Monday, March 17, 2025

Monday 3/17/25 Farmington River Report: Some quality fish in the mix

Store Hours:
8am-5pm Monday through Friday, 8am-5pm on Saturday & Sunday. These will be the store hours through March.

Pictured up top is CT Fish Guides’ client Jonathan C. with a tank of a female rainbow that the FRAA stocked in April 2024. It’s been caught at least twice before this, catch & release works!


The entire upper 21 miles of river from the dam in Riverton to the Rt 20 bridge in Unionville is 
Catch & Release until the second Saturday in April 2025. With very few exceptions, all trout fishing in CT rivers is C&R in March/early April, and you cannot keep any trout until 6am on 4/12.

There will be a “Sage Day” at UpCountry on April 4th, from 10am-1pm. Our Sage rep Dave Steeves will set up a tent & table outside, and you will have an opportunity to cast various Sage rods and ask him questions. He will be giving away some swag too.

Diamondback Generation IV Euro nymphing have
arrived! I know many of you have been eagerly anticipating them, and now we have the full line-up, minus the 10' 7" #4 (not available yet). The models we have include 10' and 10' 7" lengths in #1, #2, #3, and 10' 7" in #6 & #7. The rods feel great, with crisp and extremely responsive tip sections that recover immediately with almost no bounce, and plenty of backbone in the lower half of the rods. Each model includes an instruction sheet explaining what that particular rod is best for (fish size, tippet size, hook size, leader type, suggested reel weight, applications, etc.). The 1 & 2 weight models have slightly softer tips than their predecessors, but still have plenty of backbone in the mid to lower rod for when you do hook a bigger fish. The 10’ 7” 3 weight is your all around Euro stick for the Farmington River, it will do almost everything. He added in a 10' 7" #7 rod for those requesting a heavier Great Lakes Steelhead/Salmon rod for bigger fish & heavier tippets, and the updated 6 weight version also has more backbone than it’s predecessor while maintaining a flexible tip to protect your tippet. The 1 weight comes in a longer version now, not just the 10' length. Prices are $625 for the 10 footers, and $650 for the 10' 7" models.

Friday morning 3/14/25 River Report:

I (Torrey) will be on vacation from starting 3/19, and then back in the shop on 3/28, so this report probably won’t get updated until the 28th. Joey will be the guy in charge until then. You can get the updated flows if you click the link to “Local Conditions” on our website, there we have links to the USGS flow gauges for both the West Branch Farmington River at Riverton, as well as the Still River. Add the 2 together to give the total flow below that in the Permanent TMA/C&R.

Plenty of cool new toys in the store, with the big news being the arrival of the long awaited and newest version of the Diamondback nymph rods, the “Generation IV Nymph” rods- see two paragraphs above for more details. Joey & I also put a BIG Hareline fly tying materials order up on the wall, and Wapsi will be arriving sometime this week. The Hareline order included Polar Reflector Chenille (good streamer material that’s similar to UV Polar Chenille but denser and not UV), and we now are stocking Danville 6/0 thread in a variety of colors. Ice Dub is once again restocked in a wide variety of colors (pretty much all the good ones). We received backordered Hanak hooks that filled some holes (400’s, 450’s, etc.). Hanak 230 is now available down to #18.

Looks like Mother Nature is cooperating with some rain
scattered throughout the 10 Day Forecast, we need a bunch to refill Colebrook River Lake (reservoir). We got a nice shot overnight and it’s about done as I write this, maybe 1” plus in total. Enough to push the water level in the Farmington up quite a bit, but it should drop fast. The additional flow is coming from the Still River, which dumps in about 2 miles below Goodwin/Hogback dam in Riverton. The Still River comes up fast, but also drops like a stone after the rain stops. As of 9am the Still River is adding in 598cfs and rising, and Riverton is 213cfs (medium flow) from the dam down to the Rt 20 bridge (about a 2 mile section). This puts the total flow below the Still River at 811cfs and rising (this includes the Permanent TMA/Catch & Release). Should peak out and start dropping later today. This river rebounds quickly after a rain and is fishable most of the time. Water temps in New Hartford have been anywhere from low to high 40’s, depending upon the weather and time of day. Riverton above the Still River is always much cooler this time of year, starting in the upper 30’s in the mornings and reaching 40-41 degrees on warm, sunny afternoons. Unionville USGS gauge is reading 1,040cfs and rising this morning, historical median flow is 728cfs.

Higher flows will push trout closer to the banks. Bigger or gaudier nymphs, Junk Flies, and streamers are your weapons of choice. Worm flies in pink or red, and Mops in cream or chartreuse, are all at their best in higher, off-color flows. Don’t neglect larger stonefly nymphs in #8-10, they have caught me many a big trout in March & April when the flows are up. Nymphs with hotspots help the trout find them in these conditions. If you like fishing streamers, these conditions give you at shot at the biggest trout in the river. Play with streamers colors, some days it makes a huge difference. Now is when you can bust out the biggest streamers in your box, 4-6” is not too big.

The Farmington River was stocked
recently on most of the river, excluding the Permanent TMA/Catch & Release area (that typically gets stocked in mid April). Recently stocked areas include: Goodwin/Hogback Dam in Riverton down to Whittemore, below the New Hartford Rt 219 bridge down through Canton, and Collinsville/Unionville. FYI, 20% of the trout they stock throughout the state are over one foot, with some much larger. Almost all trout fishing in the river and streams around the state is Catch & Release until April 12th, but still open to fishing.

We are seeing the bigger Early Black Stoneflies that average a #14. Look for them in the afternoons, especially on milder, sunny days. A
ny time now, we will see the early season Baetis/Blue Winged Olives that run #16-18. They often hatch best on cloudy, cooler crappy days. Baetis nymphs will end up in the Behavioral Drift in the mornings. The peak water temps & insects are in the afternoons, making late morning to late afternoon a prime time to be out. Nymphs & jigged streamers remain the main players. Think slow & deep on your presentations. Trout are holding in medium-slow to slow water with some depth to it, but you will see wild browns move into riffles to feed in the afternoons, especially on sunny afternoons with bug activity.

When flows are normal, various nymphs #14-20, olive/green Caddis Larva #14-16, black Stoneflies #12-18, BWO/Olive Nymphs #16-18, Pheasant Tails/Frenchies #14-18, Junk Flies (Mops, Eggs, Worms) and jigged streamers (white, tan, olive) have been the high percentage patterns. Try also a Micro Mop instead of a standard full size Mop. Bigger stonefly nymphs #8-10 are sometimes effective when trout are passing up the small stuff.


16-18” has been a pretty common size lately for the holdovers and wild trout, with some 20-22” browns, along with some giant FRAA rainbows that push 20-24”. The recently stocked trout will typically run 12-16”, with rainbows being the most common catch.

Extra deep discount: Diamondback Ideal Nymph rods in stock are on clearance for $330 (normally $525-550) until we run out of stock, (Generation IV Nymph rods have just replaced these). Currently we are down to the 10’ #3 and 10’ 10” #4, they are going fast.

Fishing Tip:
After you nymph a fishy section of water, before you leave make one more pass with either a “Junk Fly” (Mop, Egg, Squirmy Worm) or a jigged streamer. It will often result in one or more fish. My personal go to clean-up flies are cream mops & jigged streamers (olive, tan, white). Although most of a trout’s winter diet is small bugs, sometimes it takes a bigger piece of food to entice them to eat. Their metabolism is slow when water temps are in the 30’s and low/mid 40’s, and they don’t have to eat much, but a big meal can be too enticing to resist. Plus they will move further to eat a bigger fly. Sometimes you have to almost hit them on the nose with a small nymph to get them to eat in cold water, and those subtle eats can be very hard to detect. If you are playing with jig streamers, make sure to try different colors, some days it makes a BIG difference. Top 3 streamer colors have been olive, tan, and white. Other colors can have their moments, but usually one of those colors will get it done. Freshly stocked trout, especially rainbows, usually like black streamers. Also experiment with different presentations: dead-drift, occasional twitches, actively jigged, swung, and stripped in with different retrieves. Sometimes they will eat it on the dangle when it’s hanging straight downstream of you, wafting around enticingly in the current until the trout cannot stand it any longer.

There are definite bite windows when the fish decide to actively feed, and it can go from zero to 100 when the fish turn on, so be patient. Hours of slow fishing can suddenly get good when they go on the bite. And conversely, it can just shut off and go dead suddenly. These windows typically last 1-3 hours. As water temps rise during the afternoons and bugs get active (especially on sunny days), some trout (especially wild browns) will push up into the riffles to feed. This can also happen in mid to late mornings when it’s sunny and you get some behavioral drift of nymphs. Sunny days will raise water temps more than mild air temps will on a cloudy day. 

If you are nymphing slower/deeper water, fishing far away, fishing below you, or fishing in the wind, using a strike indicator is generally better than Euro nymphing. FYI you can fish an indy with either fly line or a mono rig. Mono rig lets you hold line off the water and also helps prevent your guides from icing up as fast, but fly line lets you fish further away and you can also roll cast it (unlike a Mono rig). Make sure to play with the depth you have the indy set at, it can make a big difference. Generally you want your flies just above bottom, but sometimes a bit higher if fish suspend in slower water. Trout like to feed at their level or a bit above, but not so much ON the bottom or below them (with occasional exceptions). 

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Dries:
-Early Black Stones #14: afternoon hatch, sunny/mild days are best.
-Blue Winged Olives/Baetis #16-18: as of 3/17 has not started up, but any day now. Afternoon hatch, often better on crappy/overcast/cooler days.
-Small/Tiny Black Winter Stoneflies (Capnia) #16-24: Near the end. Afternoons, averaging about #16-18 currently, can be smaller than that too
-Summer/Winter Caddis #18-24: hatch is typically early to mid morning, all year long. Trout focus on the pupa first, and then as the morning progresses they normally switch to the winged, egg-laying adults.
-Midges #20-28: afternoons, sunny/milder days are best


Nymphs:

-Black Stonefly #12-16: afternoons, imitates what is currently hatching and also in the nymphal drift
-Caddis Larva (olive to green) #14-16: lots of these in the river (most others too), imitates the common Hydrospyche, good March/April fly
-Pheasant Tails/Frenchies #12-20: imitates a wide range of Mayflies including Blue Winged Olives, small Stoneflies, and more
-Blue Winged (Baetis) Olive Nymphs #16-18, good all year, a common item in the drift, should start hatching any day now
-Cased Caddis #10-14: good this time of year, especially during & after flow bumps
-Winter/Summer Caddis Larva #18 (yellow)
-Egg Flies #12-20: Otter Eggs, Glo-Bugs, Sucker Spawn, etc. Shades of yellow, orange, pink, or a mix of those. Try Otter Eggs on extra picky fish.
-Junk Flies (Mops/Micro Mops, Squirmy/San Juan Worms, Eggs, Green Weenie): eggs are deadly in the fall/winter/early spring, and the others are good change-up flies when the usual imitative flies aren’t producing, during non-hatch times, cold water, on recently stocked trout, or during higher/off-color water.
-Attractor Nymphs #14-20: such as Sexy Waltz, Rainbow Warriors, Frenchies, Prince, Triple Threats, Pink Bead Walt’s Worm/Pheasant Tails/Hare’s Ear, etc. Often work better than drabber, more imitative flies, especially in the winter.
-Midges #18-22 (black, olive, red): Zebra Midge, Flash Midge, Red Iris Midge. A staple winter bug, fish mainly in slower water in the afternoons when the pupa are active & hatching. Larva can be fished in mid/late mornings.

Streamers:
Don’t neglect streamers! - top 3 colors have been olive, tan, and white. Black is good on recently stocked trout, and also during low light (first & last light) and high/dirty water.
-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
-Woolly 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