8am-5pm Monday through Friday, 8am-5pm on Saturday & Sunday. These will be the store hours through March.
Don’t forget to get a 2025 CT fishing license! They are available online, in our store, and at some town halls. All 2024 CT fishing licenses expired after December 31st, they go by calendar year.
Pictured up top is a 24” holdover FRAA rainbow that was stocked in April 2024, caught by Zach St. Amand. Second pic down is Gerald B. with another big holdover FRAA rainbow from the weekend, looks like a steelhead. These are some big tough fish.
Monday morning 11:30am Flow Update:
As suspected, they increased the dam release by an additional 49cfs at 9am this morning (due to last weeks rain & snowmelt). It’s 129cfs and still going up as I write this, should end up reading about 140cfs on the Riverton USGS when it updates again shortly (there are 4 small brooks that come in between the dam and the USGS flow gauge at the Rt. 20 bridge). FYI the release is going from 77cfs to 126cfs.
Monday morning 3/10/25 River Report:
New product has been arriving every week, we are stocking up. Two fly tying materials orders have been placed and the first one (Nature’s Spirit) arrived already, Hareline should arrive today (Monday 3/10). A big Lamson order came in, we are well stocked on both their reels & rods. FYI their rods are excellent, and moderately priced. Also received some new Sage rods (R8 Classic) and new Rio lines (Rio Gold XP & Rio Gold Max). The XP replaces the Perception (1/2 size heavy all purpose line), and the Max replaces the Grand (1 full size heavy, and the new version is rear loaded). Perception & Grand lines in stock are now on sale until we run out of them.
Extra deep discount: Diamondback Ideal Nymph rods in stock are on now on sale for $330 (normally $525-550) until we run out of stock, they are re-doing this series of rods with the latest technology & new tapers (Generation IV will be available any day now). Currently we are down to the 10’ #3 and 10’ 10” #4, they are going fast now. Should see the Gen IV rods any day now.
Some more nice used reels in the case, including a couple of Hatch 3 Plus, check ‘em out.
Further down in this report I’ve mentioned the new almost indestructible MT Fly Company Trina’s Squirmy Material, and Joey put flies in the bins tied out of this in both pink & red colors, and he is doing 2 slightly different versions of each. Check ‘em out.
What a change from the winter weather- 59 today and 64 tomorrow, plenty of sunshine. 10 Day Forecast is more of the same, and also some much needed rain (Colebrook Reservoir still needs to be refilled, we’ve had 8 months of mostly below average precipitation). Quite a few anglers were out this past weekend, and we received some good fishing reports. Some anglers found pods of recently stocked trout and racked up some numbers, and others found some sizeable holdover & wild trout and it was quality over quantity. The Farmington River was stocked last week on Wednesday, Thursday & Friday, excluding the Permanent TMA/Catch & Release (C&R). Recently stocked areas include: Goodwin/Hogback Dam in Riverton down to Whittemore, below the New Hartford Rt 219 bridge down through Canton, and Collinsville/Unionville (lower Collinsville dam to Rt 177). Last week CT fisheries stocked 31,000 trout throughout the state. FYI, 20% of the trout they stock are over one foot, with some much larger. About 500,000 trout are scheduled to be stocked through CT between February and May. FYI virtually all trout fishing is Catch & Release until April 12th.
Total flow below the Still River is medium, clear, and 271cfs and dropping as I write this- this is a great fishing level. Historical total median flow would be 474cfs. Riverton USGS gauge is reading a low 93cfs (from the dam to just below the Rt 20 bridge), and the Still River is providing the majority of the additional flow at 178cfs and dropping. You may see a modest flow increase from the dam today due to last week’s rain (we got a lot), but I won’t know for sure until this afternoon (Monday is typically the day they make weekly flow changes when needed). They have been keeping the dam release low due to low reservoir inflows and a need to refill Colebrook River Lake (Colebrook Reservoir). Water temp at the USGS Riverton gauge was 34.5 degrees at 8am this morning, it peaked at 38 degrees yesterday afternoon. Sunny afternoons see the highest water temps and the most bug activity, which also gives you an idea of when you should be on the water. Unionville USGS gauge is reading 569cfs, historical median flow there would be 634cfs.
Currently we are seeing some small black winter Stoneflies (averaging #16-18 lately). Very soon (maybe this week with the warm temps) we should see the bigger Early Black Stoneflies that average a #14, and can get as big as a #12. At some point later this month, we will see the early season Baetis/Blue Winged Olives that run #16-18. Baetis nymphs can end up in the Behavioral Drift in the mornings. The peak water temps & insects are in the afternoons, making late morning to mid/late afternoon a prime time to be out. Nymphs & jigged streamers remain the main players. Think slow & deep on your presentations. Trout are holding in medium-slow to slow water with some depth to it, but you will see wild browns move into riffles to feed in the afternoons, especially on sunny afternoons with bug activity.
16-18” has been a pretty common size lately for the holdovers and wild trout, and some 20-22’” browns are occasionally getting landed by skilled/persistent anglers, along with some giant FRAA rainbows that can push 20-24”, with some are even bigger than that. The ‘bows went in April of 2024, and held over way beyond expectations. The recently stocked trout will typically run 12-16”, with rainbows being the most common catch.
Diamondback Ideal Nymph rods are now $330, normally $525-550. As I write this, we still have a few in stock, but very limited numbers.
When flows are normal, various nymphs #14-20, olive/green Caddis Larva #14-16, black Stoneflies #14-18, Pheasant Tails/Frenchies #14-18, Junk Flies (Mops, Eggs, Worms) and jigged streamers (white, tan, olive) have been the high percentage patterns. Try also a Micro Mop instead of a standard full size Mop. Bigger stonefly nymphs #8-10 are sometimes effective when trout are passing up the small stuff.
Fishing Tip:
After you nymph a fishy section of water, before you leave make one more pass with either a “Junk Fly” (Mop, Egg, Squirmy Worm) or a jigged streamer. It will often result in one or more fish. My personal go to clean-up flies are cream mops & jigged streamers (olive, tan, white). Although most of a trout’s winter diet is small bugs, sometimes it takes a bigger piece of food to entice them to eat. Their metabolism is slow when water temps are in the 30’s and low/mid 40’s, and they don’t have to eat much, but a big meal can be too enticing to resist. Plus they will move further to eat a bigger fly. Sometimes you have to almost hit them on the nose with a small nymph to get them to eat in cold water, and those subtle eats can be very hard to detect. If you are playing with jig streamers, make sure to try different colors, some days it makes a BIG difference. Top 3 streamer colors have been olive, tan, and white. Other colors can have their moments, but usually one of those colors will get it done. Freshly stocked trout, especially rainbows, usually like black streamers. Also experiment with different presentations: dead-drift, occasional twitches, actively jigged, swung, and stripped in with different retrieves. Sometimes they will eat it on the dangle when it’s hanging straight downstream of you, wafting around enticingly in the current until the trout cannot stand it any longer.
Don’t forget to get a 2025 CT fishing license, they can be purchased online, in our store, or at some town halls.
There is a new squirmy worm material from MT Fly Co, it’s called “Trina’s Squirm Material”, and it’s the next evolution in San Juan/Squirmy worms. We just got in a second batch of this material, and this time I ordered a lot more and added some colors (the first batch sold out in one week). Unlike normal squirmy material, it’s almost indestructible. Doesn’t break, it won’t disintegrate if you leave it in your car on a hot/sunny day, your tying thread won’t cut it, the tail won’t get ripped off by small trout, and solvents like head cement & super glue won’t melt it. It has more movement than ultra chenille, but not as much as traditional squirmy material. I recommend tying it with all the material trailing behind the hook in a long “tail” (2.5-3”) for maximum movement. If you tie it with just a short length sticking out both ends it won’t have much wiggle to it.
There are definite bite windows when the fish decide to actively feed, and it can go from zero to 100 when the fish turn on, so be patient. Hours of slow fishing can suddenly get good when they go on the bite. And conversely, it can just shut off and go dead suddenly. These windows typically last 1-3 hours. As water temps rise during the afternoons and bugs get active (especially on sunny days), some trout (especially wild browns) will push up into the riffles to feed. This can also happen in mid to late mornings when it’s sunny and you get some behavioral drift of nymphs. Sunny days will raise water temps more than mild air temps will on a cloudy day.
If you are nymphing slower/deeper water, fishing far away, fishing below you, or fishing in the wind, using a strike indicator is generally better than Euro nymphing. FYI you can fish an indy with either fly line or a mono rig. Mono rig lets you hold line off the water and also helps prevent your guides from icing up as fast, but fly line lets you fish further away and you can also roll cast it (unlike a Mono rig). Make sure to play with the depth you have the indy set at, it can make a big difference. Generally you want your flies just above bottom, but sometimes a bit higher if fish suspend in slower water. Trout like to feed at their level or a bit above, but not so much ON the bottom or below them.
Many FRAA trophy rainbows are still around after the April 2024 stocking (120 went in) and they are getting caught on a regular basis. They run anywhere from 20-27”, and are all colored up now after being in the river for 10+ months.
The Thomas & Thomas Avantt II fly rods arrived in March, and they have really impressed us. Slightly more flex in the tip, but still plenty of power in the mid & lower sections, with fantastic crisp recovery and a low swing weight.
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Hatches/Dries:
-Small/Tiny
Black Winter Stoneflies #16-24: afternoons, averaging about #16-18
currently, can be smaller than that too
-Early Black Stones #14:
have not officially started yet, but any day now with the warm
weather. Afternoon hatch, sunny/mild days are best.
-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, sunny/milder days are best
Nymphs
& Wet Flies/Soft Hackles:
-Various Nymphs #14-20:
frequently size & profile are more important than the exact
pattern, especially this time of year when most of the bugs are
smaller. Generic bugs like Pheasant Tails/Frenchies, Hare’s Ears,
Walt’s Worms, etc. all are good choices.
-Black Stonefly
#14-18: afternoons, imitates what is currently hatching and also in
the nymphal drift
-Egg Flies #12-20: Otter Eggs, Eggstasy,
Glo-Bugs, Slush Eggs, Sucker Spawn, etc. Mid fall through April is a
great time for eggs! Recently stocked trout love eggs. Shades of
yellow, orange, pink, or a mix of those. Try Otter Eggs on extra
picky fish.
-Caddis Larva (olive to green) #14-16: lots of these
in the river (most others too), imitates the common Hydrospyche, good
March/April fly
-Cased Caddis #10-14: good this time of year,
especially during & after flow bumps
-Winter/Summer Caddis
Larva #18 (yellow): can also imitate Midge larva & Black Caddis
larva
-Pheasant Tails/Frenchies #12-20: imitates a wide range of
Mayflies including Blue Winged Olives, Sulfurs, small Stoneflies,
Isonychia, and more
-Blue Winged (Baetis) Olive Nymphs #16-18,
good all year, a common item in the drift, should start hatching
soon
-Stonefly #8-12: Worth fishing all year long, big stones
are on a 2-3 year life cycle. Often produces bigger trout. In cold
water, some days trout will eat bigger Stones when they won’t move
for small flies or Junk Flies. Golden/yellow, brown, black.
-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,
especially in the winter.
-Midges #18-22 (black, olive, red):
Zebra Midge, Flash Midge, Red Iris Midge. A staple winter bug, fish
mainly in slower water in the afternoons when the pupa are active &
hatching. Larva can be fished in mid/late mornings.
Streamers:
Don’t neglect
streamers! - top 3 colors have been olive, tan, and white. Black
is good on recently stocked trout, and also 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