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8am-5pm Monday through Friday, 8am-5pm on Saturday & Sunday. These will be the store hours through March.
Pictured up top is a 22” plus brown Derrick’s client Micah landed recently, he also landed another one over 20” on that same outing.
As of 9/1, the entire upper 21 miles of river from the dam in Riverton to the Rt 20 bridge in Unionville is catch & release until the spring.
We recently got in some inexpensive used older Orvis rods/reels in immaculate condition, Silver Label Rods& Madison Reels, check ‘em out in the store. They are true classics.
Friday 11/8/24 morning Report:
For those who don’t yet know, the flow situation has markedlyimproved two times over the past week. Riverton was 67cfs Monday morning (due to the lowering of Otis Reservoir), now it’s 113cfs. And as of Friday a week ago, Still River flows bumped up from them lowering Highland Lake (went from 13cfs up to 71cfs). This puts the total flow at 184cfs this morning, a big improvement over the total flow of 78cfs only a week ago. I’d say this is about what I’d consider at the upper end of a medium-low level. Take advantage of this while it lasts, because once both lakes are lowered by several feet, we will likely go back to low water levels. I’d say this improved flow should last 1-3 weeks, but that’s just a guess. Yesterday when I drove up along the river at 10am, I saw anglers scattered all over the river, taking advantage of the mild, pleasant weather and better water level.
Improved flows has lead to better fishing. Flies of choice are currently a mix of egg flies, small nymphs, streamers, and some windows of dry fly fishing. Hatches include tan/brown Caddis averaging about a #18 (hatch is getting near the end), the early to mid morning hatch of Summer/Winter Caddis (that’s all year long FYI), and small Blue Winged Olives #22-26 in the afternoons- olives are the current main hatch, they typically hatch in the afternoons. You may still see a few smaller Isonychia (hatch is definitely at the tail end), they average much smaller now, about a #14, give or take. Don’t overlook wet flies & soft hackles, they do a good job imitating many bugs. They are also great for systematically covering water, including shallower sections that hold trout but are difficult to nymph effectively. Some brown trout have spawned, but many have not. There will be a mix of browns that are pre-spawn, actively spawning, and post-spawn. Spawned out fish will typically have loose bellies, especially the females. Spawning is tough/stressful for trout, and a small percentage of them actually die as a result of it. Once they finish spawning, they will focus more on eating and try to pack some weight back on. As such, to a post-spawn brown trout streamers look like a nice big meal with lots of calories. Eggs also represent a big chunk of calories and an easy meal. Unlike insects, eggs cannot swim away, and they have plenty of calories.
Generally the best fishing is late morning through late afternoon when water temps are highest and there is bug activity. If you do start early in the morning, use flies that are independent of hatching: egg flies & streamers. Streamers are at their best early and late in the day during low light conditions. Egg flies are a great choice, and if you are nymphing, other than egg patterns think small, as in #18-22. Otter Eggs work well on extra picky fish. Lighter tippets & longer leaders match up well with smaller flies.
Brown trout are spawning, so keep your eyes out for redds (the light colored oval areas in shallow pea gravel where trout deposit eggs in pool tailouts, riffles, side braids, etc.). Please don’t fish to spawning trout, let them do their thing. Don’t walk on the redds or the first 10-15 feet below them or you will crush the eggs. Fish downstream of the redds in slightly deeper water where trout are feeding on the loose eggs. As you can imagine, “matching the hatch” will often involve egg flies now. Joey tied up some lighter weighted eggs to match lower flows, and we have plenty of unweighted egg patterns too.
Brown trout are aggressive on streamers due to the spawn, and peak streamer time is early & late in the day when direct sunlight is off the water. You will often see the males chasing each other around as they stake out their territory. PLEASE LEAVE SPAWNING TROUT ALONE- it’s unsporting to target them and only adds to spawning stress, let them do their thing unmolested. What you want to do is target the often unseen fish downstream from them that are eating loose eggs in the drift, usually in the first darker/deeper water below the redd. Don't walk through the redds, or the first 15 feet or so of water below them as many of the eggs the trout deposit drift 5-15 feet downstream. If you walk on the eggs you crush them and are killing future generations of wild trout.
Egg flies, particularly in small sizes, will be a steady producer for the remainder of the Fall/Winter. A 4-6mm size single egg fished at the end of the leader will often be effective. While all egg patterns work, the Otter Egg is particularly effective on picky trout as it features a realistic translucent rubber egg at its center with a milky veil over the top.
Most hatching activity is pushed toward the late morning to late afternoon time slot (except the early to mid morning Winter/Summer Caddis hatch). Streamer fishing has picked up. They are a good choice now that the brown trout are more aggressive. Best time to streamer fish is in the morning, the earlier the better, and again at the end of the day when the sun gets off the water. Make sure to play with streamer colors, size, pattern type, and retrieves to see what is working better at any given moment.
Local guide Mark Swenson is doing a Beginner Fly Tying class on November 17th, contact him directly at 203-586-8007 to sign up. Cost is $150 person, with a maximum class size of 6 people. I would expect this class to fill up quickly.
Many FRAA trophy rainbows are still around after the April stocking (120 went in). They run anywhere from 20-27”, and are all colored up now after being in the river for about 6 months. Also the FRAA put in 18 large Golden Rainbows, and some are still in the river. 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, so they get educated quickly and never get a break from anglers.
Be prepared to go subsurface with egg flies, smaller Caddis pupa, small Mayfly patterns, Stoneflies, wet flies/soft hackles, and streamers. Also try BWO nymphs #18-22, #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), Mini Mops & 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 can be very effective sometimes.
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:
-Blue Wing Olive #22-26: cloudy afternoons, evenings too. In the eves fish small rusty spinners #22-26 to gently sipping trout in flat water.
-Caddis #16-20 (tan, brown): hatching late mornings & afternoons, come back later in the day to egg-lay, getting near the tail end of this hatch.
-Isonychia #14: light hatch, near the end, typically a mid/late afternoon in fast water. 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.
-Summer/Winter Caddis #18-24: hatching in early to mid morning, all year long. Hatching picks up in the late fall when air & water temps drop.
Nymphs & Wet Flies/Soft Hackles:
-Small Nymphs #18-22: frequently size & profile is more important than the exact pattern, especially this time of year when most of the bugs are smaller. Generic bugs like Pheasant Tails/Frenchies, Hare’s Ears, Walt’s Worms, etc. all are good choices.
-Blue Winged Olive Nymphs #18-22, good all year, and especially in the fall, common item in the drift
-Caddis Pupa #16-18 (tan, brown)
-Egg Flies #12-18: Otter Eggs, Eggstasy, Glo-Bugs, Slush Eggs, Sucker Spawn, etc. Fall is prime time for eggs! Shades of yellow, orange, pink, or a mix of those.
-Pheasant Tails/Frenchies #12-20: imitates a wide range of Mayflies including Isonychia, Blue Winged Olives, Sulfurs, small Stoneflies, and more
-Stonefly #8-12: Worth fishing all year long, big stones are on a 2-3 year life cycle. Often produce bigger trout.
-Wet Flies & Soft Hackles #12-16: assorted colors/patterns, try to imitate the main hatches, but also use flashy attractor patterns
-Junk Flies (Mops, Squirmy Worms, Eggs, Green Weenie): eggs are deadly in the fall, and the others are good change-up flies when the usual imitative flies aren’t producing, or during non-hatch times
-Zebra Midge #18-22: black, olive, red
-Winter/Summer Caddis Larva #18 (yellow): can also imitate Midge larva & Black Caddis larva
-Caddis Larva (olive to green) #14-16: lots of these in the river, imitates the common Hydrospyche
-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:
Fall is PRIME TIME for streamers! - Especially colors like olive, white, yellow, brown, tan, and also yellow paired with other colors (brown/yellow, olive/yellow, etc.).
-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 fall fly! Also standard Matuka in olive, brown
-Zuddler #4-8: one of our favorites, in olive, white, brown, black, yellow
-Complex & Mini Twist Bugger #2-6: assorted colors, very effective