Out store hours have moved to closing at 6pm on weekdays, but staying at 5pm on weekends. We are also closed on Wednesdays, at least for a while (not a permanent change).
Store
hours currently are 8am-6pm Monday & Tuesday, closed on
Wednesdays, 8am-6pm Thursday & Friday, and 8am-5pm on
Saturday & Sunday.
Pictured up top is local guide
Mark Swenson getting it done on a trophy FRAA rainbow with a #20 nymph
and 6x tippet! Remember, elephants will eat peanuts.
We have a lot of used reels at the moment.
As such, we have a 20% off sale on the used reels in that specific
case. Get ‘em while they last! This is an in-store promotion
only, no mail order on these.
We received a small batch
of the new Diamondback Gen IV Nymph Rods with carbon grips- the
first batch prior to this was all with traditional cork grips. Carbon
grips are very sensitive, more than cork, as well as quite durable
(they won’t chip like cork can). There is a $25 upcharge for the
carbon handle. We got them in the popular 10’ 7” #2 & #3
rods, and the 10’ #2. We can order the carbon grip in any size rod
you want though. We have very limited quantities on this first batch,
so don’t wait if you want one.
The store is stocked
with tons of books at the moment, both used &
new books. Also, more used rods &
reels came in, we have a LARGE inventory of used stuff.
We are once again carrying the very popular Frabill
Landing Nets. They are very reasonably priced ($35-45),
lightweight, and capable of netting large trout. Rubber coated mesh
nets with flat bottoms make it easy to handle the trout once you net
them. Hard to beat for the money. This first batch sold out, but we
have another big batch of them on the way any day now.
Diamondback
Generation IV Euro nymphing rods are available. I know
many of you have been eagerly anticipating them, and 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 with crisp, responsive tips that recover fast with minimal
wobble. The 10’ 7” #1 is a very interesting option for Micro
Leaders, lighter tippet, and lighter flies.
After walking
through the woods, check yourself for ticks-
they are extremely active. I’m picking 1 or more off the dog on a
near daily basis, and also finding them on me regularly when I walk
in the woods or through tall grass.
Monday late morning 6/23/25 Flow Update:
Just received an email from the MDC:
CT DEEP is augmenting the dam release and bumping it from 190cfs up to 300cfs to keep the river cooler during this heat wave. Excellent decision on their part, as we have a full reservoir and this will both keep the river cooler, and also keep it it at trout-friendly temps further downstream. This will put the total flow below the Still River and in the Permanent TMA/C&R at about 385cfs, still a very good fishing level. It's smart to take water temps in the summertime, especially if you are pushing the limit on how far downstream you are fishing. They are also letting water out of Lake McDonough (the East Branch), going from 0 to 160cfs, and will likely cut the East Branch back on Wednesday 6/25 in the pm. The East Branch comes in a little below UpCountry, and a little ways upstream of Satan's Kingdom. I emailed DEEP last Friday and suggested a flow bump during the heat wave, I'm glad to see they are on the same page as us.
Monday morning
6/23/25 Report:
If
you want to get outside and are looking to escape this nasty heat
wave that is here through Wednesday, wade waist deep or even wet wade
in the Farmington River. The water is coming out of the dam in
Riverton at about 52 degrees as I write this at 8:30am (it peaked at
57 in the afternoon). Water temps slowly rise as you go downstream
and as the day progresses (peaking about 4pm), and the Still River is
a warming influence in the summer. In the mornings you can venture
fairly fair downstream, as in New Hartford & Canton, but I’d
think about moving a bit upriver by lunchtime, probably around Church
Pool/Greenwoods & above. That will keep you in optimal water
temps all day long. Boneyard was 68 degrees at 6pm Sunday evening.
Look for water 68 degrees or less, and definitely don’t fish in
water that is 70 degrees or higher. Optimal water temps for trout are
about 50-65 degrees.
Water levels are currently excellent
at a total flow of 275cfs downstream of the Still River and in the
Permanent TMA/Catch & Release (C&R). Riverton is 195cfs from
the dam down to to the Rt 20 bridge (Hitchcock/Riverton Self
Storage), and the Still River is adding in 80cfs & dropping below
that. The absolute coldest water is from the bridge to the dam (about
2 miles), it currently is staying in the 50’s even on the hottest
sunny days.
During hot weather like this, it tends to
push the bugs & hatching to first light to mid mornings, and to
the end of the day near the edge of darkness and beyond. The
exception can be Riverton, with water temps staying in the 50’s all
day long, hatches & rising trout are a possibility at any time of
day, and evening hatches often happen much earlier in the day up
there.
Hatches are shifting gears. Sulfurs are now from
about mid Permanent TMA/C&R up to the dam. I did see some smaller
Caddis #18-20 (tan/brown, black), a few #18 Attenuata (a bright
yellow olive Blue Winged Olive that some people mistake for a small
Sulfur) down in New Hartford last time I was out. Saw a few bigger
Caddis too. And some Olives in about a #18, maybe Cornutella? But
overall bugs have been light. Do not neglect Terrestrials such as
Ants & Beetles, they are often the ticket from now through early
fall. Especially when you have sporadic risers but there doesn’t
appear to be any real hatch. Nymphing is a mainstay right now,
especially in the last morning to early evening time slot when
hatches are scarce. The fast water at pool heads and in between pools
is loaded with trout. It’s also more oxygenated, and many bugs live
& hatch in faster water. Mousing after dark for big trout is
popular in the summer, and an especially good choice when it’s
really hot during the days. A lot of the biggest trout become mainly
nocturnal in the summer.
The bigger #16 Invaria Sulfurs
and #18 Dorothea are more upstream now, from about Mathie’s Grove
or Campground. There are some Isonychia, some even into the lower to
middle Permanent TMA/C&R, but they have been very light in
numbers. Caddis have been the most numerous bug, with the hot weather
look for them in mornings and again at dusk (and probably closer to
dark), especially in riffled water. Best bugs seem to be Caddis in
the mornings in faster water, and right at dusk and even beyond into
the dark. Be prepared to fish subsurface if you don’t have a hatch
or rising trout. Caddis pupa (tan, olive/green) and Walt’s Worms
are working well in #14-18, and Pheasant Tails too (#12 for
Isonychia, and #16-20 for Sulfurs & Blue Winged Olives/BWO’s).
There are still some Vitreus and even March Browns up closer to the
dam, but both hatches have moved up and are near the end. Light
Cahills #12-14 are a possibility anywhere on the river at dusk. You
may see #18-24 Blue Winged Olives, especially on cloudy days.
Now
that we are coming into warmer/hotter weather, don’t neglect
terrestrials such as Ants & Beetles, both can be VERY effective,
especially when there isn’t a good hatch but you have sporadic
risers. Air temps in the upper 60’s and above get terrestrial
insects active, so they will be in play from now through October. You
can also blind fish them over likely water. The books say Sulfurs are
a late afternoon to evening hatch, and they often are, but with the
icy cold water coming out of the dam they can also come off in the
mid/late morning and early/mid afternoon. Tailwaters like the
Farmington and Delaware system often have hatches at times of day and
times of the year that deviate quite a bit from standard hatch
charts.
July is normally the peak month for big Iso’s
in the Permanent TMA/C&R, but there are a few around in the TMA
even now. The nymphs can swim like a tiny minnow, so play around with
dead drifting, swinging, twitching, and even 6-12” strips like a
mini streamer. The trout will tell you what they want. You can use a
#12 BMAR Iso nymph, Prince Nymph, or a big Pheasant Tail to imitate
this bug. You can also blind fish big Iso dry flies in #10-12. They
typically hatch between late afternoon & dark, but I’ve also
seen them here at other times of the day.
Hatch intensity
has varied from day to day, with light typical most of 2025, but
there has been some good hatching when you are in the right place at
the right time and the weather cooperates. FYI, in general, most of
the hatches get heavier as you go further downriver as the river
picks up increased fertility from the tributaries. It has also varied
a lot depending upon location, with some pools seeing better bug
activity than others, and it’s not 100% predictable either. Caddis
pupa patterns #14-18 nymphed in the fast water work very well when
Caddis are active, and there can be some good dry fly action during
milder eves when they come back to egg-lay in low light.
Streamers
can be a good option when you don’t have bugs hatching (early AM,
cold days, in between hatches, etc.), if you want to cover a lot of
water quickly, or when you have high and/or dirty water. Make sure to
get them down, experiment with different retrieves, change colors,
and play with different fly sizes & designs (length,
bulk/sparseness, shape, etc.). I usually start with a fast strip his
time of year with water temps mostly in the 50’s to 60’s. But if
that doesn’t work, slow it down, change your presentation angle,
swing them, twitch them, fish them on the dangle- experiment based
upon the trout’s reaction (or lack thereof lol). Go smaller if you
cannot get eats on bigger patterns. Also try trailing a nymph or wet
fly/soft hackle about 18” behind a weighted streamer, very
effective for converting follows to eats, and a great way to “nymph”
if you aren’t proficient at nymphing.
Caddis remain a
major hatch and will be present daily straight through mid fall. They
are most active in the faster water: pool heads, riffles, runs,
rapids & pocket water. Trout will gorge on the pupa surface, hint
hint. Vitreus hatch and are active between late afternoon and dark,
and they hatch best when it’s cooler and cloudy- look for this
hatch in the upper river mainly now. They also require high quality
water, which we are fortunate to have on the Farmington River.
Various other nymphs from #10-20 are catching fish. Caddis pupa are
working great subsurface in #14-18 (olive/green, tan). You can use
specific pupa patterns, Walt’s Worms, and Sexy Waltz (has flashy
rib & hotspot). For Caddis dries think tan #14-18, olive-green
#16-18, and black #20. Seeing clouds of tiny cream Midges at moments.
On crappy, cooler overcast afternoons, we’ve been seeing #20-24
Blue Winged Olives (BWO’s/Olives).
The fast water is
currently full of trout, they are literally everywhere. FYI after the
CT fisheries sampled the trout population last September, they
estimated the trout per mile in the Permanent TMA/C&R at 2,800+
fish- that’s a lot! Tight-line nymphing with one or two weighted
nymphs is your best option to probe faster riffles, runs, rapids &
pocket water, but Indicator nymphing is effective also. Make sure one
of your flies is a pupa-type pattern. Junk Flies such as Mops (also
Eggs & Worms) are still very effective at moments, especially on
the stocked fish that aren’t totally dialed in on real bugs yet.
Also hard to go wrong with a #14-20 Pheasant Tail or Frenchy (just a
hot-spot PT). FYI, small PT’s work 12 months a year and are a great
dropper fly when you are not sure what to put on. From May through
October, if I’m nymphing, at some point there will definitely be a
Caddis pupa pattern #14-18 on my rig at some point.
In
case you missed it up top, we have gone to a 6pm closing time on
weekdays. Also, we are now CLOSED on Wednesdays at
least for a while, so please plan accordingly.
Caddis
& General Fishing Tips:
We are seeing
multiple different Caddis hatching. FYI, all Caddis look tan while
flying in the air, you have to get one in hand and flip them over to
determine the true body color. And they are not easy to catch by
hand, as they will actively try to avoid your hand, unlike a mayfly.
You can look for them in spiderwebs. Pupa color should match the
adult BODY color. Tan and olive/green are the two most common body
colors, and small black Caddis are very common now and hatch all year
long on the Farmington River. Tan Caddis can be as big as #14, but
also commonly are #16-18. At the moment the subsurface nymphing with
Caddis pupa and other nymphs is the most consistent & predictable
method. Caddis are a great bug to imitate with wet flies/soft-hackles
too, and that’s a fun method. You will find the best Caddis action
where the water is broken and has some current. If you have fish
breaking on the surface during a Caddis emergence, a Dry-Dropper rig
works well. Run a pupa or soft hackle wet 12-18” under a buoyant
Caddis dry. 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. They are at their best early & late in the day, on
cloudy days, and during higher flows. Make sure to cover lots of
water, play with streamer color/patterns, and vary your retrieves.
Try tan, olive, white, yellow, black, or combinations thereof.
Kudos
to CT DEEP for their wise management of the water in Colebrook
Reservoir since they took that over around June of 2024. They
were dealt a crappy hand in terms of weather (and by that I mean an
incredibly dry 9-10 months in a row), but they did the right thing
and ran the dam release low so they could fill the reservoir back up,
instead of running the flow according to historical norms that are no
longer relevant due to changing weather/climate. After the April &
May rains we are finally full. This means we don’t have to worry
about running out of water in July & August.
The
first Sulfur we see is the Invaria, they average a #16
and have a yellow body. They hatch in a variety of water types,
mostly in the medium-slow to medium-fast range. While I think of them
as an evening hatch, on the cold tailwater Farmington River it’s
common to see them in the mornings & afternoons too. You can
imitate the nymph with a Pheasant Tail, or tie up a specific nymph
with a yellow/brown body. Sulfur spinners fall at dusk. The second
Sulfur is the #18 Dorothea, they are now mixing in with the
slightly bigger Invaria. Very similar to the Invaria, the main
difference is size. And they often hatch later, as in at dusk.
Don’t be afraid to explore and fish new water to get
away from the crowds, there are literally fish EVERYWHERE, including
all the water in between the pools. You are also more apt to get into
wild fish when you fish water that isn’t as busy. Wild fish don’t
like being constantly disturbed by anglers. 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
focus on the famous named pools that have easy access, and skip the
water in between. The water outside of the Permanent Catch &
Release/TMA gets less pressure for the most part.
Fishing
reports have varied widely, depending on the angler, river section
fished, time of day, and methods/flies used. Overall we are getting a
quite a few good reports from smiling anglers. Dry fly fishermen have
come into their time now, June & July are peak dry fly months
here normally. Expect to work for the high quality bigger holdover &
wild fish. 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 in mid April with a lot of brown
trout of various sizes- that section gets stocked once per season.
Most sections outside that have been stocked 3-4 times now, with more
to come for July 4th and Labor Day. 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.
****************************************************************
Dries:
-Sulfur
#16 (Invaria) & #18 (Dorothea): more upriver now
(Mathie’s/Campground & above), anytime from mid/late morning
through evening, varies from day to day and in different river
sections.
-Assorted Caddis #14-20 (tan, green/olive, black):
major hatch on all of the river, very active mid mornings to mid
afternoons, nymphing with pupa is currently the most productive
tactic for them. They typically egg-lay later in the day in low
light, in the faster water.
-Attenuata #18-20: starting up,
midriver (New Hartford/lower Permanent TMA/
C&R) &
down
-Vitreus #12-14: late afternoon & eves, fast water,
hatch is Riverton only now
-March Brown #10-12: light hatch,
sporadic fast water bug, afternoons/eves. Spinners fall over fast
water at dusk. Riverton only now.
-Light Cahill/Summer Stenos
#12-14: eves, entire river
-Isonychia #10-12: light hatch so
far, a few even up well into the Permanent TMA/C&R
-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
-Ants & Beetles
#14-20: deadly in the summertime!
-Mouse patterns: fish after
dark for BIG trout, use a short/heavy leader
Nymphs:
-Assorted
Caddis Pupa #14-20 in various colors (olive/green, tan). Use specific
pupa, Walt’s Worms, and Sexy Waltz.
-Pheasant Tails/Frenchies
#12-20: imitates a wide range of Mayflies including Sulfurs,
Isonychia, Vitreus, Blue Winged Olives, small Stoneflies, and more.
-Blue Winged (Baetis) Olive Nymphs #16-20: all year
long
-Caddis Larva (olive to green) #14-16: lots of these in the
river (most other rivers too), imitates the common Hydrospyche, good
all year
-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.
-Isonychia Nymph #10-12: late
afternoon through eves on the lower river, fish in fast water. Use
BMAR Iso nymph, also bigger Princes & Pheasant Tails
-Cased
Caddis #10-16: all year, but especially after rain or flow bumps
(higher water knocks them into the drift)
-Winter/Summer Caddis
Larva #18 (yellow)- also imitates Black Caddis larva & some Midge
larva
-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,
including plenty of bigger articulated patterns.
***Don’t
neglect streamers! - top colors have been olive, tan, white, and
black. Black is good on recently stocked trout (especially rainbows),
during low light (first & last light), and high and/or 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