Monday through Friday 8am-6pm, Saturday & Sunday 8am-5pm.
We currently have a verygood selection of used Euro rods from the low $100 range up to about $700 that are NOT listed on the website. These are for walk-in customers only, so you will have to visit the store in person if you want to see and purchase one of them.
Recently arrived, the brand new Diamondback Ideal Nymph Reels:
These are the most well thought out & designed Euro nymphing reels out there, the product of Joe Goodspeed who designed the Diamondback Ideal Nymph Rods. It has a full cage which makes it unlikely for long/thin leaders or Mono Rigs to work their way outside the frame. The machined tolerances are also extra tight to help with this. It has four 10 gram (1/3 ounce each) removable weights so you can fine-tune the rod/reel balance. It has an ultra large arbor, large diameter, narrow spool which is ideal for Euro nymphing where you don’t want or need a ton of line capacity- this also gives you a faster retrieve rate and less line coiling. The drag is ultra smooth to protect light tippet.
Joe designed a special handle: it is narrow at the base and flares out, and it has 3 silicon “O” rings, the two combined give you an unusually good grip on the reel and makes it easier to grab the handle without looking. But the most unique feature of all is the offset reel foot, which gives you the ability to put the mass of the reel even closer to the rod butt, improving rod balance by enabling you to use less weight and still achieve a proper rod balance (it can be easily switched around for R or L hand retrieve). A properly balanced reel makes your rod both more comfortable to fish, and even enhances your sensitivity. And if you need to take up slack quickly, you can hit the spool with your palm and spin it fast to rapidly take up excess line. Anywhere your leader/line can rub against the reel when stripping line has been machined round so that you won’t abrade or cut your line. All in all a unique reel, with all the features you wanted and clever ones you never even thought about. They use the latest 5D - 5 Axis machining (most reels only use 3D - 3 Axis) to make this unusual & beautiful fly reel. These reels have already become a hot seller.
We will be limiting the pics in this report to about 2 or 3 in total. It’s too time consuming to post a bunch of pics on here, but we will be posting additional pics & videos on our Instagram page story (which stays up for 24 hours and then automatically disappears), so follow us on IG if you don’t already. Up top is once again frequent flyer Mike Andrews with a stonker hook jaw male brown, next down is Joey with a big brown from a secret spot :), and third fish pic is customer Anthony Urbano with his PB Farmington brown trout.Lots of big trout all over the river.
The new Diamondback range of Ideal Nymph rods are in stock. These are fantastic Euro nymphing rods in 10’ #1, 10’ #2, 10’ 10” #2, 10’ 10” #3 & 10’ 10” #4, with more models to come. Joe Goodspeed (formerly of Cortland and T&T) designed this series, and he did a great job. At $525-550, these rods are a deal and easily the best Euro rods in the $500 range- 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 has been the best seller for the Farmington River, followed by the 10’ #1 (great rod for light tippets &light flies, and/or smaller streams). Near future additions will include a 10’ #3 & 10’10” #6 (Steelhead, Lake Run Browns & trophy trout).
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River Conditions:
Still lots of dry fly fishing due to the lower flows, and fortunately the water is still coming out of the dam icy cold at about 47 degrees (rises to mid 50’s during warm, sunny afternoons by the time it hits the temp gauge about 2 miles below the dam). They did cut the dam release by about 20-25cfs yesterday afternoon, giving us a total flow in the permanent TMA/C&R (catch & release) of 95cfs (90cfs from the dam in Riverton, and 5cfs from the Still River). MDC continues to run the minimum required release, and DEEP has been augmenting that with anywhere from 25-50cfs extra from their small budget of water to keep the river cooler further downstream. Low flows = lots of rising trout & dry fly action. Many fish are rising in calf to knee deep water, so don’t make the mistake of only fishing the pools. Atthis flow the pools are flat & slow and create some technical dry fly fishing that often means 12-18’ leaders with long 7x tippets and #22-26 dries. It’s a lot easier to fool the trout in the knee deep runs that have a choppy surface, and there are LOTS of trout in that type of water, many in the 18”+ range, with some over 20”. You can also get away with bigger dry flies, heavier tippet, and shorter leaders in that water type.When they aren’t rising, try nymphing or do Dry/Dropper with a small nymph 12-24” below a buoyant visible dry fly. And another neglected but deadly technique is wet fly fishing with both winged wets & soft hackles. It’s an easy way to thoroughly cover shallower water without getting hung up.
Current temps (highs mid 70’s to low 80’s, nights around 60 degrees) through Thursday means that in the morningsyou can fish downstream at least as far as New Hartford, but by lunchtime I’d be Church Pool/Mathie’s Groveup to the dam- the further upstream and closer to the dam, the colder the water. Have a thermometer & use it. Otherwise you might be fishing in 70+ degree water, which is stressful & potentially lethal to the trout and unsporting. As long as you don’t venture too far downstream, you can stay in optimal water temps all day long. Friday through Sunday the highs will be upper 80’s, so stay further upriver then and take water temps. If the MDC everstarts releasing more water (they still have LOTS in the reservoirs currently) that will also cool things off more & further downriver.
Due to lower flows & heat wave we had recently,the CT DEEP has created temporary Thermal Refuge areas near tributary/brook mouths where cooler water flows into the mid to lower Farmington River downstream of the permanent TMA/C&R (they did this in 2016 during that extremely hot/dry Summer), starting just below the New Hartford Rt. 219 bridge and going down to the town of Farmington. You cannot fish within 100 feet of the signs posted in these areas, here is a link that details this:
https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/News-Releases/News-Releases---2022/DEEP-Announces-Emergency-Closure-to-Fishing-Near-Tributaries-to-Farmington-Rivers
Fishing advice & hatches remain similar. The low water release from the damthis Summer hascreated a lot of dry fly fishing. Don’t limit yourself to just matching the hatch & rising trout. You can cover likely looking water and bring trout up to blind-fished dry flies, especially in riffly & pocket water. At moments blind-fishing dries has been outfishing nymphs more often than not, but both techniqes are having their moments. Try terrestrials (ants, beetles, hoppers), attractor dries (Stimulator, Mini Chernobyls, Mega Beetles, etc.), and #14-16 Caddis- you can also twitch the Caddis on some drifts. The Trico hatch is now further upriver, at least as far upstream as Pipeline/Lyman’s Rock (where the Still River comes in). They are an early to mid morning deal, and the spinner fall is the main even. It happens when air temps are approximately 68 degrees. They average a #24, give or take, and you should be fishing a 12’ or longer leader with a long 6x-7x tippet to present them properly (as in drag-free), and you need to be very accurate as trout won’t move off their feeding lane for tiny dry flies. The females have a white abdomen, and the males are all black.
The big upsidesto low flows are easy wading/access and lots of dry fly fishing, but it is more technical. If you can get in some riffly water that makes it easier to approach the trout closer, and they don’t get as good at look at your fly so are more apt to make a mistake and eat it. 12’ plus leaders will help all your dry fly presentations, as will lengthening out your tippet sections to 3-6’. Pay close attention to what you observe hatching, and try to match it closely. For the fish sipping gently in flat water, it often takes a #24 fly on a long 7x tippet with a precise drag-free float to fool them. The other gambit is try a #12-18 Ant or Beetle on a long (3-6’) 6x tippet, sometimes this does the trick without going to a tiny fly and ultralight tippet.
Mornings are bringing Tricos, Needhami & Summer/Winter Caddis hatches, all tiny flies #20-26, with smaller imitations generally better. Nymphing the fast water is always an option (mostly small nymphs though), as is Dry/Dropper- try a buoyant visible dry with a small weighted nymph 12-24” below the dry. Afternoons see minimal bugs, with the exception being the mid/late afternoon and evening #18 Sulfurs in Riverton only (Rt 20 bridge at Hitchcock/Riverton Self Storage up to the dam, hatch is ligher and near the end). Terrestrials are a great dry fly choice from late morning through early evening, or anytime there isn’t much hatching. Evenings are mostly Isonychia & Light Cahills/Summer Stenos, with some assorted Caddis in the mix (mostly egg-laying, not so much emerging, they mostly hatch in the mornings).
The MDC is releasing the minimum flow they are required to do, plus an additional 50cfs is being added in from the DEEP for a total of 111cfs by the time it hits the USGS gauge in Riverton. The Still River is adding in another 8cfs, giving us a total combined low flow in the permanent TMA/Catch & Release of 119cfs this morning. This is low, but the water is still coming out of the dam ice cold (in the mid/upper 40’s still) and then gradually rising in temps as the day progresses and as you move further downstream away from the dam. With trout, it’s all about cold water and fortunately we still have that. You can stay in fishable cold water in the 50-68 degree range as long as you don’t venture too far downriver. Carry a thermometer and use it in the Summer, and if you aren’t sure about the temps, err on the side of fishing further upriver where you know the water is cold. DO NOT fish in water that is 70 degrees or above.
Summer trout fishing is usually at it’s best early to mid mornings and in the evenings up to and beyond darkness. The exception would be the mid to late afternoon Sulfur hatch, located only in Riverton, from about the Rt 20 bridge in Riverton up to the dam- hatch is near the end now FYI. Morning dry fly fishing has been on mostly tiny flies, Tricos #22-26 now, and still Summer/Winter Caddis #20-24 &Needhami #22-26 (the Needhami spinners fall first in the AM, then the duns hatch in later morning), with long leaders and light 6x if not 7x long tippets. Long tippets of 3-6’ create controlled slack, and that gives you a natural, drag-free presentation. Isonychia (#10-14) and Blue Wing Olives (#18-24) are appearing in the evening along with assorted Caddis and a few different cream mayfly varieties (Light Cahills/Summer Steno’s).
You can also nymph the faster water, or Dry/Dropper it with a buoyant visible dry fly with a small (#18 or smaller) weighted nymph 1-2 feet below the dry. Just like with dries, for the most part the nymphing is #18 & smaller with a few exceptions (#8-10 Stonefly nymph from first light until about 10am, and #10-14 Isonychia nymphs in the late afternoons & eves). Frequently success with nymphing hinges upon just fishing a small enough fly, usually no bigger than #18 in the mid/late Summer when the bugs are mostly small and the water is low. Don’t forget about terrestrials, especially midday and during non-hatch times, fish those Ants & Beetles. Also you can prospect with attractor dries like Mini Chernobyls, Mega Beetles, Stimulators, etc. Dry/Dropper, with a buoyant visible dry fly and a small weighted nymph 1-2’ below it is a very effective tactic during lower flows like this. You get the visual fun of dry fly fishing, combined with the effectiveness of nymphing, win-win. Wet fly/soft hackle fishing is still good to excellent in the faster water, whether or not trout are rising. Many large trout move into shallow riffles when they want to feed, so don’t neglect that calf to knee deep riffle water.
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Hatches/Dries:
*Tricos #22-26: at least as far upstream as Pipeline/Lyman Rock (Still River junction) now, early to mid AM, spinner fall is the main event (happens at approximately 68 degrees air temps)
*Isonychia #10-14: faster water, late afternoon/eves normally
*Light Cahills/Summer Steno’s #12-18: eves, #14 is most common
-Yellow Sally #16-18: riffles & pocket water
-Sulfurs #18: Dorothea Sulfurs, they are only way upstream now (Riverton from about Lyman Rock/Still River junction up to the dam), timing varies, typically mid afternoons through eves, hatch is almost over
*Needhami #22-26: AM hatch, duns & spinners, also called Tiny Chocolate/Mahogany Dun
*Summer/Winter Caddis #20-24: early/mid mornings usually, sometimes go later
-Attenuata #18-20: eves in upper river (Riverton), almost over, often mistaken for a Sulfur (light green/lime green almost chartreuse body, cream wings/legs)
*Assorted Caddis averaging #16-18 (tan, olive/green are common): hatch in mornings, come back in eves to egg-lay in riffly water, ranging from #12-22 and also in black, brown, gray
*Beetles & Ants #12-18: great during non-hatch times (late morn thru early eves)
*Flying Ants #18-24: can be an ace-in-the-hole fly some days
*Mole Fly #20-24 (olive, brown): deadly emerger that covers many small bugs
*Mini Chernobyls #12-16: very consistent foam bodied attractor dry
-Stimulator #10-14: great fast water attractor dry fly to blind fish, assorted colors
-Baetis/BWOs/Blue Winged Olives #18-28: afternoons/eves, esp. on cloudy/cooler or rainy days
-Midges #18-28: anytime
Nymphs:
*Small Nymphs #18-22: Assorted. In the Summer, often the secret is just going smaller, the size of the nymph supersedes the exact pattern
*Sulfur Nymph #16: all water types, doubles as a Yellow Sally Stonefly imitation
*Caddis Pupa #16-18 (tan, olive/green): a fast water go-to straight through the Fall
*Big Stoneflies #8-12 (gold/yellow, brown, black): fish first light to mid mornings
*Frenchies & Pheasant Tails #12-20: various sizes imitate many different Mayfly nymphs, and also smaller Stoneflies
-Olive/BWO Nymphs #16-20: various patterns, anytime
*Antoine's Perdigons #12-20: various colors & sizes
*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 #18-22: 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 4-6” 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, also Quill Gordon, Vitreus, March Brown, Isonychia
-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- lethal flies for trophy trout
*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 but 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)