Our hours change starting Monday, May 12th, moving to 6pm on weekdays, but staying at 5pm on weekends. We are also now closing on Wednesdays, at least for a while.
Store
ours currently are 8am-6pm Monday & Tuesday, closed on
Wednesdays, 8am-6pm Thursday & Friday, and 8am-5pm on
Saturday & Sunday. These will be the store hours until the
fall.
Pictured up top is John Stratton with a brown he
nailed this morning on a big streamer. High water is a great time to
throw the meat.
We have tons of books at the moment- we
received a bunch of used books as well as a big order
of new books that arrived recently. Also, more used
rods & reels came in, we have a BIG 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.
Diamondback Generation IV
Euro nymphing rods are now available. I know many of you
have been eagerly anticipating them, and now 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 and have been selling well.
After walking
through the woods, check yourself for ticks-
they are extremely active now. I’m picking 1 or more off the dog on
a daily basis, and finding them on me when I walk in the woods
Friday
5/9/25
River Report:
The total flow on the river
below the Still River and in the Permanent TMA/Catch & Release
(C&R) is 868cfs,
the historical median flow for today is 346cfs- I would classify this
morning’s flow as a high but fishable water level. Riverton is
209cfs (medium level) between the dam and
the Rt. 20 bridge/Riverton Self Storage (historical median flow for
today is 194cfs). The Still River is adding in 659cfs,
historical median flow is 152cfs. Riverton water temp was 47.5
degrees this morning, it reached 51 degrees yesterday afternoon.
Downstream water temps are higher, averaging mid 50’s to low 60’s
of late. Peak water temps are normally mid to late afternoon, with
warm sunny days seeing the biggest temp increases. Unionville USGS
gauge is reading 2,110cfs, historical median flow for today is
637cfs- wait for flows down there to get back under 1,000cfs and
preferably lower than that.
In case you missed it up top,
we are going to 6pm closing time on weekdays starting this
Monday, 5/12. Also, at least for a while, we will be
CLOSED on Wednesdays, so please plan accordingly.
Just another day in paradise. The bulk of the rain is now
in the rear view mirror, with maybe 1/4” left to come. Flows are
high but fishable & dropping as I write this. Should peak out
later this afternoon and start dropping again this evening. Look for
the flow from the Still River to drop a lot over the weekend, with
Sunday seeing better water levels than Saturday. It helps that the
rain was spread out, and also the leaves on the trees & bushes
are now soaking up a lot of water. The bulk of the higher flow is
coming from the Still River, above that the flow is medium at just
over 200cfs. It looks dry and mostly sunny for the weekend, with
highs in the mid 60’s to low 70’s. We swill remain fishable for
the weekend, and flows drop very fast once the rain stops. For
anywhere other than Riverton (normal water levels there, so employ
the usual flies & tactics), just employ high water stategies:
fish closer to the bank, out of the heaviest current. Focus on
nymphing & streamer fishing. Use bigger flies. Use more/heavier
weight if necessary to get your flies close to the bottom (but not
on it). Nymphs with hotspots are good in higher flows. Fish “Junk
Flies”: Mops, Squirmy/San Juan Worms, Egg Flies, and Green Weenies.
A sleeper high water nymph is a Cased Caddis pattern- higher flows
wash them into the drift. You can still find rising fish in Church
Pool, and upstream in Riverton in the major pools like Beaver.
Hendrickson hatch is mainly in Riverton now, although you will see
spinners in the Permanent TMA/C&R for a bit. Caddis are the
dominant hatch from the Still River and Permanent TMA/Catch &
Release (C&R) and below. Most of the Caddis are #16-18 in
olive/green (the adults have greyish brown wings), along with some
Black Caddis in #18-20. Even saw some Micro Caddis in about a #24
(the “Hatch from Hell”), but they are quite difficult to
successfully imitate. Fishing pupa underneath in #14-18 is important-
you can use specific pupa patterns for that, as well as Walt’s
Worms & Sexy Waltz.
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 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. Not sure of the exact height of Colebrook
today (it was down about 17 feet as of a month ago), but after the
recent rains we should be about full or darn close to it. This means
we don’t have to worry about running out of water in July &
August. It also appears that Otis Reservoir in MA is finally full
again, as of 5/3 they are spilling 100cfs into the section of the
Farmington River above Colebrook River Lake. That means that Monday
5/12 they will add the extra 100cfs to the dam release, which I’m
guessing will put us at a 250cfs release, with the Still River adding
more water where it dumps in (a little below the Rt. 20 bridge in
Riverton). The heavy rains are behind us and the Still River drops
fast. So I imagine for the time being, we will see fairly normal dam
releases for a while.
During high water, trout typically
move to softer water near the banks, out of the heavy main current.
Don’t automatically wade knee deep and then start to fish, you will
spook a lot of catchable fish if you do that. Fish the water right by
the banks before you wade in. Bigger and/or gaudier flies can be the
ticket, with subsurface nymphs & streamers usually being the
ticket. Junk Flies (Mops, Squirmy Worms, Eggs, Green Weenies) come
into their own when flows are high & off color. Bigger nymphs
such as Stoneflies and Princes are a good choice, and dark colors
like black or peacock bodies show up the best of all if the water is
off-color. Try also nymphs with fluorescent hot-spots. Streamers are
a classic choice in high water. Bigger, bulkier patterns are easier
for the trout to locate. Fish streamers slower if the water is dirty,
otherwise the trout may have a hard time finding them. If it’s high
with decent clarity, then you can strip them fast. Big trout often
get easier to catch when flows bump up high, they come out and feed
aggressively, and with reduced visibility they are less spooky and
more apt to make a mistake and eat something with a hook in it.
As
the river comes down, we will prob see some Hendrickson spinner falls
(rusty spinners/egg sack spinners) downstream of Riverton in upper
half of the Permanent TMA/C&R, with Caddis now taking over as the
main hatch. I’ve been seeing a lot of assorted Caddis in the
mornings in New Hartford for at least a week now, and Caddis are all
the way up into the Permanent TMA now (green/olive bodied #16/18,
black #18/20). FYI virtually all Caddis look tan when they are flying
in the air, and the wings are often colored differently than the
body. It’s important to match the BODY color. We will probably see
Vitreus mayflies start up in the week or so. Vitreus often get
labeled as a bigger Sulfur (#12-16), but they are close cousins to
the Quill Gordon (same Epeorus family of bugs) with 2 tails, hatching
in faster water, and the winged dun emerges from the nymph on the
stream bottom and then swims/rises to the surface.
In the
mornings, trout are munching subsurface on nymphs that look Caddis-y,
things like olive/green larva, pupa, Walt’s Worms, Sexy Waltz, etc.
Before the bugs get active, Junk Flies (Eggs & Mops) can do the
trick. By mid morning typically the trout are eating bugs subsurface.
Prior to the recent heavy rain, many anglers were getting their fish
on dries. If you have a good eye, you can pick out the big trout rise
forms and focus on them.
Don’t be afraid to explore and
fish new water to get away from the crowds, there are literally fish
EVERYWHERE. 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 also focus on the famous named
pools, and skip the water in between. The water outside of the
Permanent Catch & Release/TMA gets less pressure for the most
part. FYI, during Hendrickson time many anglers don’t start until
noon or 1pm, and then they leave at 4-5pm when the afternoon hatch is
done.
Various nymphs averaging #14-20 have been working
well on recent stockers, holdovers & wilds. Try #12-18 Pheasant
Tails/Frenchies, #12-14 Hendrickson nymphs, #16-20 BWO nymphs,
#14-18, olive Caddis pupa, Walt’s Worms/Sexy Waltz, Mops, and flies
with pink beads (Walt’s/PT’s/Hare’s Ears). Junk Flies (Eggs,
Mops, Worms, Weenies) can be particularly effective on the recently
stocked fish before they figure out what real food looks like,
sometimes vastly outproducing traditional nymphs. And some days the
wild browns like to eat the Junk too. They are very much a hot or
cold fly, not much in between. If one of your nymphs is a Junk Fly,
pair it up with something smaller, drabber & more natural
(Pheasant Tail, Walt’s Worm, Hare’s Ear, etc.). 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. Make sure
to cover lots of water, play with streamer color/patterns, and vary
your retrieves. Try tan, olive, white, and black.
Fishing
reports have varied widely, depending on the angler, river section
fished, time of day, and methods/flies used. Overall we are getting a
LOT of good reports from smiling anglers. Dry fly fishermen have come
into their time now, with Caddis & Hendricksons (Riverton now)
are bringing trout to the surface. Nymphs & streamers have been
producing most of the fish you see in this report. Expect to work for
the high quality bigger holdover & wild fish. If you get into a
pod of recently stocked fish, you can do some big numbers with
subsurface flies. 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 recently with a lot of brown trout
of various sizes. Most sections outside that have been stocked three
times now, with more to come in the very near future. 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:
-Caddis
#16-20 (green/olive, black): main hatch on most of the river now,
very active in the mornings, nymphing with pupa is currently the most
productive tactic for them. They often egg-lay later in the day in
low light, in the faster water, and they can be active in the
afternoons too.
-Hendrickson #12-14: mid/late afternoon hatch,
near the end. Riverton above the Still River is where you want to be
now, but you will see spinner falls downstream of that as far as the
mid to upper Permanent TMA/C&R for a bit.
-Rusty Spinner
#12-14: imitates Hendrickson spinners. Evenings/dusk is the classic
time, but they can also fall mid/late morning, and even during the
afternoon hatch. They need mild air temps, minimal wind, and no rain.
They drop over faster, riffly water.
-Vitreus #12-14: not yet
but soon, typically starts up around mid May, late afternoon to
evening hatch in faster water
-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, sunny/milder days are best
Nymphs:
-Assorted
Caddis Pupa #14-20 in various colors (olive/green, tan). Use specific
pupa, Walt’s Worms, and Sexy Waltz.
-Hendrickson
#12-14 (Riverton): medium to dark brown mayfly, can use specific
imitations like a BMAR pattern or generic stuff like a Pheasant Tail.
Fairly blocky abdomen, not a skinny nymph
-BMAR Hendrickson
Nymph #14 (Riverton)
-Blue Winged (Baetis) Olive Nymphs #16-20:
all year long
-Caddis Larva (olive to green) #14-16: lots of
these in the river (most others too), imitates the common
Hydrospyche, good all year but especially in early spring
-Pheasant
Tails/Frenchies #12-20: imitates a wide range of Mayflies including
Blue Winged Olives, Hendricksons, small Stoneflies, and more
-Cased
Caddis #10-16: good this time of year, especially during & after
flow bumps
-Winter/Summer Caddis Larva #18 (yellow)- also
imitates Black Caddis larva & some Midge larva
-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.
-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.
***Don’t
neglect streamers! - top colors have been olive, tan, white, and
black. Black is good on recently stocked trout (of which there are
lots right now), 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