We are once again open 7 days a week, 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 beautiful chunky holdover brown trout by our customer Brent, landed on a nymph Sunday. With the spawn starting up in latter October, the browns are coloring up.
Tom Ames new & updated "Pocketguide to Eastern Hatches" book, is sold out, but we should have another big batch coming in later today (Monday 10/6). 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, it’s been flying off the shelves.
Nymphing
Tip:
Small
nymphs are often the key to subsurface success this time of year, 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. They are by far
more numerous than bigger ones. Some days this makes a huge
difference. Dry/Dropper nymph rigs can be effective, especially in
softer and shallower
currents.
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
including jigged
streamers, but the #2 is
great if you fish mostly 6x or
lighter tippet, it
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, as well as King Salmon and other larger fish where you
need a stiffer rod with some serious backbone. Could also
be a good choice for hot
fresh Fall Steelhead in heavy water &
rapids 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 10/6/25
River Report:
So
nice to have more water in the water in the Farmington River since
last week when they started the
annual lowering
of
Highland Lake, which dumps into the Still River. This should last
well into November, because
instead of lowering the lake by 36-48”, they are going to reduce it
by 84”.
And at some point after Columbus Day, you will see Otis Reservoir in
MA begin to release water to lower the lake, and this flows into
Colebrook River Lake and has to be added to the dam release. So we
are looking good for future
water
levels. More
good
news: 70”
of rain is
forecasted for
Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, and
then this upcoming Saturday night through Tuesday morning next week
another 1” of rain- finally some real rain. Currently we are at
179cfs total flow (102cfs in Riverton from the dam to the Rt 20
bridge by Riverton Self Storage, plus another 77cfs from the Still
River just below that). This is medium-low and normal flow for this
time of year, the historical median total flow for today would be
184cfs. Water temp behind UpCountry this morning is 62.4 degrees, it
peaked at 67 yesterday afternoon. Riverton is 64 degrees this
morning, it peaked yesterday at 67 degrees. More
good news: air
temps drop when the rain moves in, with highs going back down into
the 60’s, and nights in the 40’s and even 30’s starting
on Wednesday. This should help improve bug hatches, and also get the trout more active.
We
are in that weird time of year where as long as it is moderately
cool out, the middle & lower river are cooler than Riverton most days.
That’s because it’s coming out of the dam at about 64 degrees,
and it will stay there until the lake flips/turns over (prob
late October). With warm
sunny weather
here through Tuesday 10/7
(highs 79-82, lows 58-61),
it will be a good idea to use your thermometer. Cooler nights &
the newly improved higher flow will both help keep water temps from
warming up as much as they have been on warm sunny days though, and
starting Wednesday 10/8
things really cool off.
Hatches
are simpler now, with the big 3 being Tan/brown Caddis #16-18,
Isonychia #12-14, and Blue Winged Olives #20-26. And don’t forget
about the early to mid morning Summer/Winter Caddis #18-24 that hatch
12 months a year. Also a
few Giant October Caddis around later in the day. You
may see some other bugs like Yellow Sallies & Summer Steno’s,
but those are the main ones. While hatches have been light overall,
we’ve been seeing goo numbers of the #16-18 Tan/Brown Caddis, and
the upcoming cooler weather should only improve hatches & trout
feeding on them. Long
leaders 12’+ paired with long/light tippets (3-6’ and even
longer) of 6x-7x (depending upon fly size) will help present your
fly properly to our picky trout in flat water. Be stealthy in your
wading, and it doesn’t hurt to dress in drab clothing.
Now
that Fall is here and spawning will be starting later this month,
brown trout are getting more aggressive. This means it’s an above
average time to fish streamers. Early & late in the day are the
peak streamer times, and also on overcast days and anytime the water
rises and/or gets off-color. Play with retrieves and fly color. In
general, in October faster more aggressive retrieves tend to produce
better, getting those quick reaction strikes.
A
big Hareline
tying materials arrived last
week and
it’s up on the walls now. I’m working on a Nature’s
Spirit fly tying order
at the moment.
A
good October nymphing
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-
this can put some bigger
trout in the net. 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.
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 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.
Assorted
Caddis #16-22 will be present daily right
into November, 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 mostly). You can use specific pupa patterns, Walt’s
Worms, and Sexy Waltz (has flashy rib & hotspot). On cooler
overcast afternoons, we’ve been seeing #20-26 Blue Winged Olives
(BWO’s/Olives).
The fast water is currently full of
trout. 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:
-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.
-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.
-Giant October/Pumpkin Caddis #8-12: light hatch, late
afernoons & eves, use BMAR October Caddis in fast water
-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, a few, near
the end
-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). We are near
the end of Flying Ants now that the weather is colder.
-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.
-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
(mostly 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
Princes & Pheasant Tails
-Yellow Sally Nymph #14-18: fish in
fast water. FYI yellow/brown Sulfur Nymphs can also work to imitate
them. Hatch is near the end.
-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. The low-light conditions of early & late in the day are prime time for streamers, as are overcast days and periods of higher and/or off-color water.
-
top colors have been olive, tan, white, and black. A little yellow in
a streamer can trigger brown trout in the fall. 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.