We will once again be open 7 days a week starting on 10/1, current hours are:
8am-5pm Monday & Tuesday, Wednesday 10am-4pm, 8am-5pm Thursday & Friday, and 8am-5pm on Saturday & Sunday.
Pictured up top is a smiling client of Derrick Kirkpatrick (CT Fish Guides), who he helped toward her goal of catching a trout in all 50 states, check CT off the list!
Tom Ames new & updated "Pocketguide to Eastern Hatches" book, is sold out, but we have another big batch coming in Friday afternoon 10/3. Definitely the BEST hatch guide for our area, nothing else comes close. This version has some new info, new pictures, and new fly patterns. We will do our best to try to keep this in stock.
Nymphing
Tip:
Small
nymphs are often the key to subsurface success in the late
summer/early fall, and by small I mean #18 and smaller, all the way
down to #22-24. Exceptions would be Isonychia #12-14, and Stoneflies
#8-10. Most nymphs are small to very small this time of year, and
in general in lower water conditions smaller flies work better on
average. They
are also by
far more numerous than bigger ones. Some days this makes a huge
difference. And with the low water conditions we currently have, you
need to use lighter flies with smaller beads or you will get hung up
constantly. Dry/Dropper nymph rigs can be very effective in lower
flows, especially where there is less current. 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 Mono rig (FYI 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.
As
of 9/1/25, the entire upper 21 miles of the Farmington River from the
dam in Riverton downstream to the Rt 177 bridge in Unionville went
Catch & Release
until 6am on the second Saturday in April 2026. If you see anyone
illegally keeping trout, call the 24/7 turn in poachers DEEP hotline
at 860-424-3333.
Even if they cannot send somebody in time, they still log the call
and it helps us get more future enforcement.
We
have some
of the new Diamondback Gen IV Nymph Rods with carbon grips-
the previous batches were all with traditional cork grips. Carbon
grips are more sensitive 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.
Diamondback
Generation IV Euro nymphing rods are available. 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 and excellent option for Micro Leaders,
lighter tippets, and lighter flies - the rod has more backbone in the
lower half than you would expect, while having a very soft tip. The
10' 7" #2 & #3 have been the big sellers for us, perfect for
the Farmington River. The #3 is the all around and will do
everything, but the #2 is great if you fish mostly 6x, throws lighter
flies a bit easier, and is slightly better with Micro Leaders. The 7
weight is a new addition to the Diamondback lineup, for those
targeting larger Steelhead with heavier tippets, as well as King
Salmon and other larger fish where you need a stiffer rod with some
serious backbone. Could be a good choice for hot fresh Fall Steelhead
in heavy water on heavy tippets. The 6 weight is probably overall the
better choice for Salmon River Steelhead in NY, where you are often
down lighter 3x & 4x tippets and still need a rod that has some
backbone to land 10# plus fish, but has a softer tip so you don't
break fish off.
Monday
morning 9/29/25
River Report:
Rain
last week helped improve the water level a bit by
putting more water into the Still River,
but we still need a lot more. This brought us up to 3” total
rainfall for September. FYI starting Wednesday October 1st,
they will be lowering Highland Lake for a while. Highland drains into
the Still River, so this will improve the flows by quite a bit from
the Still River & below, Riverton above that will remain low
until the reservoir levels go up.
Keep an eye on water
temps. The water coming out of the dam is about 64 degrees at the
moment, and combined with the low flows, on warm sunny days the water
temps have been shooting up to the
high 60s on the entire
river. Look for water
temps under 68, and preferably lower.
Starting Tuesday night
things cool off for
several days with nights
well down into the 40’s,
this will keep water temps down. And when they release the water from
Highland Lake on Wednesday, the increased flow will also keep the
river cooler.
Hatches
have been a mish mash of assorted bugs, Summer/Winter Caddis #18-24
in the mornings, Tan Caddis #16-18 (also some tiny tan ones in #22),
Isonychia #12-14 (afternoons through dusk), Blue Winged Olives
averaging #20-26 (cloudy days especially), and
Summer Stenos/Light Cahills #12-16 (eves). Also
a few Yellow Sallies averaging #16-18. We
continue to see Flying Ants some days, and when it happens it can be
some excellent dry fly fishing. This is typically an
afternoon/evening deal. They
range from about #18 to #24.
Make sure to have a handful of Flying Ant imitations in different
sizes or you could have a frustrating afternoon of watching trout
rise and not being able to catch them. When there are bugs on the
water, the low flows we have now actually increases the number of
rising trout. Long leaders 12’+ paired with long/light tippets
(3-6’ and even longer)
of 6x-7x (depending upon fly size) will help present the fly properly
to our picky trout in flat water.
We could use some
substantial rain. The
river is 104cfs
at the Riverton USGS gauge,
and below that the Still River is adding in 30cfs,
giving us a total flow below that of 134cf.
That is somewhat low
but very
fishable. The upside to lower
flows is that when there are bugs on the water, the trout rise like
crazy and it can make for some good but technical dry fly fishing.
It’s also easy to read the water, and also easy to wade and access
all the spots. Longer leaders and
lighter/longer tippet
help. Be stealthy and
dress in drab colors.
When
nymphing in lower flows, remember to downsize everything: smaller
flies, smaller beadheads on your flies, smaller split shot, thinner
tippet, and smaller/drabber strike indicators. Remember, trout are
set up to feed at their mouth/eye level & above, you don’t want
your flies drifting underneath them. Nymphing with a Dry/Dropper rig
can be very effective.
The
big Wapsi
fly tying order that arrived last week is up on the walls, and
Hareline
tying materials should be arriving later this week.
A
great Summer/early Fall tactic is to target the first light (about
6:30am)
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. As I already mentioned in this report, often just going
small (#18-22, even 24’s) on your nymphs is the key to success this
time of year. Mousing after dark for big trout is popular, and an
especially good choice to give you a shot at a trophy brown. A lot of
the biggest trout become mainly nocturnal in the late summer/early
fall.
Isonychia
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, or a #12-14 Prince Nymph or Pheasant Tail to imitate
this bug. You can also blind fish big Iso dry flies in #12-14.
They typically hatch between mid 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. As we move into the Fall
(starting now), trout will get more aggressive on streamers due to
the impending spawn (mid October through November). 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
#16-22 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 #6-24 are catching fish,
skewing toward the smaller sizes. Caddis pupa are working subsurface
in #16-22 (tan, olive/green). You can use specific pupa patterns,
Walt’s Worms, and Sexy Waltz (has flashy rib & hotspot). On
cooler overcast afternoons, we’ve been seeing #22-24 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 (2024), they estimated
the trout per mile in the Permanent TMA/C&R at 2,800+ fish-
that’s a lot! And when they sampled the trout recently (early
September 2025), they shocked up a lot of trout and the fish were in
good condition. 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. Also hard to
go wrong with a #14-22
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. Bigger
PT’s can imitate Iso nymphs.
From May through early/mid
November, if I’m
nymphing, at some point during the day there will definitely be a
Caddis pupa pattern #14-18 on my rig.
****************************************************************
Dries:
-Flying
Ants #16-24: typically afternoons/early eves, especially on warmer,
humid days, even better if it rained the day before (softens the
ground so they can burrow into it). A September staple. Doesn’t
happen every day, but when it does, it can be epic.
-Assorted
Caddis #16-22 (tan, gray, black): Mostly on the smaller side now,
various species. Active mostly in the mornings and evenings, nymphing
with a small pupa is currently a productive tactic for them. They
typically egg-lay later in the day in low light, in the faster water.
-Isonychia #12-14: light hatch, mid afternoon to evening in
fast water
-Blue Winged Olives (BWO’s/Olives) #20-26:
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, including
Iso’s & BWO’s. Most commonly on the water at dusk.
-Light
Cahill/Summer Stenos #12-14: evenings
-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. Getting near
the end for this hatch. Mostly a nymphing deal, but trout have been
eating on the surface in the late afternoon through
evening.
-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.
-Ants & Beetles #14-20: deadly in the summertime and
early fall
-Attractor Dries #10-16: Mini Chubbies, Stimulators,
Amazon Ants, etc.
-Midges #20-28:
afternoons/eves
Nymphs:
-Small
Nymphs #18-24: various patterns, most of the bugs are small to tiny
this time of year
-Assorted Caddis Pupa #16-22 in various colors
(olive/green, tan). Use specific pupa, plain Walt’s Worms, Sexy
Waltz, Hare’s Ear Blowtorch.
-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, Pat’s
-Isonychia Nymph #12-14: mid afternoon through
eves, fish in fast water. Use BMAR Iso nymph, Keslar’s Iso, also
big Princes & Pheasant Tails
-Yellow Sally Nymph #14-18:
fish in fast water, prevalent in August & September. FYI
yellow/brown Sulfur Nymphs can also 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, even in the summer in low/clear water.
-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): Zebra Midge, Flash Midge,
Red Iris Midge.
Streamers:
Trout get aggressive on streamers as you move into the fall and the they are pre-spawn.
-
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! Quite a versatile
fly that can be floated, skated, dead-drifted, swung, stripped, or
weighted down & nymphed.