Friday, May 2, 2025

Friday 5/2/25 Farmington River Report: Hendrickson hatch moving upstream, assorted Caddis too

Store Hours:

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

Pictured up top is the beautiful result of Trevor’s lesson with Zach St. Amand Thursday, what an awesome looking big brown. Some high quality trout have been showing up lately.

We have tons of books at the moment- we received a bunch of used books as well as a big order of new books that arrived recently. Also, more used rods & reels came in, we have a BIG inventory of used stuff.

We are once again carrying the very popular Frabill Landing Nets. They are very reasonably priced, lightweight, and capable of netting large trout.

Diamondback Generation IV Euro nymphing rods are now available.
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, probably in early/mid fall). The models we have include 10' and 10' 7" lengths in #1, #2, #3, and 10' 7" in #6 & #7. These rods are very nice and have been selling well.

After walking through the woods, check yourself for ticks- they are extremely active now.

Friday morning 5/2/25 River Report:
The total flow on the river below the Still River and in the Permanent TMA/Catch & Release (C&R) is 279cfs & dropping, the historical median flow for today is 435cfs- I would classify today’s flow as a medium water level. Riverton is 154cfs between the dam and the Rt. 20 bridge/Riverton Self Storage (historical median flow for today is 263cfs). The Still River is adding in 125cfs a little below that, historical median flow is 172cfs. Riverton water temp is 45.5 degrees this morning, it reached 51 degrees yesterday afternoon. Downstream water temps are higher, averaging mid 50’s to low 60’s of late. Peak water temps are normally mid to late afternoon, with warm sunny days seeing the biggest temp increases. Unionville USGS gauge is reading 527cfs & rising due to T-storms overnight, historical median flow for today is 652cfs.

The Hendrickson hatch continues, albeit it’s moving upriver. You have a fishable hatch from about New Hartford up to at least Whittemore/Lyman Rock. I suspect it’s probably starting up in Riverton now, but that’s an educated guess. It’s moving upriver on a daily basis. The coldest water is the 2 miles right below the dam, and hatches start there last. Saw a lot of spinners in New Hartford yesterday, some around 10am, and then a lot more right at dusk. Look for spinners over riffly areas, that’s where they mate, lay their eggs, and drop to the water. Even after the hatch winds down in a particular section, spinners continue to fall for a good 5-7 days afterward. If you want to fish dry flies, make sure to carry some spinner patterns or you may miss out on catching some large rising brown trout- big fish love them.

I was out all day Thursday, and I saw a LOT of assorted Caddis in the morning, along with clouds of tiny Midges. It was a mix of sizes & colors on the Caddis, from about #14-20. It didn’t bring trout to the surface, but they were munching on nymphs that looked Caddis-y, things like pupa, Walt’s Worms, Sexy Waltz, etc. Before the bugs got active, they weren’t eating nymphs well, but Junk Flies (Eggs & Mops) did the trick. By 9 or 10am they were eating bugs subsurface. Also picked up fish later on #14 Pheasant Tails (makes a good Hendrickson nymph). Ending up being a ridiculous day in terms of numbers landed, with every spot producing fish, and some spots producing a lot. Landed 3 large rainbows (3 to 4+ pounds), and a big Survivor Strain 2 Year Old Brown. Many anglers are getting their fish on dries lately, mostly in the afternoons & evenings: Hendrickson emergers, duns, and spinners. If you have a good eye, you can pick out the big trout rise forms and focus on them.

Hendrickson 101:
Hendricksons are a #12-14 mayfly that hatches in the afternoons, and can bring some large trout to the surface. They have gray upright wings, 3 tails, the females have a tannish body with tinges of olive/brown/pink/gray, and the males are more of a rusty brown color. The hatch works it’s way upstream, and when it’s over in the Permanent TMA/C&R, it will be going in Riverton between the dam and the Still River. Hendricksons are typically a mid/late afternoon hatch, with somewhere between 1-2pm and 4-5pm being the normal time frame. The hatch can run anywhere from about 45 minutes to 2+ hours. Make sure to have both dun & emerger patterns for the afternoon hatch- often better fish will key on emergers because they are more vulnerable & easier to catch. Spinner falls (egg-laying) are an evening affair according to the books, but on the Farmington River I’ve seen them anywhere from mid to late mornings, concurrent with the afternoon hatch, and also in the traditional evening/dusk time frame. Spinners falls require dry weather, mild temps, and minimal wind. Cold or windy eves often lead to mid/late morning spinner falls the following morning, well before the “hatch” anglers are even on the river. Many of my biggest Hendrickson dry fly fish have come during spinner falls- they are a helpless meal that cannot get away, and often overlap with the preferred low light period that big trout feed in. Spinners are all rusty brown, and the females have a bright yellow egg sack at the end of the abdomen. Look for them in the air over riffles, flying up & down as they slowly work their way down to the water. Nymphs resembling the Hendricksons can be effective, especially in the 2-3 hours preceding the hatch. Hatches don’t always mean rising fish, so be prepared with nymphs. Think patterns in a medium to dark brown, #12-14- the nymphs darken as they get near hatching time. You can use a specific imitation, or something more generic like a Pheasant Tail or Frenchy. They are bulkier than some other nymphs, so if you tie them don’t make the abdomens too skinny, and make a robust thorax. FYI Hendricksons are close cousins to Sulfurs, varying mostly in size & color. Wet flies & soft-hackles can have their moments during this hatch, and are also a great way to cover water quickly and efficiently.

Hendrickson Dry Fly Tips:
-Have assorted patterns in #12-14, trout can be unusually particular during this hatch, and I don’t know why that is.
-Use a longer leader (12’ or longer) with a long tippet section (at least 3-4’, and up to 6 to 8 feet). This helps a LOT to get a drag-free presentation, which is absolutely critical to catching fish.
-Where possible, present down & across to the trout using a Reach Cast. This shows the trout your bug fly first and is the best angle for big, hard to catch fish.
-Emergers and patterns with shucks will often outproduce standard dun patterns during the afternoon hatch. Emergers & cripples cannot escape and are an easy meal, especially for bigger, more experienced fish.
-Make sure to have some spinner patterns, big fish love them (easy meal that is spent on the water and cannot escape). Spinner falls require air temps about 60 degrees & up, minimal wind, and no rain. If it’s cold or windy in the evening, they often fall in mid to late morning the next day. Spinners mate in the air over riffles and fall there. Both sexes are rusty brown, but the females have a bright yellow egg sack, so make sure to have some that imitate the egg sack.

Don’t be afraid to explore and fish new water to get away from the crowds, there are literally fish EVERYWHERE. The further you go downstream, in general the less anglers you will see- especially if you walk 5-10 minutes away from the easy access points. Most anglers also focus on the famous named pools, and skip the water in between. The water outside of the Permanent Catch & Release/TMA gets less pressure for the most part. FYI, many anglers don’t start until noon or 1pm, and then they leave at 4-5pm when the afternoon hatch is done.

Various nymphs averaging #14-20 have been working well on recent stockers, holdovers & wilds. Try #12-18 Pheasant Tails/Frenchies, #12-14 Hendrickson nymphs, #16-20 BWO nymphs, #14-18, olive Caddis larva, Walt’s Worms/Sexy Waltz, Mops, and flies with pink beads (Walt’s/PT’s/Hare’s Ears). Junk Flies (Eggs, Mops, Worms, Weenies) can be particularly effective on the recently stocked fish before they figure out what real food looks like, sometimes vastly outproducing traditional nymphs. And some days the wild browns like to eat the Junk too. They are very much a hot or cold fly, not much in between. If one of your nymphs is a Junk Fly, pair it up with something smaller, drabber & more natural (Pheasant Tail, Walt’s Worm, Hare’s Ear, etc.). Streamers are also a good choice, a great way to cover a lot of water in a hurry, and also be able to fish the water that you cannot nymph. Make sure to cover lots of water, play with streamer color/patterns, and vary your retrieves. Try tan, olive, white, and black.

Fishing reports have varied widely, depending on the angler, river section fished, time of day, and methods/flies used. Overall we are getting a LOT of good reports from smiling anglers. Dry fly fishermen have come into their time now, Hendricksons are bringing trout to the surface. Nymphs & streamers have been producing most of the fish you see in this report, but now is a good time to catch a big trout on a dry fly. Expect to work for the high quality bigger holdover & wild fish. If you get into a pod of recently stocked fish, you can do some big numbers with subsurface flies. It pays to move around and cover water currently. It one section is not producing, don’t beat it to death, move to a new area. The big wild browns are the hardest to fool, you need to do everything correctly. They’ve seen it all, and they spook easily. They are also very tuned into real bugs & minnows.

The Permanent TMA/C&R was stocked recently with a lot of brown trout of various sizes. Most sections outside that have been stocked three times now, with more to come in the very near future. FYI, 20% of the trout they stock throughout the state are over one foot, with some much larger. The Permanent TMA/C&R gets 1,000 fat Two Year Old Browns that average 14-18”, and some are bigger than that.

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Dries:
-Hendrickson #12-14: mid/late afternoon hatch, as far upstream as Whittemore & Lyman Rock, and working their way further upstream daily. Bottom hatch end is about New Hartford and moving up a bit each day, but you will see spinner falls well downstream of that (Canton/Collinsville).
-Rusty Spinner #12-14: imitates Hendrickson spinners

-Assorted Caddis #14-20: very active in mid to late mornings, most productive tactic is nymphing with pupa type patterns
-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/eves, sunny/milder days are best


Nymphs:

-Hendrickson #12-14: medium to dark brown mayfly, can use specific imitations like a BMAR pattern or generic stuff like a Pheasant Tail. Fairly blocky abdomen, not a skinny nymph
-BMAR Hendrickson Nymph #14
-Assorted Caddis Pupa #14-20: various colors
-Blue Winged (Baetis) Olive Nymphs #16-20: all year long
-Caddis Larva (olive to green) #14-16: lots of these in the river (most others too), imitates the common Hydrospyche, good all year but especially in early spring
-Pheasant Tails/Frenchies #12-20: imitates a wide range of Mayflies including Blue Winged Olives, Hendricksons, small Stoneflies, and more
-Cased Caddis #10-16: good this time of year, especially during & after flow bumps
-Winter/Summer Caddis Larva #18 (yellow)- also imitates Black Caddis larva & some Midge larva
-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.
-Midges #18-22 (black, olive, red): Zebra Midge, Flash Midge, Red Iris Midge.

Streamers:
*We have a lot of new streamer patterns from MT Fly Co in the bins.

***Don’t neglect streamers! - top colors have been olive, tan, white, and black. Black is good on recently stocked trout (of which there are lots right now), 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