Monday through Friday 8am-6pm, Saturday & Sunday 8am-5pm.
We recently bought a huge collection of tying material from the same person in several batches. It includes a massive collection of quality hackle feathers (Whiting, Hoffman, Metz, Keogh, and more), and a pile of hooks, dubbing, and other assorted tying materials.
We literally have dozens & dozens of new-in-the-box fly lines a customer traded in, all priced to sell! Anywhere from 40-80% off original retail, most priced from $15-30. All different brands, all different types & weights, including quite a few Spey & Skagit lines.
Fish Pics:
Fishing has been very good lately. Up top is a net filler (and that’s a big net) by Jon Bye- he consistenly catches big quality browns out of the Farmington. Next down is a beautiful wild brown Joey landed yesterday- he fished with Josh Miller, Gordon Vanderpool & Jess Westbrook who are doing an intense Euro Nymphing clinic this weekend for us, they did one for us last September. Three insanely fishy dudes who catch a LOT of trout. Next pic is a beautiful wild brown laid next to Lane Finley’s new Diamondback 10’ 10” #2, he loves it. Last fish pic is Derrick’s client from VT with a quality brown.
The brand new Diamondback range of Ideal Nymph rods have arrived! These are Euro nymphing rods in 10’ #1, 10’ #2, 10’ 10” #2, and 10’ 10” #3. Joe Goodspeed designed this series, and he did a great job. At $525-550, these rods are a steal and easily the best rods by far in the $500 range, no contest- they use the latest, state-of-the-art materials & construction. Light with excellent recovery & sensitivity, plenty of big fish playing power (even the #1 & #2), double rings on the downlocking reel seat, 3 snake guides on the rod tip for minimal line wrap when using micro leader butt sections, and 2 single foot ceramic stripping guides to reduce friction & improve line shoot. The 10’ 10” #2 is the big seller so far, with the 10’ #1 in the number two position. The 10’ 10” #2 seems like it will be the ideal all-around model for the Farmington River, especially for lighter tippets & Micro Leaders. We have demo models in the 10’ #1, and the 10’ 10” #2 & #3 if anyone wants to try them on the water. Joe will be adding more models to this line-up in the near future, including a 10’ #3, a 10’ 10” #4, and a 10’ 10” #6 (for Steelhead/Lake Run Browns). They will also be coming out with a high-end Euro reel this Summer in a #1/2 & #3/4($525-550)- Joe showed us a prototype, it has some unique features like an offset reel foot for better rod balance.
Try the BMAR Mud Puppy Sculpin Streamer- limited quantities in stock, $5.99 each, get ‘em while they last.
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Looks like a nice weekend. Cloudy today, and then mid to upper 70’s and mostly sunny for Saturday & Sunday- Ten Day forecast is all highs in the 70’s, and nights averaging in the 50’s. We've had a lot of good fishing reports, and there have been some really bug activity. Sulfurs are the glamour hatch, running #14-16, and there are lots of assorted Caddis too. March Browns/Gray Fox are hatching all over the river (they live in faster water). Flows are significantly lower than normal for early June, 187cfs total flow in the permanent TMA/Catch & Release (C&R)as I write this Friday morning (132 cfs at Riverton USGS gauge, plus 55cfs from the Still River).It’s a combination of not much rain, and also the MDC not releasing much water from the dam. The reservoir (Hogback/Goodwin Dam) seems to be plenty full of water though. When they start asking for more water downstream at Rainbow Dam (they generate electricity there), you will see more water let out of the dam. The water level is more like what you see in late Summer/early Fall, and it makes for easy wading and some very good dry fly fishing. For dries, the lower the water, the more trout rise when bugs are hatching. Lower flows mean you need to be stealthy and not scare the trout- wade carefully, dress in drab clothing, use lighter weight fly lines/rods, and use longer leaders and thinner tippet.
Sulfurs can hatch at weird times on the Farmington, not just in the evenings- often they hatch here in mid to late afternoon, and sometimes even late mornings, so pay attention. March Browns are a trickle hatch, they live & hatch sporadically (one here, one there) in faster water from about mid afternoon through evening- pocket water is the prime March Brown habitat FYI. Obviously you want dries imitating these 2 bugs, but don’t neglect nymphs as they can be deadly if you fish them properly, and wet flies can be good too.
Water temps have been anywhere from upper 40’s (mornings below dam in Riverton) up to the mid 60’s (afternoons downstream in Collinsville/Unionville/Farmington). East Branch release (comes in a little below our store) was/is50cfs last I knew. Unionville USGS gauge is reading a low313cfs (median flow for today is 525cfs).
Caddis typically hatch roughly 10am-2pm, and then come back in the eves to egg-lay. However, most days you will see a trickle of Caddis almost the entire day. You can blind-fish Caddis dry flies, with or without a dropper nymph. If you go way downstream (Collinsville/Unionville/Farmington) you will see some some big Isonychia #8-12, typicallylate afternoon through eves.
Caddis are a major hatch up & down the river, including the permanent TMA/C&R and also Riverton. Tan Caddis have mixed in with the olive/green ones, and we are seeing a diverse mix of sizes & colors averaging #14-18, with some both bigger and smaller, and some other colors too (black, brown, gray). Caddis will be a daily player straight through mid Fall. Pupa are a consistent producer if fished in a nymph rig in the faster water where they are most abundant. Make sure to have Caddis dries, but be aware pupa patterns & soft-hackles/wet flies will frequently outfish the dries during Caddis activity.
Those being flexible on their fishing method & location are catching plenty of trout, and those who try to force it or sit in one spot all day are struggling- let the fish tell you how, where, and what they want or you may struggle. Other than Caddis pupa #14-18, the other nymphing standby has been #14-20 Mayfly type nymphs (Pheasant Tails/Frenchies, BWO/Olives, etc.), and now you can add #14-16 Sulfur type nymphs, along with #10-12 March Brown nymphs. March Brown nymphs can be imitated with a specific imitation, as well as bigger Hare’s Ear & Fox Squirrel nymphs. Attractor nymphs (flashy/gaudy, hot spots/fluorescence, etc.) & suggestive nymphs (Hare’s Ears, Walt’s Worms, Fox Squirrel, etc.) are definitely worth trying.
Caddis are averaging #14-18 (tan & olive/green are the most common colors) but running anywhere from #12-22 (also in brown, black, gray, etc.), and hatch mid/late morns through early/mid afternoons. You can try a dry/dropper rig during the hatch with a buoyant dry and a beadhead pupa 12-24” below the dry. The adult Caddis will come back in the lower light of evenings and lay their eggs in riffle areas- dries can be effective for egg laying (try twitching/skating them), but often swinging wets/soft hackles or pupa just under the surface is the way to go. Nymphing with Caddis pupa can be VERY effective both before & during the hatch, and even during evening egg-laying. Regular & Frenchy style Pheasant Tails in #14-20 will cover a lot of bases with the Mayfly nymphs that are currently active.
If the trout are rising, look carefully, as you can often pick out the biggest trout and target them specifically, especially in the evenings when the big browns come out to play. Depending upon the time of day, weather conditions, and the river section you are fishing, be prepared with Caddis dries & pupa #14-18, Sulfur #14-16, March Brown #10-12, Blue Winged Olives (BWO’s/Olives) #18-22, and even #8-12 Isonychia (lower river. Caddis hatches are more mid/late morns through early/mid afternoon (and egg-laying in the evenings), Sulfurs can be anytime from late morning to dusk, March Browns are late aftertoon through eves in fast water, and BWO’s are afternoons (on cloudy/cooler days). Caddis pupa are very active in the faster water, making that water type ideal to nymph in, hint hint.
The state heavily stocked the permanent TMA/Catch & Release in April, including the bigger 14-18”+ 2 Year Olds (a few were 20”+), it’s LOADED, plenty of good to excellent catch reports. The entire river outside of the permanent TMA/C&R has been stocked a whole bunch of times. No matter where you end up, you will be fishing over trout, so no excuses!
Caddis hatches will be on the menu straight through the Fall, so don’t neglect to nymph with the pupa in the fast water, especially in the mornings & early/mid afternoons when they are most active and hatching- can be effective in the evenings too. BWO (Olive) nymphs #16-22 and Caddis larva #12-18 are very common drift items too, and especially good choices for targeting holdover/wild trout that are more familiar with real bugs than the recently stocked trout. Adult Caddis return in the eves to egg-lay, and depending upon egg-laying behavior (various according to species) can be matched with dries, wet flies, soft-hackles, or pupa. Pheasant Tails/Frenchies & Hare’s Ears in #14-20 will imitate a lot of the different Mayfly nymphs common in the subsurface drift this time of year.
Nymph Color Selection Tip:
Quick tip for selecting nymph colors from late Fall through mid Spring: overall the cooler weather nymphs tend toward darker colors such as medium to dark brown, black, and medium to dark olive/olive-brown. When the hatches get cranking during milder weather (now) and the leaves come out in the mid to late Spring (and going well into the Fall), many of the nymphs/pupa/larva are light to medium colored: tan, light/medium brown, amber/ginger, light/medium olive-the amber/ginger color is very prevalent in June/July. This is a general rule, but probably about 80-90% true. Gives you a starting point, adjust from there- flip rocks to see exactly what the nymphs/larva look like.
Various single-hook & articulated streamers have their moments, experiment with colors and retrieves. Early & late in the day during lower light is a particularly good time to fish them. Jigged streamers fished on a Euro leader/tight-line rig have been deadly many days when other presentations & flies have failed. Bigger browns are usually looking for big bites to eat. Some of the better colors have been olive, brown and tan- make sure to have a good assortment of colors, it can make a big difference. Streamer retrieve speed can be important, try slower & deeper as well as some faster retrieves too, cuz ya never know. The trout will always tell you water they prefer, but only if you experiment and see what they prefer.
A quick note on water temps. Water temps moving TOWARD 60 degrees tends to turn trout on, and as temps move AWAY from 60 degrees it tends to shut feeding down. Even though 50-65 degrees water temps are “optimal” for trout, the direction of temp changes has more to do with creating a good bite than the actual absolute temp. Having said that, there can be a first light bite, even when air & water temps are cold. Typically late morning through late afternoon is overall the best time to be on the water this time of year due to the rising/higher water temps. Positive water temperature movements (toward 60 degrees)tend to make bugs hatch and get trout feeding too. Temp drops can shut the bite off like somebody flipped a switch.
Dick Sablitz whipped up some “Heavy Hare’s Ear Soft Hackles” with tungsten beads for us. Great point fly to use in a multi wet fly rig to get your other wets/soft hackles down deep, or use in a tandem Euro Nymphing rig. This is an all purpose fly that can pass as many different food items, and makes a great Caddis pupa too. The soft hackle gives it movement, just like a real bug. Dead-drift it and then let it swing at the end of the drift.
Effective streamers include standard single hook patterns such as Woolly Buggers, Zuddlers, Zonkers, etc., just play around with colors & retrieves until you crack the code for that day. Use bigger articulated patterns to catch less but potentially bigger trout. The old school Muddler Minnow is an underutilized but still deadly fly that somehow got replaced by the Woolly Bugger and forgotten about by many- try also the Conehead White Marabou Muddler. Smaller jigged streamers fished on a tight-line Euro rod/leader system can entice trout to eat even when they won’t hit a traditional streamer presentation (swung/stripped on a standard fly line)- this enables you to fish a streamer slow & deep, and put it right in the trout’s face so they don’t have to chase it. A little yellow mixed into in your streamers can be very effective some days, both two-tone (brown/yellow, olive/yellow, etc.) and all yellow. Olive, tan, and brownare all good starting colors for streamers this time of year. Also make sure to try some flashy streamers, some days they are the ticket- think about how effective flashy spoons & spinners are for spin fishermen.
Be aware that hatches vary from day to day and respond to water & air temps changes, variations in flow levels, and also light conditions. Be prepared to fish streamers, wet flies, or nymphs (Euro or Indy) if they aren’t rising. The same spot on 2 consecutive days can see a good hatch one day, followed by a poor hatch the next due to the weather.
Check out the latest Hardy Ultralite & Ultralite LL (Euro) rods. Very impressive series of rods, especially the 10’ 8” #0/2 Euro rod- don’t let the line designation fool you, it fishes more like a powerful #3 with a very light tip but fast recovery, with the lower 2/3 of the rod being surprisingly strong and capable of landing very large trout. Still light in the hand, sensitive, accurate, and well balanced. These rods are giving the T&T Contact II’s some competition! Euro specific rods in the Ultralite LL series include the10’ 2” #2, 11’ 2” #2, 10’ 8” #0/2, 10’ 8” #3, 9’ 2” & 9’ 9” #3 & #4. In the standard Ultralite the 9’ #4, 9’ #5, 9’ #6, 9’ #7, 10’ #4, and 10’ #5.
The T&T Contact II series (10' #2, 10’ 9” #2, 10' #3, 10' 9" #3, 11' 2" #3, 10' 9" #4 & 10' 8" #6) is a home run, arguably the best Euro rods currently on the market in our opinion and according to many experienced Euro nymphers. I’ve fished them for quite a while now, and they are all amazing. Brand new as of March is the 10’ 9” #2, it’s REALLY nice and rounds out/completes their line-up: a great rod that will protect 6x-7x tippet but is still has the butt strength to land large trout. It is fantastic for casting/fishing micro leaders (thin butt sections in 5-10# range) that are popular now. The Contact II series features new improved materials, new guide spacing (stripping guide on butt section), down-locking reel seats are standard now, plus a new fighting butt design that is more comfortable. Recovery is noticeably better/crisper, 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 for casting and playing big trout. The blanks are incredibly strong and much much harder to break, even when you do something stupid. These rods are easier to cast, will give you more distance, and they deliver with improved accuracy. Retail is $855 and worth every penny.
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Hatches/Dries:
*Sulfurs #14-16: anytime from late morning to dark (timing varies)
*March Brown/Gray Fox #10-12: fast water late afternoon to dark
*Assorted Caddis averaging #14-18 (tan, olive green and more): mid/late mornings to early/mid afternoons, come back in eves to egg-lay in riffly water
-Baetis/BWOs/Blue Winged Olives #18-22: afternoons on cloudy/cooler days
-Isonychia #8-12: lower river (Collinsville/Unionville, faster water, late afternoon/eves)
-Summer/Winter Caddis #18-24: early/mid mornings usually, sometimes go later
-Midges #18-28: anytime
-Parachute Adams #12-24: imitates many, many different bugs: Olives, Midges, Caddis, Isonychia, etc.
-Terrestrials (Ants, Beetles) #12-18: afternoons, esp. on warmer days
Nymphs:
*Caddis Pupa #14-18 (tan, olive/green): a fast water go-to from now through the Fall
*Sulfur Nymph #14-16: all water types
-March Brown #10-12: fast water, especially pocket water
*Frenchies & Pheasant Tails #12-20: various sizes imitate many different Mayfly nymphs, and also smaller Stoneflies
-Olive/BWO Nymphs #16-20: various patterns
*Antoine's Perdigons #12-20: various colors & sizes
*Big Stoneflies #6-12 (gold/yellow, brown, black): fish esp. in early/mid mornings
*Caddis Larva (olive to green) #14-16: anytime, all year
-Junk Flies (Eggs, Mops, Squirmies/SJ Worms, Green Weenies): good during non-hatch periods, and also for higher/off-color flows & fresh stockers, or just as a change-up to natural/imitative flies after you fish through a run
-Jigged Streamers #8-12: various colors/patterns, we have a bunch of new ones
-Attractor Nymphs #12-20: anything flashy, gaudy, or with a hot spot such as Rainbow Warriors, Haast Haze, Firestarter Perdigon, Sexy Waltz, Princes, Triple Threats, etc.
-Midges/Zebra Midges#16-22: olive, black, red: Midges are a staple food item, esp. when there aren’t many other hatches, and even fresh hatchery trout know them as food
Soft-Hackles/Wet Flies:
-Assorted Patterns #10-18: Hare's Ear, DW Catchall, Partridge & Orange/Green/Yellow, Partridge & Flash, Starling & Herl, Leadwing Coachman, March Brown, Partridge & Pheasant Tail
-best fished 2-3 at a time, on tag end droppers, spaced 20-30” apart
-dead drift them, swing them, twitch them, bounce them- let the trout tell you how they want them
-great when Caddis are active
-if wet fly fishing is slow, try using a weighted fly (e.g. Beadhead Soft Hackle Hare’s Ear/Pheasant Tail) on the end/point to get your flies deeper, and/or fish your rig on an intermediate/sinking line or sink-tip/sinking leader.
Streamers:
*Rich Strolis articulated streamers: Headbanger, Masked Avenger, Alter Ego & Dumpster Diver are all once again back in stock- lethal flies!
*Jigged Streamers #8-12: various patterns/colors, deadly fished on a tight-line/Euro rig
*Rio's Precious Metal #4 (Kreelex copper, olive, white)
*BMAR Yellow Matuka #6
*Zuddler #4-8: olive, yellow, white, brown, black
-Complex Twist Bugger & Mini version #2-6: assorted colors
*Muddler Minnow #6-10: old school, underfished, still lethal & very versatile
*Conehead White Marabou Muddler #8: favorite Muddler variation, also underfished
-Woolly Buggers #2-14 (black, olive, white, brown, tan)
-JJ Special/Autumn Splendor/Tequeely #4-8 (brown & yellow streamers)
-Matuka #4-8 (yellow, olive, brown)