Monday through Friday 8am-6pm, Saturday & Sunday 8am-5pm.
As of September 1st, the entire river from the dam in Riverton down to the Rt 177 Unionville bridge (21 miles of river) is all CATCH & RELEASE until 6am on the second Saturday in April. Below the Unionville bridge it is 5 fish, 9” minimum size. So for all intents & purposes, almost the entire river is C&R until April. Call CT DEEP hotline at 800-842-4357( TIPS) to report violations if you see people keeping fish in this section- give them descriptions & license plates (if you have them).
We currently have a very good 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.
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. Joe also 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. 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 time consuming to post a bunch of pics on here, so 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 Mike Andrews with a big Brown- Mike has certainly paid his dues and his results speak for themselves. He’s also an “Early Bird gets the worm” kinda morning angler FYI. Second fish picis Zach St. Amand’sclient Preston Cheung with a beautiful specimen of a Farmington River brown trout.
The new T&T Contact II 10’ 9” #2 rods are EXCELLENT. I recently acquired one of these for myself (Torrey) this Summer, and I absolutely LOVE it- perfect rod for the current conditions that dictate lighter tippets & smaller/lighter flies: casts great, very sensitive, and a blast to play the fish on. It might be my new favorite rod. The extra 9” beyond a 10’ rod is perfect for bigger water like the Farmington (allows you to fish & cast further away, make longer drifts, casts easier/further, faster hook sets, and cushions your tippet more), and the soft tip will protect 6x-7x tippet against big trout. Plenty of power in the butt section to handle bigger trout, and the extra flex in the tip is better for casting micro leaders (very thin butt sections) and lighter flies. This is a great compliment to your arsenal if you already have a 3 weight, which has been the “all 'rounder” for Euro Nymphing. The trend over time seems to be lighter & thinner in everything including rods, especially as thinner leader butts (6-10# test/0x-4x) have become popular to reduce sag, along with thinner tippets(5.5x-7x) that allow you to use lighter nymphs & get them to the bottom faster with more natural drifts, as well as lighter & slimmer nymphs (like Perdigons) that sink quicker despite their smaller size/weight.
The new 2022 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).
We’re excited to announce the 2022 launch of Sage’s new flagship line of fast action rods: the Sage R8 Core, using their new Revolution 8 tech and axial fiber formulation. This is the first time in 20+ years that Sage has debuted an entirely new graphite composition. Available to see in person and purchase, we have the entire line-up from the lightest to the heaviest (3wt up to 9wt). We were able to cast the line-up with our Sage rep, and we were all surprised & impressed. While modern fast action rods have become very stiff and tippy over the years, this new series has loads of feel and casts easily. The flex is closer to the older popular Z-Axis & XP’s, and refreshingly closer in the trout sizes to a true line weight rating. The R8 Core flexes further down into the blank, but still has a crisp/fast recovery and plenty of line speed. Sage says they are “Made to fish, not just to cast”, with “Effortless energy transfer and more connected feel”. These are real fishing rods, not rods just meant to win parking lot casting competitions, but break tippets and don’t fish comfortably up close. Kudos to Sage.
The FRAA (Farming River Angler’s Association) finally has an Instagram page! It’s fraaclub, please follow them. There will be lots of cool content, our own Joey Takeman is running the page. Look for some nice fish pics/videos as well as good info coming up.
The FRWA (Farmington River Watershed Association) is doing a river cleanup on Saturday September 24that 9-11:30am. We are asking people to pick the Canton section to cleanup the mess the tubers left there over the Summer.
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River Conditions:
Please follow the brand new FRAA Instagram page, their IG name is fraaclub.
I mentioned up above, but I’ll mention it again:
The entire upper 21 miles of the Farmington River, from the dam in Riverton downstream to the Rt 177 Unionville bridge, is now Catch & Release from 9/1/22 until the 2ndSaturday in April at 6am. If you see people violating this and keeping fish, PLEASE make sure to call the DEEP TIPS hotline at 800-842-HELP (4357). Program the number into your cell phone, and call!!! Even if they cannot reply fast enough, the call & location of the offense is logged, and this all helps to get more enforcement in the future, but ONLY if you call it in. If you take the attitude that your call is pointless, we will never get more enforcement on the river and it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Be more proactive & complain less if you want to create a positive change- good life advice too ;)
The CT DEEP is stockedthe river Friday 9/16, from just below the Rt 219 bridge in New Hartford down to the Rt 177 bridge in Unionville (the bottom of the seasonal Catch & Release/TMA), about a 10 mile stretch. This entire section is now C&R (as of 9/1) until Opening Day in April 2023. Should make for some easier/better fishing & catching, until the trout are well educated in 3-4 weeks haha. Think Woolly Buggers (black, olive) & “Junk Flies” (Mops, Squirmies/SJ worms, Egg flies, and Green Weenies) until they learn what real bugs & real food look like. Walt’s Worms (both plain/drab & Sexy Waltz with a flash rib & fluorescent hot spot) are effective too, as are attractor nymphs (flashy, hot-spot or gaudy colors).
Other than the stocking last Friday 9/16 (below Rt 219 in New Hartford down to the Rt 177 Bridge in Unionville), the only other modest change is a 20cfs flow reduction from the dam yesterday (Monday 9/19)- despite the reservoirs being almost full. Fishing remains good, albeit somewhat technical, with lots of rising trout at moments. If you want some easier targets, then target the freshly stock trout in the 10+ mile section mentioned above. Seeing a tad more Fall leaf color every day, especially after we get a colder night.
Total flow in the permanent TMA/Catch & Release is 96 cfs (65cfs at Riverton USGS gauge, plus 11cfs from the Still River). If you are nymphing, make sure that one of the flies in your rig is small, as in #18-20, can be even smaller – think Mayflies like Blue Wing Olive nymphs, Midges, Perdigons, or small general purpose flies like Pheasant Tails or Hare’s Ears/Walt’s Worms. Plenty of Blue Winged Olives hatching (#18-24), as well as good numbers of rising trout. Don’t forget about small Flying Ants #18-24, they have been all over the water some days of late- September is a big month for this. They especially like warmer, humid days. It’s technically not a “hatch”, but rather a mating swarm, and when it happens it typically gets the trout on a surface feeding binge.
It appears that for the time being the MDC is only going to give us the bare minimum flow that they are legally required to run (can be as low as 50cfs, see below for details), so we will be dependent upon rainfall, more like a freestone stream. The ideal current scenario would be regular shots of 1inch plus of rain every week. We could use a couple more big shots of rain (2-4”) to restore the depleted water table. If the inflow to Colebrook reservoir goes up above 50cfs, then they have to match it, but only up to 150cfs. If/when they start letting water out of Otis reservoir (comes into Farmington River upstream of Colebrook reservoir) to lower it this Fall (they usually do in October), then they also have to add that to the release. If the Colebrook reservoir fills to 100%, then the Army Corps of Engineers will require them bump up the release until they lower the lake (for flood control). FYI typically Highland Lake gets lowered in the Fall, and that drains into the Still River which dumps into the West Branch Farmington a little below the Rt 20 bridge in Riverton. The reservoirs (MDC has 5 that I know of) were at 87% overall capacity as of the end of August, well above normal for this time of year when they would typically lower them for flood control durig hurricane season (seems that they aren’t doing that this year), and the 4” of rain recently had to bump this up significantly. It’s currently a frustrating situation where the MDC has a big surplus of water, but won’t release it. Despite that, the fishing remains good with cold water (upper 40’s!) still being released from the dam. Low water = more rising trout and more dry fly fishing, something most anglers love. Look down 2 paragraphs and below for some low water advice & tips.
FYI Farmington guides extraordinaire, Zach St. Amand&Derrick Kirkpatrick (CT Fish Guides), both have some openings in their guiding schedules this Fall (a great time for big browns)- usually they are both booked solid. They are very good at fine tuning your dry fly & Euro Nymphing games, and also upping your big trout success. Go to the guide page on our website to get their info and contact them directly, Zach’s# is 646-641-5618, and Derrickis 203-980-4248
The low flows we’ve had the past 3 months has made for easy wading/access and lots of rising trout. During low water just make sure to bring your “A” game, as low water/slower current means spookier, pickier trout that get a really good look at your fly. Plus they’ve been pressured hard all Summer and have seen everything but the kitchen sink floating over their heads on a daily basis. If you have some oddball dries that aren’t commonly fished here, try them- using different flies can help put the odds in your favor, whether you are fishing on the surface or subsurface. Better anglers are raving about the dry fly fishing this Summer, but some people are struggling. You WILL have rising trout to show your flies to, but catching them is ultimately up to you.
Hatchwise we are seeing quite a few #16-18 Caddis (mostly tan), #14 Light Cahill/Summer Stenos, #18-24 Olives (BWO’s), and #12-14 Isonychia. I’ve been seeing quite a few Yellow Sally Stonefly adults #16-18 on my house windows some nights (I’m on the river ½ mile upstream of UpCountry), and some mornings Blue Wing Olive duns #18-24. Mornings are still bringing some Trico’s (upriver) averaging #24 andWinter Caddis #18-24 (entire river). There have been some winged adult egg-laying Summer/Winter Caddis in the evenings too. Don’t neglect to have some small Flying Ants in your fly box, they are a common player in late Summer/early Fall. If you are up in Riverton, there are still a few #18-20 Sulfurs popping in the afternoons & eves, but it’s getting light & near the end. The water is coming out of the dam is still in the upper 40 degrees and then temps slowly rise as you venture downstream. The MDC still has a pile of cold water in the reservoir system, but they are hoarding it. In the mornings you can start as far downstream as Canton/New Hartford, but by noonish I’d be at least as far upstream as Boneyard/Greenwoods/Church Pool- the further upstream, the cooler the water temps. Don’t neglect the calf to knee deep water. Also makes for some technical dry fly fishing, so bring your “A” game or you may be frustrated. Lots of anglers are doing quitewell, but someare struggling. Longer leaders with long/light 6x-7x tippets help a lot, it’s all about a drag-free presentation most of the time. So does accurate casting & good fly patterns.
All things being equal, small flies are generally better right now. If they aren’t rising fish #18 or smaller nymphs in the faster/broken water, or do Dry/Dropper with small nymph dropped 1-2’ below a buoyant visible dry fly. If you are working over rising trout, change flies frequently until you figure out what they want, and that will vary depending on the time of day and how far below the dam you are. If you aren’t doing well in one river section, then move to another. Being a stick in the mud is a good way to get skunked. Fish new water. The spots you did well in June may not fish well in August, and the flies that worked then will fail miserably now, you have to change with the conditions and time of year. Adjust your leader/tippet. Present your flies from different angles. Try emergers/cripples, spinners, terrestrials (beetles, ants, hoppers), attractor dries, twitch your fly slightlyon some drifts. Don’t neglect terrestrials!!! Try bigger flies, try smaller flies. Try flies that float high, and especially try patterns that float low and snug down into the surface film or even just below it(Klinkhammer style). Try to present your dries downstream & across with a Reach Cast so your flies arrives ahead of your tippet. If what you’re doing isn’t working, don’t fit Einstein’s definition of insanity: doing the same thing over & over and expecting different results. I see LOTS of anglers do this every day, and then complain that ”nobody is catching fish”- meanwhile anglers walk through our door every day with big grins commenting on how unusually good the dry fly fishing is this Summer in the low flows. Change up until you get it figured out. Ask successful anglers what they are doing and also observe how they cast & present their flies. And sometimes even the best fisherman leave the river scratching their head. You earn every trout you catch in these low water August conditions, there are no freshly stocked dummies to soothe your bruised ego, only trout that have been hooked multiple times.
Low flows is creating 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. At this 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 PLENTY 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, slightly heavier tippet, and shorter leaders in that water type. A 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, and particularly good when Caddis are either hatching or egg-laying.
Water is still coming out of the dam in the upper 40’s, but it will eventually get to 70+ degrees if you go too far downstream on hot/sunny afternoons- please don’t even think about fishing Collinsville & Unionville until the weather stays consistently cool (prob late September/earlyOctober). Have a thermometer & use it- ideally look for temps in the 50’s to mid 60’s, if it’s over 68 degrees go further upstreamfor better fishing and also to not unduly stress the trout out. As long as you don’t venture too far downstream, you can stay in optimal water temps all day long. If the MDC ever starts releasing more water (they have TONS of waterin the reservoirs feeding the Farmington River, both the West Branch & East Branch side) that will also cool things off more & further downriver.
Due to lower flows & the heat wave we had in early August, the CT DEEP has created temporary small Thermal Refuge areas that are off-limits to fishing 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. I imagine this will stay in effect until about mid September. Other than these small areas the entire river remains open to fishing- just don’t go too far downstream and you will be able to stay in cold water without any problem. 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
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, but both techniques are having their moments. Try terrestrials (ants, beetles, hoppers are a great choice from late morns through early eves), attractor dries (Stimulator, Mini Chernobyls, Mega Beetles, etc.), and #14-16 Caddis- you can also twitch the Caddis on some drifts. The morning Trico hatch (spinner fall actually) is mostly in the upperriver. They are an early to mid morning deal, and the spinner fall is the main event. 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 (prob 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 upsides to 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 (4-6’) 6x tippet, sometimes this does the trick without going to a tiny fly and ultralight tippet. Late mornings through early evenings is a great time to fish terrestrial patterns.
You can 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 (#8-12 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:
*BWOs/Blue Winged Olives/Baetis #18-24: afternoons/eves, esp. on cloudy/cooler or rainy days
-Tricos #22-26: early to mid AM typically, spinner fall is the main event (happens at approximately 68 degrees air temps)- near the end, upper river mainly
*Assorted Caddis averaging #16-18 (tan is most common): hatch in mornings/afternoons, come back in eves to egg-lay in riffly water, ranging from #12-22 and also in black, brown, gray
-Isonychia #12-14: faster water, afternoons & eves normally
*Light Cahills/Summer Steno’s #12-18: eves, #14 is most common
-Yellow Sally #16-18: riffles & pocket water, a #16-18 Sulfur nymph or Yellow Prince will work as an imitation
-Sulfurs #18-20: they are only way upstream now (Riverton from about Pipeline/Lyman Rock/Still River junction up to the dam), timing varies, typically mid afternoons through eves, hatch is light and almost done
*Summer/Winter Caddis #18-24: early/mid mornings usually, sometimes go later, egg-laying adults sometimes are present in the evenings
*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, especially in #22-24 on picky flat water sippers
*Mole Fly #20-24 (olive, brown): deadly emerger that covers many small bugs & fools difficult trout
*Mini Chernobyls #12-16: very consistent foam bodied attractor dry, great to blind fish or rig up Dry/Dropper with a small weighted nymph under it
-Stimulator #10-14: great fast water attractor dry fly to blind fish, assorted colors
-Midges #18-28: anytime
Nymphs:
*Small Nymphs #18-22: Assorted. In the Summer/Fall (especially during low water), often the secret is just going smaller, the size of the nymph supersedes the exact pattern. Experiment: try drab, flashy, and with & without hot-spots, the trout will tell you what they want
*Sulfur Nymph/Yellow Sally #16-18: most water types, Sulfur nymphs & Yellow Princes both double as a Yellow Sally Stonefly imitation (Sulfur & Sally nymphs are both yellow/brown and about same size/shape)
*Caddis Pupa #16-18 (tan, olive/green): a fast water go-to straight into November
*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 #16-22: 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 for imitating bugs like Caddis, Quill Gordons, Vitreus, March Browns, 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)