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 very photogenic brown trout that Joey landed on Tuesday while fishing with Will Ryain, in the midafternoon. PT for the win. Trout are starting to color up for the Fall already.
A second batch of 50 copies of Tom Ames new & updated "Pocketguide to Eastern Hatches" books arrived on Thursday 9/4, in time for the weekend. The official “release date” is mid September and you cannot purchase it on Amazon until then. We sold through the first batch in 4 days, this book is popular. It is 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.
Nymphing Tip:
Small nymphs are often the key to subsurface success in the late summer/early fall, and by small I mean #18 and smaller, all the way down to #22-24. Exceptions would be Isonychia #10-14, 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 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 have 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 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.
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 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 and excellent option for Micro Leaders, lighter tippets (6x and thinner), and lighter flies (2-3mm)- 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, but the #2 is great if you fish mostly 6x, 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 with heavier tippets, as well as King Salmon and other larger fish where you need a stiffer rod with some serious backbone. 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.
Friday morning 9/5/25 River Report:
Several new odds & ends to update you on. As, I mentioned up top, Tom Ame’s “Pocketguide to Eastern Hatches” is back in stock. We also have the impossible to get Tiemco 518 tiny dry fly hook in #28, 30 & 32 in stock in both 25 packs & 100 packs- when these sell out, that’s it. We are stocked up on tying materials for Great Lakes salmon & steelhead, including Estaz, Glo Bug Yarn, McFly Foam, and Eggstasy (incluing the Electric/UV version too). O’Pros 3rd Hand Rod Holders are in stock again, they are a very popular and convenient for clipping your rod to your belt when you need both hands free. We also got in a lot of fly tying materials from a collection, so check out the bargain bins.
There continue to be some Flying Ants this week, and with the rain overnight and warmer humid weather today, I suspect we will see a bunch this afternoon (Fri 9/5). They have mostly been either bigger #16-18 ones, or tiny #24’s. They cut the dam release by about 55 cfs on Tuesday- the total flow in the Permanent TMA/Catch & Release is 210cfs this morning (164cfs from the dam in Riverton to the Rt 20 bridge, and the Still River is adding in 37cfs a little below that). I would call this medium-low to low. Riverton temp gauge is reading 62 degrees this morning, and the Hobo unit behind UpCountry is reading 63.9 degrees. We received just under ½” of rain last night, it did temporarily put some water back in the Still River, but it’s been so dry in lately that it mostly went into the ground. We have about 1.25” of rain forecasted for Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning, and while the timing isn’t the best for the weekend, we can certainly use the rain. Temps cool off significantly after that, with highs averaging upper 60’s/low 70’s, and night down into the 40’s. Seeing hints of fall foliage color already here & there.
Morning Trico spinner falls are getting ligher and moving upriver, mostly smaller fish rising to them, with some exceptions. Make sure to go small enough, as in #24-26 patterns, fished on a long leader with a long 7x tippet. Also seeing decent numbers of small Caddis averaging #18-22, in assorted colors like gray, tan, and black. You will see the black caddis adults on the rocks, they are hard to see on the water. FYI splashy rises generally means Caddis. Isonychia can also create aggressive rises. They typically hatch in fast water between late afternoon and dark. They have been light in numbers, but this cooler weather seems to be helping.
Use a thermometer if you are not sure about the temps, and look for water 68 degrees or cooler, and preferably 65 degrees or less for better fishing. If water temps are too high, keeep moving upriver until you find suitable temps. You can start further downsteam in the mornings, but depending upon how far downriver you are, you may need to move upstream by noon, especially on warmer/sunny days.
Late morning through later afternoons had been relatively quiet in terms of hatches, but with Flying Ants on the menu for September, afternoons can be good. Also keep your eyes out for #10-14 Isonychia hatching in the faster water between late afternoon and dark. It’s a sporadic, one here and one there type of hatch, but the cooler weather seems to be improving the Iso hatching. There have been a good amount of small Black Caddis averaging #20-22 on the rocks, some small tan (other colors too) Caddis flying around, and the rocks in the fast water have a good number of large Stonefly shucks on them, also some Yellow Sally Stoneflies on the rocks. There is a mish mash of various insects at dusk, including some bigger #12-14 Light Cahill/Summer Steno’s and small assorted Caddis #18-22. Mornings with large #8-10 Stonefly nymphs is a good strategy for bigger fish, think first light (6am) to about 10am’ish. Fish the faster water- pool heads, riffles, runs, and pocket water.
Nymphing
the faster water with small nymphs & Junk Flies is effective.
Also larger Iso type nymph from about mid 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 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, it’s surprisingly effective this time of
year. You can do Dry/Dropper and attach a small lightly weighted
nymph 18-24” below your dry to really increase your odds of
success.
Hatches continue to overall be light this year.
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 #10-14 Iso patterns in
riffly water and do well. 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 mostly stayed out of a
drought so far in 2025, and there is enough
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 200cfs
for September
(assuming normal precipitation/resrvoir levels)- this is a target
flow number, and not an absolute. During dry (like
now) 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 6am)
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, but seem
to be picking up steam with the overall cooler weather here now.
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 #16-22,
and Pheasant Tails too (#12-14
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 #20-26
Blue Winged Olives, especially on cloudy days.
Iso
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 big Iso dry flies in #10-14. They typically hatch between mid
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 #16-22 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
#6-24
are catching fish. Caddis pupa are working subsurface in #16-22
(olive/green, tan). You can use specific pupa patterns, Walt’s
Worms, and Sexy Waltz (has flashy rib & hotspot). On cooler
overcast afternoons, we’ve been seeing #20-24 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!!!
****************************************************************
Dries:
-Flying
Ants #16-24: typically afternoons/early eves, especially on warmer,
humid days. A September staple.
-Tricos #22-26: 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. We
are getting toward the tail end of this hatch, it's getting light and
moving upriver.
-Assorted Caddis #16-22 (tan, green/olive,
black): Mostly on the smaller side now, various 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) #20-26: 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: evenings
-Isonychia #10-14 light
late afternoon to evening hatch in fast 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.
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 0x
leader
-Midges #20-28: afternoons/eves
Nymphs:
-Small
Nymphs #18-24: various patterns, most of the bugs are small to tiny
in late summer
-Assorted Caddis Pupa #16-22 in various colors
(olive/green, 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 #10-14: 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! Quite a versatile
fly that can be floated, skated, dead-drifted, swung, stripped, or
weighted down & nymphed.