8am-6pm Monday through Friday, 8am-5pm on Saturday & Sunday.
Pictured up top is yours truly (Torrey), with a solid brown to end my fishing session Thursday.
We scored 4 boxes of unusually good used books recently. Definitely some classics, collectibles, and autographed copies too. Everything has been processed, fairly priced, and is up on the shelves & walls. Come check it out, if you’re into books on fly fishing for trout, you should be able to find at least a fewtitles you like before they sell out in the near future.
Friday 8/23 morning Report:
Somebody mistakenly picked up Antoine Bissieux’s keychain in the store on Monday, so if you ended up with an extra set of keys and don’t remember where they came from, please drop them off at UpCountry. His unusual, distinctive keychain is in the second picture.
Mandy & I fished several hours Thursday afternoon and evening, catching a mix of rainbows, holdover browns, and wild browns. The main bugs we saw included Isonychia, small tan/brown Caddis, Yellow Sallies, and tiny Blue Winged Olives. The best fish I caught was on a #16 Sulfur nymph in a yellow/brown color that I tied on to imitate the Yellow Sallies I saw flying around in the evening.
We got a taste of fall weather this week with nights down into the low 50’s and even upper 40’s the past several days, and daytime highs in the upper 60’s to low 70’s. Loved every minute of it. Trico hatches (really it’s the spinner fall) have noticeably improved, and are all throughout the Permanent TMA/C&R in the mornings. Colder mornings this week has meant the spinners don’t hit the water until later in the morning (10am or later), as air temps in the 65-70 degree range are what trigger the spinner to mate, lay eggs, and drop to the water. Sulfurs in Riverton are done, but there may still be a few stragglers. People often mistake the Attenuata for a small Sulfur, and there are still some Attenuata up in Riverton but they are near the end. Needhami are done. There have been tiny Flying Ants out some days, we should be seeing them sporadically through September. These are mating swarms and they don’t happen every day. The best conditions for them is a warm, sunny, muggy day that follows a day with some rain. The other main bugs are Isonychia, Yellow Sally Stoneflies, assorted Caddis, and Summer Stenos/Light Cahills. Iso’s are typically between late afternoon and darkness, Caddis normally hatch mid to late mornings and then come back to egg-lay in the evenings, and the Stenos/Cahills are are an evening deal.
The fishing definitely gets more technical this time of year, so bring your "A" game. Long leaders (12’ or longer) & long/light tippets (3-6’ of 5x-7x depending upon fly size/air resistance) help to get stealthy, drag-free presentations. August is definitely a big month for dry fly fishing on the Farmington River, but smaller nymphs fished in the fast water are catching trout too. Streamers are having their moments, especially early & late in the day, and after rain when the river gets off-color.
Tricos are a full-blown hatch in the permanent TMA/C&R, all the way up to Lyman Rock/Pipeline. These “hatches” are all about the morning spinner fall, and that normally happens when the air temp is about 68 degrees, give or take a few degrees.They mass in a ball up in the air above riffles, and then they fall to the water. Tricos are very small and average a #24. Long leaders with long/light tippets will go a long way toward tipping the odds in your favor with these tiny flies. And speaking of small bugs, you may see #20-24 Olives in the afternoons & eves, especially on cloudy days.
August & September see Yellow Sallies, which are almost like a mini Golden Stonefly and run about #14-18. Typically, just like the big stoneflies, this is more of a nymphing thing than a dry fly game. You will see their shucks (they crawl out to emerge) on the downstream side of rocks in fast water. As I’ve mentioned before, with the exception of big stoneflies in the morning and big Iso nymphs later in the day, if you are nymphing it’s mostly #18 and smaller this time of year.
Fishing remains good, although technical at times- especially the flat/slow water, small dry fly game. Presentation is important, and sometimes the right fly can be critical, especially during a hatch. If you are fishing dry flies, longer leaders in the 12’ plus range (up to 18’) with long tippets (3-6’+) can be very helpful for stealth and getting a drag-free drift. Water is coming out of the dam in the low/mid 50’s and staying cool quite a ways downstream, even on 90 degree plus days. If you are venturing well downstream on hot sunny days, take a water temp before you fish, and if it’s over 68, move upriver to find colder water- the coldest water of all right now is up near the dam, above the Still River. Many days you can fish as far downstream as New Hartford & Canton, especially in the mornings after a cooler night, when water temps are at their lowest. Please don’t fish Collinsville/Unionville until things cool down in September/October. If you don’t own a thermometer, you need one in the summertime.
We are in summer mode, which means that mornings & evenings are the peak hatch and fishing times. The exception to this is Riverton, which due to the icy cold water will often see hatches in the late morning to early evening period. If you are out after work, try to stay until full darkness if you can, or you may miss the best fishing of the evening. The hotter the day, the more the good rising activity will push closer to darkness. Again, Riverton above the Still River can be an exception to this rule. During the slower times of the day, a good strategy is to target the faster, broken water. If you can find shade, even better. Terrestrials like ants & beetles are good midday fly choices.
Farmington trout can be very particular when they are rising to a hatch, especially the bigger holdovers and wild browns, so match the bugs as closely as you can. If you are in between 2 fly sizes, the general rule is to err on the smaller side. If you are nymphing in the summer with a 2 fly rig, make sure one of your nymphs is small, as in #18 or smaller. The exceptions to small nymphs would be large Stoneflies in the early to mid mornings, and big Isonychia nymphs in the mid afternoons through evenings. Both those bugs live in fast water FYI, so that’s the water type you should target. Mousing at night is also an option, especially to catch larger browns- use a short (5-7.5’) leader with a heavy tippet (0x). Early & late in the day are generally the peak times to be out, but good fishing can be had any time of day right now if you are flexible in how you fish (like nymphing), and are willing to fish different sections of the river at different times of the day.
Large Golden Stoneflies are crawling out on the rocks to emerge between first light and mid mornings, they run from about a #4 down to a #12. Imitate them with #8-12 nymphs in the fast water, big trout key in on them. They will be active & emerging from June through October. Look for their empty shucks on protruding rocks in fast water, you’ll also see a bunch on concrete bridge abutments. Fishing these big nymphs will net you some bigger fish, especially if you fish the fast water from first light to mid-morning (until about 10am). You can beef your tippet up when fishing bigger bugs like this for bigger trout- 4x to 5x is not to heavy, and if you have a really big trout located, 3x may be more appropriate.
Wet fly/soft hackle guys are putting fish in the net, and streamers are producing early & late in the day. Even had some good midday streamers reports, with the caveat that they were fishing them in fast water and/or near structure (rocks, fallen trees, undercut banks, etc.). Caddis typically come back later in the day to egg-lay in the riffles areas where they dump into the pools, and they typically hatch in the morning (can be afternoons up closer to the dam due to the colder water temps there). Trout normally feed on the pupa during the hatch, not so much the adults- this can mean anything from nymphing pupa near the bottom, to swinging pupa/wet flies/soft-hackles mid column, or dead-drifting pupa in the surface film. Dry/dropper with a Caddis dry and a pupa fished 6-12” below it can be effective during the hatch. You get more of the classic dry fly fishing with Caddis dries during the evening egg-laying events.
FRAA trophy rainbows are still getting caught & released (mostly). They have been averaging about 5-7 pounds, and some are even bigger. A good amount of trout are holding in faster water now: riffles, faster runs, and pocket water. Also the FRAA put in 18 large Golden Rainbows, and you will see them here & there, along with the leftover ones in the upper river from the Riverton Derby in early April. They are always a challenge to catch because they stick out like a sore thumb (they are a bright yellow/orange color) and everybody targets them.
Be prepared to go subsurface with Caddis pupa, small Mayfly patterns, big Stoneflies, Isonychia nymphs, Yellow Sally Stoneflies #14-18, wet flies/soft hackles, and streamers. Also try BWO nymphs #16-22 (especially on overcast days), #12-20 Pheasant Tails/Frenchies and other assorted nymphs. Small nymphs #18-22 are often the ticket this time of year, with the fly size being more important than the exact pattern. Mops (cream, chartreuse) & Squirmy Worms (pink, red) are always worth a try, especially as a clean up fly after you nymph a run, or if trout are not responding to your usual more imitative patterns. They can also be good during non-hatch periods. Don’t neglect attractor nymphs that have flash, fluorescent colors, UV, or gaudy colors- metallic pink beaded nymphs are very effective.
The new Thomas & Thomas Avantt II fly rods arrived in March, and they have really impressed us. Slightly more flex in the tip, but still plenty of power in the mid & lower sections, with fantastic crisp recovery and a low swing weight.
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Hatches/Dries:
-Tricos #22-26: throughout the Permanent TMA/C&R and up as far as Lyman's Rock. It’s all about the spinner fall, typically early to mid mornings when air temps hit 68 degrees, give or take a little. Use long leaders with long/light tippets.
-Flying Ants #18-24
-Isonychia #10-12: typically a late afternoon through dusk hatch in fast water, starts later on hot, sunny days. On the entire river. This bug brings some large trout to the surface in fast water later in the day. You can also blind fish it in likely looking water or use it in a Dry/Dropper rig.
-Assorted Caddis #16-22 (tan is most common color, but not the only one): hatching mid/late mornings, and come back in the eves to egg-lay
-Light Cahill/Summer Stenos #12-18: evenings
-Yellow Sally #16
-Summer/Winter Caddis #18-24: hatching in early to mid morning, all year long
-Blue Wing Olive #18-24: cloudy afternoons, eves too
-Ants & Beetles #12-18: very effective, especially when you have sporadic risers without any major hatch occuring
-Attenuata #18-20: Mistaken for a Sulfur, but it's a bright lime green and smaller. Typically in the evenings, but sometimes in the afternoon as you get closer to the dam. Hatch is near the end, it’s up in Riverton now, possibly a little below that too.
Nymphs & Wet Flies/Soft Hackles:
-Small Nymphs #18-22: frequently size is more important than the exact pattern, especially this time of yearwhen most of the bugs are smaller. Generic bugs like Pheasant Tails/Frenchies, Hare’s Ears, Walt’s Worms, etc. all are good choices.
-Caddis Pupa #16-18 (tan, olive/green)
-Isonychia Nymph #10-12: fish in fast water, mid afternoon through dusk. Try dead-drifting, swinging, and even stripping them in.
-Pheasant Tails/Frenchies #12-20: imitates a wide range of Mayflies including Isonychia, Blue Winged Olives, Sulfurs, and more
-Stonefly #8-12: excellent in early to mid mornings when they crawl out in low light onto the rocks to emerge in fast water. They emerge from June through October on the Farmington River, and can produce some big fish.
-BMAR Isonychia Nymph #10-12: fish in fast water, mid afternoon through dusk
-Yellow Sally #14-18: active & hatching in August/September in fast water
-Wet Flies & Soft Hackles #12-16: assorted colors/patterns, try to imitate the main hatches, but also use flashy attractor patterns
-Junk Flies (Eggs, Mops, Squirmy Worms, Green Weenie)
-Blue Winged Olive Nymphs #16-22, good all year, common item in the drift
-Zebra Midge #18-22: black, olive, red
-Winter/Summer Caddis Larva #18 (yellow): can also imitate Midge larva
-Caddis Larva (olive to green) #14-16: lots of these in the river
-Cased Caddis #12-14: underfished pattern, abundant in the Farmington
-Attractor Nymphs #14-20: such as Sexy Waltz, Rainbow Warriors, Frenchies, Prince, Triple Threats, Pink Bead Walt’s Worm, Pink Bead Pheasant Tails, etc. Often work better than drabber, more imitative flies.
Streamers:
-Jigged Streamers #8-12: various patterns/colors, deadly fished on a tight-line/Euro rig, often sorts out bigger fish. Great to use as a clean-up fly after you nymph a run.
-Ice Picks (tan, gray, white, yellow): tied by Rich Strolis, a very nice single hook baitfish pattern
-Wooly Bugger #4-12: assorted colors, try also Don's Peach Bugger
-Zonker #4-6: a classic fish catcher! In white, natural
-BMAR Yellow Matuka #6: deadly fly! Also standard Matuka in olive, brown
-Zuddler #4-8: one of our favorites, in olive, white, brown, black
-Complex & Mini Twist Bugger #2-6: assorted colors, very effective