Out 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 customer & friend (also my plumber) Aaron Lavoie with an excellent Farmington River brown trout, looks wild to me. He also lost a giant FRAA rainbow. Another excellent “Consolation Prize”.
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 by than bigger ones. Some days this makes a huge difference. I know a guy from PA that catches an average of 7,000-8,000 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. If he has a secret, it’s that he mostly fishes nymphs averaging #18-24 on a Euro rig. 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. Try it and see for yourself. The big wild brown pictured in the previous report was caught on a #22 Pheasant Tail nymph. Even elephants eat peanuts sometimes.
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 have a lot of used reels at the moment. As such, we have a 20% off sale on the used reels in that specific case. Get ‘em while they last! This is an in-store promotion only, no mail order on these.
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, more used rods & reels came in, we have a LARGE inventory of used stuff.
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. 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.
As the day progresses, you need to move upstream of New Hartford to stay in trout-friendly water temps (68 degrees or less, and preferably 65 or lower). Mornings until about 10am should be fine down to New Hartford & Canton, but then you need to slide upstream as water temps rise. From lunchtime ownward, I'd stay from Church Pool up to the dam, and the further you go up, the colder the water will be. Water temps normally peak in the late afternoon, and are at their lowest at first light. The Still River is adding in warm water in the summer, and after the rain on Wednesday, it's adding in 100cfs+ of warmer water, but dropping fast. As it goes down it has less of a warming influence. Just use common sense and don't fish too far downstream, work your way upstream as the day progresses, use a thermometer, and you should be able to stay in cooler water and have good fishing without stressing the fish out.
Monday
morning 7/14/25
River
Report:
Seems
like a warm summer averaging
mid 80’s has fully
settled into our area, but we are getting regular shots of rain every
week so there is no drought in sight at this point. The reservoir
(Colebrook River Lake) is also above the target elevation for July so
we are in good shape in that regard. The water is still coming out of
the dam nice & cold in the mid 50’s, and then gradually rising
as you move downstream and also as the day progresses. With
summer here you do need to keep an eye on water temps, especially if
you are fishing a ways below the dam, and also in the second half of
the day (water temps rise and peak in late afternoon). On
an average day, in the early to mid mornings you can typically safely
fish as far down as New Hartord/Satan’s Kingdown parking lot and
stay in water temps no higher than the mid 60’s. But by late
morning/noonish, I’d probably want to be from Church Pool &
upstream. Exceptions to this can be after significant rainfall, the
Still River can be pumping
in water well into the 70’s and that dilutes the ice cold water
from the dam. Also on really hot, sunny days be careful of water
temps as you move downriver. We
have a mini heat wave- 89 degrees Wednesday and 88 Thursday, with
rain later today plus some small dirbbles Tuesday through Thursday.
This will likely bump the Still River up over 100cfs (remember the
Still runs in the 70’s in the summer) and dilute the cold water
from the dam. Use
a thermometer!
Total
flow below the Still River and down in the Permanent TMA/Catch &
Release (C&R) is 262cfs,
a medium /normal water
level. There is currently 213cfs
between the dam in Riverton (Goodwin/Hogback Dam) and the Rt 20
bridge (Hitchcock/Self Storage), and the Still River is adding in
49cfs
below that. Water temp in Riverton is 55.5 degrees this morning, it
peaked at 57 late yesterday afternoon. Cloudy weather will
keep the river cooler, sunny days see the biggest water temp
increases, so overcast weather is ideal in July. The Still River is
the first major tributary that comes into the Farmington River (a
little below the Rt 20 bridge in Riverton, just above Lyman Rock),
and it runs warm (70-80
degres) in the summer, so
water temps increase below that (depending upon the volume of water
in the Still- the lower it is, the less warming effect it has), and
also increases gradually
as you go further downriver and as the day goes
on. Lowest water temps are
always at first light, and they peak out around 4pm, give or take. If
you are fishing downstream, make sure to take water temps, especially
on sunny days as you get toward late morning & beyond. A good
strategy is to work your way upriver as the day progresses and water
temps rise, that way you stay in cooler water all day long. Typically
you can drop back down into the Permanent TMA/C&R in the evening
as long as things cool down. Water temps drop as the river goes into
the shadows. Be especially
careful with water temps during heat waves & hot sunny
days.
Hatches
overall have been light in 2025, with the river above the Permanent
TMA/Catch & Release seeing more consistent bug activity overall,
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, hint hint. 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. 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 upriver, I’d stay from Campground and
above for that hatch- mostly 18’s now. They normally go into
August, and by then they will only be up near the dam. Don’t
confuse them with the bright greenish-yellow #20 Attenuata, because
the trout can tell the difference. This is normally an evening hatch.
In July Blue Winged Olives
(Olives/BWO’s)
can run as big as #18, but I’d also expect to see smaller ones more
commonly, they
can be down to #26! 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 (about 701’ of
elevation as of Thursday 7/3, 708’ is the max level the Army Corps
of Engineers will allow in the lake during hurricane season, which is
now). CT DEEP has a flow plan for the Farmington River, and the
target release from Colebrook River Lake Dam is 250cfs for July &
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 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.
Summer is
a good time of year to own a thermometer and use it. Ideally look for
water temps of 65 degrees or less for the most active trout, which
should not be hard to find. The water is coming out of the dam at
about 55 degrees currently, and then gradually increasing as you move
downstream. Try to stay under 68 degrees, and definitely don’t fish
in 70 degree plus water or you will stress out or even kill the trout
(warm water holds less dissolved oxygen, and also increases the
trout’s metabolism and oxygen demands). Water temps are lowest in
the mornings, and peak out in the late afternoon. Sunny days see the
biggest temp increases. The coldest water is up near the dam, above
the Still River confluence. Water temps gradually rise as you go
downstream, and also as the day progresses. Lots of trout are in fast
water in the summer. There is more oxygen in faster water, and that
is also where many of the bugs live & hatch.
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 5am) to mid
morning time period 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 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. 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 #16-20 for Sulfurs & Blue Winged
Olives/BWO’s). Light Cahills #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 from now 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.
July is normally the peak month 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 with water temps mostly in the 50’s to 60’s.
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.
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 9-10 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. After the April &
May rains we are finally full. This means we don’t have to worry
about running out of water in July & August.
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.
The Permanent
TMA/C&R was stocked in mid April with a lot of brown trout of
various sizes- that section gets stocked once per season. Most
sections outside that have been stocked 3-4 times now, with more to
come for July 4th
and Labor Day. 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:
-Sulfur
#16 (Invaria) & #18 (Dorothea): upriver only now (Campground &
above), anytime from mid/late morning through evening, varies from
day to day and in different river sections. Seeing mostly #18
Dorothea currently, the #16 Invaria are on their way out.
-Assorted
Caddis #14-20 (tan, green/olive, black): major hatch on all of the
river, very active mid mornings to mid afternoons, 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.
-Attenuata #18-20: evening hatch, often confused with
Sulfurs. Up at least as far upstream as Pipeline & Lyman Rock,
and probably also above that by now. Slightly smaller than a true
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).
-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
#12-14: eves, entire river
-Isonychia #10-12: light late
afternoon to evening hatch in fast water, upstream at least as far as
Pipeline/Lyman’s Rock.
-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
-Ants & Beetles #14-20: deadly in the
summertime!
-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 #12-20: imitates a wide range of Mayflies including
Sulfurs, Isonychia, Vitreus, Blue Winged Olives, small Stoneflies,
and more.
-Blue Winged (Baetis) Olive Nymphs #16-20: all year
long
-Big Stonefly Nymphs #8-10: early to mid AM in fast water-
golden/yellow, brown, black
-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!