Our 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 a hefty rainbow I landed last night. On a small nymph, in shallow water at the head of a run. The state hasn’t stocked any rainbows since mid/late May, so all the rainbows we are catching now are colored up to varying degrees, some are quite pretty.
Nymphing Tip:
Small nymphs are often the ticket in the summer/early fall, and by small I mean #18 and smaller, all the way down to #22-24. 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 than bigger ones. Some days this makes a huge difference. 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.
Frabill landing nets are back in stock! 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 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, lots of used rods & reels currently.
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 in 2025. 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.
Friday morning 8/22/25 River Report:
Is it Fall already? Feels like it this morning, 53 degrees air temp at the store at 8am. My buddy Alain got a water temp of 58 degrees in the lower river (Collinsville/Unionville) this morning at first light. It’s 58.2 for a water temp behind UpCountry this morning, peaked out at 63.2 degrees on Thursday. Riverton water temp is 59 degrees at the Rt 20 bridge (Hitchcock/Riverton Self Storage) this morning, it peaked in late afternoon on Thursday at abou 61.5. It is going to be a little warmer through Monday (highs upper 70’s/low 80’s, low upper 50’s/low 60’s), although it almost always gets 3-5 degrees cooler here at night than what they predict. Highs drop back to low/mid 70’s next week starting Tuesday, with night in the low to mid 50’s. Loving this cooler weather trend. Although 2025 has not been a great year overall for hatches, this cooler weather does seem to be helping the bug activity- I’m seeing small Caddis on my windows in the mornings (I live right on the river). We received 1.8” of rain on Wednesday, but with the dry August we’ve had, it got soaked up into the ground.
Total flow in the Permanent TMA/Catch & Release (C&R) mid morning is 309cfs, a great level. It’s 237cfs in Riverton between the dam and the Rt 20 bridge, and below that the Still River is adding in 72cfs. The Still River tends to run warm in the summer (70-80 degrees), so a low flow is a good thing to minimize the warming effect of it. Having said that, it was in the mid 50’s when it rained on Wednesday, and it’s been cool since then, all of which pulled Still River temps well down into the 60’s. We still need to keep an eye on water temps in the afternoons, especially on warm, sunny days. Use your thermometer when fishing more downstream, and ideally stay in water 65 degrees or less, 68 and below is okay, but 70 degrees is too hot. Keep moving upstream until you find optimal water temps
I fished Thursday from early afternoon right up until dark (8pm). Had to work for my fish, but ended up with a respectable tally by the end of the day. Some spots only netted me one fish, and other spots were generous. It was a mix of colored up rainbows, stocked & wild browns, and a couple of fat and colorful brook trout. The water was medium, off-color & dropping, and the MVP for me was a Mop fly. A big Stonefly was also good. Overall didn’t do much of anything on regular nymphs, but did end up with a big rainbow on a #20 nymph in shallow water at the head of a run. I bounced all the way from New Hartford up to Riverton: below the Permanent TMA/C&R, in it, and above it. Water temps were upper 50’s to low 60’s everywhere I fished. No major hatches in the afternoon & eve in the spots I hit, but I did see a lot of small Black Caddis averaging #20-22 on the rocks, some small tan Caddis flying around, and the rocks in the fast water had a good number of large Stonefly shucks on them. There were trout making very gentle rises when I walked out of the river at dark. Not a lot of bugs, but a mish mash of various insects including some bigger Light Cahill/Summer Steno’s and small assorted Caddis. Mornings with large Stonefly nymphs is a good strategy for bigger fish.
We’ve been getting good to excellent Trico spinner falls in August, seems like it’s been the best hatch by far this year despite mostly mediocre hatches in 2025. Upper end of a good Trico hatch is probably up to approximately Pipeline/Lyman’s Rock, give or take, but it should be up in Riverton anytime now. Remember that it’s mostly about the spinner fall, and that is triggered by air temps in the upper 60’s (about 68). Trout seem to be preferring tiny Trico dries in the #24-26 range, 22’s are either not getting a look or getting refusals. Cool nights will push the spinners later in the morning, and warm night will push them from mid morning to very early morning. Nymphing the faster water with small nymphs & Junk Flies is also working. Also big Stoneflies, mainly in the mornings when they are most active, and larger Iso type nymph from abou tmid afternoon through dusk. Seeing big Stonefly shucks all over the rocks in fast water lately, which is a great sign. FYI also seeing Yellow Sally Stonefly shucks on rocks recently, they typically run #14-20. Sallies are mostly a nymphing deal, and they are a common bug here in August & September.
If trout are not rising, be prepared to go subsurface and fish the faster water. If you hate nymphing, try Dry/Dropper or fish 2-3 wet flies/soft hackles. All effective summertime strategies. You can also blind fish dry flies (attractors like Stimulators/smaller Chubby Chernobyls, bigger dries like Isonychia, or terrestrials like ants & beetles) in broken water. You can also do Dry/Dropper and attach a small weighted nymph 18-24” below your dry to really increase your odds of success.
Hatches continue to overall be light this year (Tricos are the exception, they have been good lately in the mornings), with the river above the Permanent TMA/Catch & Release seeing more consistent bug activity on average, 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, trout will often move into those areas. 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. Look for shady areas. 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 only in Riverton above the Still River- they are 18’s now and are almost done. Don’t confuse them with the bright greenish-yellow #20 Attenuata, because the trout can tell the difference. This is normally an evening hatch. Blue Winged Olives (Olives/BWO’s) can run as big as #18, but I’d expect to see more smaller ones in the #22-26 range. 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 CT DEEP has a flow plan for the Farmington River, and the target release from Colebrook River Lake Dam is 250cfs for 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 on the 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, and it should only get better as they gain experience.
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 5:30am) 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. 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. Most (but not all) Caddis are on the smaller side lately, like #18-22. 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 #16-20, and Pheasant Tails too (#12 for Isonychia, and #18-22 for Sulfurs & Blue Winged Olives/BWO’s). Light Cahills/Summer Stenos #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 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.
Summer is a peak time 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. 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 (2024), 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 #16-22 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. 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.
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. FYI in the summer, due to water temps you don’t want to go too far downstream or you will end up in water that is hitting or exceeding 70 degrees- USE YOUR THERMOMETER!!!
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Dries:
-Tricos
#22-26: a good hatch/spinner fall at least as far upstream now as
Pipeline/Lyman’s Rock and moving up. Morning deal, it’s all about
the spinner fall- they ball up in the air over riffles and fall to
the water when air temps hit the upper 60’s.
-Assorted Caddis
#16-22 (tan, green/olive, black): Mostly on the smaller side now,
varuious species, especially Black Caddis. Active mostly in the
mornings and evenings, 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.
-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. Mostly a
nymphing deal.
-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
#12-18: eves, entire river
-Isonychia #10-12: light late
afternoon to evening hatch in fast water on the entire
river
-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!
-Attractor Dries #10-16: Mini Chubbies, Stimulators,
Amazon Ants, etc.
-Mouse patterns: fish after dark for BIG
trout, use a short/heavy leader
-Midges #20-28:
afternoons/eves
-Attenuata #18-20: Just about over, only in
Riverton right below the dam. Often confused with Sulfurs. Slightly
smaller than a true Dorothea 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).
-Needhami #22-26:
Duns hatch & spinners fall in the morning, typically early to mid
morns. Hatch is almost over, only upriver in Riverton.
-Sulfur
#18 (Dorothea): upriver only in Riverton now above the Still River,
anytime from mid/late morning through evening, varies from day to day
and in different river sections. Just about done though, and only up
near the dam.
Nymphs:
-Small
Nymphs #18-24: various patterns, most of the bugs are small to tiny
in August
-Assorted Caddis Pupa #16-22 in various colors
(olive/green, tan). Use specific pupa, plain Walt’s Worms, and Sexy
Waltz.
-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 #10-12: 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, 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!