the trout are actively feeding and not stressed. Things cool off starting Wednesday.
Mornings & evenings remain the peak times to be out, and the majority of anglers are finding success with
dry flies. The morning match-the-hatch dry fly game is mostly of the
technical flat water variety, with small dry flies, long leaders &
light tippets. Midday is slow on hatches, so try blind fishing terrestrials (Ants,
Beetles), attractor dries, Dry/Dropper, or do some
Euro or Indicator nymphing in the faster broken/riffly water- look for shade if
possible, and fish tight
to structure (rocks, fallen trees, undercut banks, etc.). Look for
deeper water, indicated by darker water, but don't ignore the knee deep
& shallower stuff, mamy Evenings sees some bigger size bugs hatching
in riffly water, you can find success with #10-18 flies and
slightly heavier tippets. 6x is about "average" right now, but the tiny
dries all but require 7x tippet, and some of the bigger evening bugs
like Isonychia can be fished on 5x. It's all about getting an accurate,
drag-free float, which is easier to do with lighter tippet. Most leaders
come with two feet or less of tippet built is, but I find 3-4' (or even more) gives me
much better drag-free presentations, so I inevitably lengthen out my
tippet when I fish dries. This will often also you to fish
heavier tippet.
Water is still low & cool (mid/upper 50s to upper 60s for the first 10+ miles of the river, can hit low 70s further downriver in the afternoons/eves on hot, sunny day), and
the fishing remains good for many of our customers. The lower flows are
making for easier wading, access to more of the river, and more rising
trout when there is a hatch, but you do need to be stealthier in your
approach. Mornings & evenings remain the peak fishing times, pretty
typical for this time of year. The general rule is the best fishing is
normally during the most comfortable time of day when it comes to trout.
It's late Summer, and that generally means it's time to fish
smaller flies. Most of the nymphs & dries the trout predominately
feed upon are #18 or smaller in August, often much smaller. There are a
few exceptions, notably Isonychia #10-14, big Stoneflies #6-12, and some
of the Cahills/Summer Stenos & Caddis are a bit bigger too. I've
turned around many a day of late Summer nymphing by downsizing #14-16
nymphs to #18 or even 20s. The morning dry fly hatch on pools &
slower riffles is currently Summer/Winter Caddis #20-24, Needhami
#22-26, and the morning "Glamour Hatch" of Tricos #22-26. All these tiny dries
are best fished on longer leaders with 7x tippets, and for smaller
nymphs it's a good idea to downsize your tippet to 6x to give them a
more natural presentation & drift. Thinner tippets will also sink
lighter weighed nymphs to the bottom quickly. In the faster water you
will find some bigger assorted Caddis hatching in the AM, as well as big
Stonefly nymphs crawling out. The midday exception (from late morning
until early evening) would mainly be fishing terrestrials, in particular
Ants & Beetles, #12-18 are very effective sizes that can be blind
fished, or targeted to trout you see rising. Isonychia, being a big
#10-14 mayfly, are another good bug to blind fish/prospect water with,
just remember they are a fast water bug, so fish them there.
Water released from the dam is still plenty cold (mid 50s) but warms
slightly each week now. It was 56 degrees at 6am morning at the
Rt 20 bridge in Riverton, and rose to 60.5 degrees in mid/late
afternoon yesterday. As you go
downriver, temps slowly rise above that, and during the day the temps
increase and
peak in mid/late afternoon- especially on hotter, sunny days. Cloudy
days see much lower water temps increases. In early to mid mornings, you
can currently safely fish probably as far downstream as New Hartford
(where we are) and even Canton, but by late morning I'd be moving
upstream
at least up to the mid permanent TMA/Catch & Release
(Greenwoods, Church, Mathie's Grove, etc.) and upstream to stay in
trout-friendly water temps. It hits about 68-70 degrees mid/late
afternoon by the
shop in New Hartford during sunny days, yet if
you are in the upper part of the C&R/TMA (say Campground) water
temps shouldn't go above the low/mid 60s. Optimum trout water temps are
low 50s to mid 60s.
So start further downriver in the AM, move upstream as the day warms,
and ideally carry a thermometer if you aren't sure about the water
temps. Highs will average 80'ish through Thursday, with night down into
the low/mid 50s.
Ironically, while we would overall prefer more water coming out of the dam, this lower water has made for
even more dry fly fishing. When there is a hatch, this makes for more rising trout.
Less current + less depth = more energy efficient for trout to feed
on/near the surface during a hatch. It's always energetically efficient
for trout to feed on nymph down deep, all they have to do is suck them
in. But when flows are down and the bugs are concentrated on the surface
or in the surface film, it makes it much easier to eat bugs on the
surface as compared to when they have to rise from deeper/faster water.
Trout, especially bigger ones, have to make sure they get more energy
from what they eat than they expend catching their meal, and big trout
burn the most energy of all (think of a Hummer vs. a Moped when it comes
to gas mileage haha).
FYI we have plenty of the hard to find "magic" UTC Sculpin Olive wire in the ever popular Brassie size (for Lance Egan's "Thread Frenchy" nymph), as well as size Small.
Hot New Rods:
The brand new T&T Contact II series (10' #2, 10' #3, 10' 9" #3, 10'
9" #4 & 10' 8" #6) are now available, and now the 11' 2" #3 has
joined the lineup- Zach & I (Torrey) were closely involved with the
prototype development of this last rod, and on version 7 of the
prototype they absolutely nailed it. New improved materials, new guide
spacing
, downlock
reel
seats are standard now (to better balance), and a new fighting
butt design that is more comfortable. Recovery is noticeably
better/crisper, and
the actions "tweaked" for more big fish playing power, plus the newer
materials they use to make the rods inherently store more energy and
give the rod more power. The blanks are
incredibly strong and much much harder to
break. These rods are easy to cast, will give you more distance, and
they deliver with
improved accuracy. Retail is $825.
The low water and summer conditions makes
early & late in the day the best times to be out, midday during bright
sun and low water can be a tough combo (secrets are look for shade,
faster riffly or choppy water, and/or structure such as big rocks,
downed trees, undercut banks). Prospecting with terrestrials such as
beetles & ants, attractor dries, and Dry/Dropper rigs are all good
strategies when there is no hatch. Dry/Dropper bridges combines dry fly
fishing & nymphing, a hybrid technique you could say. Low water also
makes for spookier trout and more technical fishing. For general dry
fly fishing I'd recommend longer leaders (12' or even longer) with long
and relatively light tippets. FYI you can take a 9' leader that is
slightly heavier than what you want for a final tippet (say 4x or 5x),
and then add 3-4' of tippet to make it a better dry fly leader. Longer
leaders with longer tippets give you a more stealthy separation between
your fly line and your fly, and they also make it easier to get a
drag-free float. A #2-4 fly rod is preferable to a #5 or 6 rod as the
fly line lands more gently, thinner fly lines are more flexible which
helps make a drag-free presentation, and the more flexible lighter rods
give you
more tippet protection.
Tricos have joined the other small bug morning hatches (Needhami #22-26
& Summer/Winter Caddis #18-24). They run #22-26, and the
spinner fall is the main event. They form balls of spinners in the air,
and allegedly hit the water when the air is about 68 degrees, plus or minus a little. Typically
they are an early to mid morning event, but that all depends upon air
temps. They start earlier on warmer mornings, and later during cool
ones.
Dry/Dropper is very effective, especially now with the lower water. This
technique will let you fish slower and shallower water that can be
tough to fish with Euro Nymphing or Indicators, and it lets you stay
further away so you don't spook the trout. Try a small weighted
nymph 18-30" below a larger buoyant dry
fly. Nymphing the fast water, either Euro or with an Indy, is almost
always effective. Just make sure to fish a pair of nymphs, and make sure
one of them is small (as in a #18-20, give or take), and use much
lighter flies than you would in the Spring. Dominant
hatches include Summer/Winter Caddis #18-24 (early/mid morns),
Needhami #20-26 (/late morns, have duns & spinners), and also Tricos
in the moringing (#22-26, spinners are the main event, they hit the
water at about 68 degrees air temp), and then assorted Blue Winged
Olives
#18-26 at various times during the day, and #10-14 Isonychia (later in
the day, faster water only). There are also assorted Caddis #14-22 (tan, brown,
black, olive/green), various
Cahills/Summer Stenos (eves), assorted spinners (especially Rusty), and
the big Varia/Potamanthus #8-12 (eves, slow water). Beetles & Ants
are great late morning to early evening choices when hatches are sparse-
you can blind fish
them over likely water, or fish them to sporadic risers.
Their first nymphing clinic filled up in 2-3 days, so Antoine Bissieux & DJ Clement are put on a second
Advanced Modern Euro Nymphing clinic
on Saturday August 29nd from 9am-5pm- both clinics are now FULL, but we
are taking down names for waiting list & future clinics. The above
link is clickable and will take you to
the page with all the details about this class. Learn what the top
competitive anglers from France, Spain, Czech Repbulic & Poland are
doing to outfish everybody else. This is an intermediate level class (no Euro Nymphing beginners!!!), make sure you have a good grasp of euro nymphing techniques and suitable tackle (as in Euro rod) & flies before signing up.
If you are subsurface, smaller nymphs #16-20 predominate, but... big
#6-12 Stoneflies can pull big trout in the early/mid morns (usually done by 9-10am), and later in the day
big Isonychia nymphs (#10-12) can catch big fish too. Just make sure one of your
two nymphs (assuming a double rig) is a smaller one (as in #18 or even smaller), some days it makes
all the difference in the summertime. Trout are eating plenty of Caddis Pupa in the first
half of the day FYI. A small Mayfly type nymph is a good choice with all
the Blue Winged Olives hatching lately, but small gaudy/flashy
attractor style nymphs can be very good too. In the early to mid AM, streamers, nymphs and
dries are all possibilities. Match the hatch if you have risers, chuck
streamers for big fish, blind fish big Stoneflies in the fast water, or
try a Dry/Dropper rig.
A
lot of
anglers are reporting big creamish yellow #8-12 Mayflies in the evenings
in the slow water (prob mainly Varia, aka the "Yellow Drake", maybe
some Potamanthus mixed in too, and I've even seen a few pics of what I
suspect may be a Hexagenia or "Hex", the biggest of all Mayflies at #4-8) all
over the river. You may not see
Isonychia hatching in big numbers, but despite that trout are always on
the
lookout for that big #10-14 bug, both the dry and the nymph. The bugs
you will see hatching will depend upon which section of the river you
are in, and the water type (fast, medium, or slow)
All methods are producing at moments: Dry Flies, Dry/Dropper, Nymphing (both Euro & Indicator), Streamers,
and Wet Flies/Soft Hackles. If you haven't yet tried it, Dry/Dropper
with
a buoyant dry like a terrestrial (Beetles, big Ants), Isonychia,
Stimulator, or other attractor dry, and a small weighted nymph (#16-18)
dropped underneath it, is both very fun and quite effective. 18-24" is a good
starting distance between flies, but
go longer if you aren't catching fish or you are in deeper water. FYI
the
bug activity has
many quality trout holding in shallower, broken water. Don't
limit yourself to only waiting for bugs and rising trout, as some days
you won't be in the right spot, or maybe you don't want to brave the
often crowded conditions in the popular, known "dry fly" pools. Dry/Dropper
lets you have the pleasure of fishing a dry, and some fish WILL eat the
dry. You can also blind fish the same type dries with no trailing
nymph.
If you are dry fly fishing to rising trout during a hatch,
match
the bugs as closely as you can, paying close attention to fly profile
& stage (Mayfly, Caddis, emerger,
dun/adult, spinner, etc.), the size, and the approximate color. Doesn't
matter if you cannot ID the bug or know the Latin name, just match what
it looks like, paying close attention to the size and making an
accurate, drag-free drift. At this point in the season, all the trout
have seen a ton of fake flies and real bugs, so you need to be on your
"A" game to fool them. Get as close to the as you can, and use a long
tippet (3-4' or even longer if it's not windy) to help get a drag-free
float. If you get a few accurate
natural presentations with no takers or you get a visible refusal,
either change flies or move to another fish. A refusal means you are
close, but something isn't quite right (size is slightly off, color
isn't right, they want an emerger, etc.). As a last resort, sometimes a
gentle twitch when the fly is a couple of feet above the trout will seal
the deal. But sometimes it will spook them, so do that judiciously.
Caddis dries fished in riffly water often fish better when you twitch
& skate them, they are a very active insect.
Streamer fishing is an option
if you want a change from dries & nymphs, especially on overcast days. Low light conditions and
increased and/or off-color flows (like during or after a rain) make for a better streamer bite- the biggest trout will
often be near structure like big rocks, undercut banks, downed trees,
etc. Olive is a good starting color for streamers, but it's important to
change colors (black, brown, tan, yellow, two-tone, etc.), fly size,
fly type, retrieve, depth fished, etc.
Be aware that bug activity varies from day to day and section to section, but also depending upon
water type.
Don't look for Isonychia 200 yards down a pool in the flat water, as
they are a fast water insect and that's where you will normally find them, at the
pool heads and in pocket water/faster water. I hear customers tell me
there were "no bugs", but then I find out they were fishing early
afternoon in flat/slow water on a bright sunny day and expecting to see
Iso's. Do your homework and learn at least a little about major hatches
(e.g. Iso's) that are common and last a while. Mayfly Spinner
falls occur over riffles & pocket water. Caddis most commonly hatch
& egg-lay in riffles and faster water. Big trout will often drop
into the tails of pools in the evenings to feed. Bottom line is that if
you aren't seeing bugs, move around to different water types, and move
up & down the river.
There are truly no secret "hot spots". The entire stretch of river from
the
dam in Riverton down to Unionville (20+ miles), has trout spread
throughout it in very good numbers (be careful about going too far
downstream in August, temps can sometimes get too hot to trout fish if
you get too far below the dam). Big trout are scattered throughout
the entire river. This
is not a river where you have to be in one of only a handful of spots to
do well. The trout are truly everywhere, a mix of 2020 stockers,
multi-year holdovers, and plenty of wild fish too. Excellent habitat and
many miles
of cold water means the trout exist in good numbers all over the river.
Yes, the 6.2 mile permanent TMA/C&R (catch & release) likely
has the highest density of trout, but.... the rest of the river holds a
lot of trout too, and some
really good ones. Most years I catch my biggest trout
outside
of the permanent TMA/C&R. Go out of your way to explore new water on the
Farmington, drive until you see some juicy looking new water unoccupied
by other
anglers and explore it, I think you will be pleasantly surprised
If you are fishing wets/soft-hackles (and you
should be sometimes), try a 2-3 fly rig, on tag end
droppers about 24-30" apart. During hatching activity where you see bugs and
occasional rising trout, keep all your flies unweighted and fish near
the surface. If it's slow and trout don't seem willing to move to your wets, use a lightly to moderately weighted
soft-hackle or nymph on the point position to get your rig down deeper
where the trout are. 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, better fly animation, 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.
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Current Store Hours:
8am-6pm Monday through Friday, and 8am-5pm on weekends.
Flow:
The
Farmington is currently low and at a total flow of 161cfs total flow
through
the permanent TMA/Catch & Release (C&R) area, and averaging in
the mid 50s to upper 60s for
water temps on most of the river, depending upon the weather, river
section, and time of day. Riverton is 152cfs from the dam on the West
Branch, and the Still River is adding
in an
additional 9cfs below it's junction with the West
Branch. 6am Riverton
water temp was 56 degrees this morning (it hit 60.5 yesterday in
mid/late afternoon), downstream water temps are
higher (upper 50s to upper 60s/low 70s), temps will rise during the day. Most
mornings (assuming a relatively cool night) water temps are
trout-friendly as far down to Canton/New Hartford, but I would not go
further downriver
(Collinsville/Unionville) than that, and by late morning I'd be at least
several miles upstream in order to stay in trout-friendly water temps
(mid permanent TMA/C&R and upstream). The further upstream you go
right now, the colder the water.
Hatches/Dries:
