Our 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 the moment (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 once again Jim DeCesare getting it done with another quality Farmington River brown trout.
We received a big order from Fulling Mill, with all sorts of products including flies, tungsten beads, hooks, tying materials, fly boxes and more.
Nymphing Tip:
Small nymphs are often the ticket in the summer, and by small I mean #18 and smaller. Exceptions would be Isonychia #10-12, and Stoneflies #8-10. Most nymphs are small to very small this time of year. And they are by far more numerous than bigger ones. Some days this makes a huge difference. I know a guy from PA that catches an average of 6,000-8,000 trout every year. Yes, he is retired and fishes a LOT (about 300 days a year), but usually only part of each day. And yes, he’s a highly skilled nympher with excellent water reading skills, and he lives near the best streams in central PA (2,000 - 4,000+ fish per mile for some of his streams). If he has a secret, it’s that he mostly fishes nymphs averaging #18-24 on a Euro rig (he also does dry flies & dry/dropper). He typically uses a 4x micro leader and 6x tippet with 2 flies. He reasons that immature nymphs are small and grossly outnumber bigger adult nymphs, and it’s hard to argue with his results.
Frabill landing nets are back in stock! Took forever for our order to arrive, but we are once again fully stocked up. Very functional lightweight nets with rubber coated mesh, and can handle very big fish. Flat net bottoms make it easy to deal with the fish and unhook them without the fish being all bent up. These nets are very popular with the competition guys. A great value at $40 to $55, depending upon the size.
We received a small batch of the new Diamondback Gen IV Nymph Rods with carbon grips- the previous batches were 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.
The store is stocked with tons of books at the moment, both used & new books. Also, lots of used rods & reels currently.
Diamondback Generation IV Euro nymphing rods are available. 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 in 2025. 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.
Friday morning 8/15/25 River Report:
The weekend is at hand and things still look pretty good. Despite mid to high 80’s weather here through Sunday (much cooler starting Monday), the water level is great and it is still coming out of the dam in the upper 50’s, and then gradually rising as you go downstream. Riverton is 59 degrees this morning, and it peaked at about 62.5 in the late afternoon yesterday. Right behind UpCountry it’s 61.5 degrees this morning. It’s been peaking out in the upper 60’s in New Hartford (about 69 degrees yesterday). Looks for water temps of 68 or less, and preferably 65 degrees or below for the best fishing. Do not fish in 70 degree water, it stresses the trout out and can kill them. As long as you don’t go too far downstream, water temps should be fine. Cool nights will let you fish further downstream, but then you will want to migrate upstream a bit as the day progresses to stay in optimal water temps. Cloudy days will see far less warming. Use a thermometer!!! Please do not fish the lower river currently, water temps in Collinsville/Unionville are going well into the 70’s on hot, sunny days.
Total flow in the Permanent TMA/Catch & Release (C&R) is 278cfs, a medium and very angler friendly level. It’s 262cfs in Riverton between the dam and the Rt 20 bridge, and below that the Still River is adding in only 16cfs. The Still River runs warm in the summer (70-80 degrees), so a low flow is a good thing to minimize the warming effect of it.
Trico
spinner falls remain
strong in the morning, a
bright spot among the mostly mediocre hatches of 2025 (with
some exceptions). Upper
end of a good Trico hatch is probably up
to approximately Pipeline/Lyman’s Rock, give
or take. Remember that
it’s mostly about the spinner fall, and that is triggered by air
temps in the upper 60’s (about
68). Trout seem to be
preferring tiny Trico dries in the #24-26 range, 22’s
are either not getting a look or getting refusals.
Cool nights will push the
spinners later in the morning, and warm night will push
them
from mid morning to very early morning. Nymphing the faster water
with small nymphs & Junk Flies is also working. Also big
Stoneflies, mainly in the mornings when they
are most active. Seeing
big Stonefly
shucks all over the rocks in
fast water lately, which
is a great sign. FYI
also seeing Yellow Sally Stonefly shucks on rocks recently, they
typically run #14-20. Sallies are mostly a nymphing deal, and they
are a common bug here in August & September.
If
trout are not rising, be prepared to go subsurface and fish the
faster water. If you hate nymphing, try Dry/Dropper or fish 2-3 wet
flies/soft hackles. All effective summertime strategies. You can also
blind fish dry flies (attractors like Stimulators/smaller Chubby
Chernobyls, bigger dries like Isonychia, or terrestrials like ants &
beetles) in broken water. You can also do Dry/Dropper and attach a
small weighted nymph 18-24” below your dry to really increase your
odds of success.
Hatches continue to overall be light
this year (Tricos seem to be an exception, they have been good lately
in the mornings), with the river above the Permanent TMA/Catch &
Release seeing more consistent bug activity on average, especially in
the typically slower late morning through late afternoon time slot.
Hotter days will tend to push the bugs to either early or late, and
cooler/cloudy days will see the morning fishing go later, and the
evening fishing start earlier. Hatches have been very hard to predict
this year. Right at dusk to dark has been a fairly consistent peak
hatch time, and during the daytime the upper river (Campground &
up) has been the place to be. If you leave before full darkness, you
may miss out on a brief but very good window of dry fly fishing. Some
nights it’s only 15-30 minutes and happens just as it’s getting
dark. Other specific predictions have been harder to make in terms of
what bugs will hatch where & when- you just need to be observant
and match what you see.
Check different river sections
out when the fishing & hatches are slow. Fish in the shade
whenever possible, trout will often move into those areas. When bug
activity is light to non-existent (not uncommon, especially midday),
the high percentage techniques are nymphing, dry-dropper, wet
flies/soft hackles, or blind fishing attractor/bigger dries &
terrestrials. Beetles & Ants are great for the non-hatch times in
the summer, very effective. Look for shady areas. Don’t waste your
time trying to force feed hatch-matching mayflies when they are not
on the water and/or the trout are not rising. Isonychia are
definitely an exception, you can blind fish #10-12 Iso patterns in
riffly water and do well. Sulfurs are still hatching if you go up to
Riverton above the Still
River- they are 18’s now
and have to be near the
end. Don’t confuse them
with the bright greenish-yellow #20 Attenuata, because the trout can
tell the difference. This is normally an evening hatch. Blue Winged
Olives (Olives/BWO’s) can run as big as #18, but I’d expect to
see more smaller ones in the #22-26 range. Match the size closely.
Overcast days are best for BWO hatches.
Glad to see we’ve
stayed out of a drought so far in 2025, and there is plenty of water
in the reservoirs currently CT DEEP has a flow plan for the
Farmington River, and the target release from Colebrook River Lake
Dam is 250cfs for August (assuming normal precipitation/resrvoir
levels)- this is a target flow number, and not an absolute. During
dry periods this would be reduced, especially if the lake level is
too low. If we get lots of rain it’s increased if the lake level is
too high. They also sometimes temporarily bump it up extra during
heat waves to cool the river down. So far they have been on the
conservative with the releases, with the fear being if they draw the
reservoir down too much and then we end up in a drought, that we
could be in bad shape in late summer/early fall and not be able to
let out enough water. DEEP has done a great job managing the flows
since they took over in June 2024, and it should only get better as
they gain experience.
Nymphing is a mainstay right now,
especially in the late morning to early evening time slot when
hatches are scarce. A
great summer tactic is to target the first light (about 5:30am) to
the mid/late morning time period in
fast water with
large #8-10 Stonefly nymphs. The naturals crawl out to emerge at that
time of day, and some of them get knocked into the drift. Pair them
up with a smaller nymph, something like a Caddis pupa, Walt’s
Worm, or small
Pheasant Tail/Frenchy.
The fast water at pool heads and in between pools is loaded with
trout. It’s also more oxygenated and holds more bugs. Mousing after
dark for big trout is popular in the summer, and an especially good
choice when it’s really hot during the day. A lot of the biggest
trout become mainly nocturnal in the summer.
There are
some Isonychia hatching in the fast water, they have been light in
numbers overall. Having said that, it doesn’t take many Iso’s to
get the fish on them. Caddis have been a common bug, with the best
action in the mornings in faster water, and right at dusk and even
beyond into the dark. Most
(but not all) Caddis are on the smaller side lately, like #18-22. 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 #14-20, and Pheasant Tails too (#12 for Isonychia, and #18-22
for Sulfurs & Blue Winged Olives/BWO’s). Light Cahills/Summer
Stenos #12-14 are a possibility anywhere on the river at dusk. You
may see #18-26 Blue Winged Olives, especially on cloudy days.
With
summer here, 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 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.
Summer is a peak time for big Iso’s in
the Permanent TMA/C&R. 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.
Streamers
can be a good option during low light (early/late in the day), 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. 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.
Assorted Caddis
will be present daily straight through mid fall, and anglers often
overlook them because they are so obsessed with Mayflies. Caddis are
most active in the faster water: pool heads, riffles, runs, rapids &
pocket water. Trout will gorge on the pupa surface, hint hint.
Various nymphs from #8-20 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. 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. 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.
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. FYI in the summer, due to water
temps you don’t want to go too far downstream or you will end up in
water that is hitting or exceeding 70 degrees- USE YOUR
THERMOMETER!!!
****************************************************************
Dries:
-Tricos
#22-26: a good hatch/spinner fall at least as far upstream now as
Campground, and moving up. Morning deal, it’s all about the spinner
fall- they ball up in the air over riffles and fall to the water when
air temps hit the upper 60’s.
-Needhami #22-26: Duns hatch &
spinners fall in the morning, typically early to mid morns. Near the
end, upriver now only in Riverton.
-Sulfur #18 (Dorothea):
upriver only in Riverton now above the Still River, anytime from
mid/late morning through evening, varies from day to day and in
different river sections. Just about done.
-Assorted Caddis
#16-22 (tan, green/olive, black): active mostly in the mornings and
evenings, 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.
-Yellow Sally #14-20: Fast water bug, you will
see the shucks all over the downstream side of rocks in fast water,
look like miniature Golden Stones. Mostly a nymphing deal.
-Attenuata #18-20: evening hatch, upriver now, often confused
with Sulfurs. Slightly smaller than a true Dorothea Sulfur, and more
of a bright greenish yellow, almost chartreuse right when they are
freshly hatched (they darken up to a medium olive within minutes).
Near the end, need to be in Riverton for this bug.
-Blue Winged
Olives (BWO’s/Olives) #18-26: afternoons & eves, especially
during cloudy, cooler weather. Rusty spinners also in the same sizes
at dusk.
-Rusty Spinner #12-26: imitates the spinner of many
different mayflies. Most commonly on the water at dusk.
-Light
Cahill/Summer Stenos #12-18: eves, entire river
-Isonychia
#10-12: light late afternoon to evening hatch in fast water on the
entire river
-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. July/August are peak months for this
morning bug.
-Midges #20-28: afternoons/eves
-Ants &
Beetles #14-20: deadly in the summertime!
-Attractor Dries
#10-16: Mini Chubbies, Stimulators, Amazon Ants, etc.
-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, plain Walt’s Worms, and Sexy Waltz.
-Pheasant
Tails/Frenchies #12-22: imitates a wide range of Mayflies including
Sulfurs, Isonychia, Vitreus, Blue Winged Olives, small Stoneflies,
and more.
-Blue Winged (Baetis) Olive Nymphs #16-22: all year
long
-Big Stonefly Nymphs #8-10: early to mid AM in fast water-
golden/yellow, brown, black
-Yellow Sally Nymph #14-18: fish in
fast water, prevalent in August & September. FYI yellow/brown
Sulfur Nymphs can work to imitate them.
-Caddis Larva (olive to
green) #14-16: lots of these in the river (most other rivers too),
imitates the common Hydrospyche, good all year
-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: mid afternoon through eves, fish
in fast water. Use BMAR Iso nymph, also big 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
-Muddler
Minnow #6-10: and oldie, but a goodie. Most anglers don’t fish this
classic pattern anymore, and that’s a mistake!