As of Monday 9/15, we are going back to closing at 5pm on weekdays.
Store hours are now 8am-5pm Monday & Tuesday, still closed on Wednesdays, 8am-5pm Thursday & Friday, and 8am-5pm on Saturday & Sunday.
Pictured up top is a flawless male brown our customer Brent M. literally just landed this morning on a dry fly.
As of Monday 9/15, we are once again sold out of Tom Ames new & updated "Pocketguide to Eastern Hatches" book, that’s 100 copies sold in 3 week! Hopefully we should have another batch in later this week, it’s been our best selling book ever. Definitely 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. And with the low water conditions we currently have, you
need to use lighter flies with smaller beads or you will get hung up
constantly. Dry/Dropper
nymph rigs can be very effective in lower flows, especially where
there is less current. 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.
As of
9/1/25, the entire upper 21 miles of the Farmington River from the
dam in Riverton downstream to the Rt 177 bridge in Unionville went
Catch & Release
until 6am on the second Saturday in April 2026. If you fish
downstream of the Rt 177 bridge you can keep 5 fish 9" or larger
through the end of February, then it also goes C&R until the
second Saturday in April. If
you see anyone illegally keeping trout, call the 24/7 turn in
poachers DEEP hotline at 860-424-3333.
Even if they cannot send somebody in time, they still log the call
and it helps us get more future enforcement.
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,
looks like early 2026).
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. Could be a good choice for hot fresh
Fall Steelhead in heavy water on heavy tippets. 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.
Monday
morning 9/15/25
River
Report:
Some
good reports of Flying Ants & rising trout over the weekend,
especially yesterday (Sunday). This is typically an afternoon/evening
deal. The ones lately have been tiny, #24 and even smaller, but they
have been as big as #16-18 too. Make sure to have a handful of Flying
Ant imitations or you could have a frustrating afternoon of watching
trout rise and not being able to catch them. When
there are bugs on the water, the low flows we have now actually
increases the number of rising trout.
Long leaders 12’+ paired with long/light tippets of 6x-7x
(depending upon fly size) will help present the fly properly to our
picky trout in flat water.
Highs averaging mid to upper
70’s through Friday, with nights in the 50’s, and then starting
Friday night temps take a real dip. Please
keep an eye on water temps. The water coming out of the dam is now
about 62 degrees, and with low flows and warmer (75-80 degree) sunny
days, it can push water temps up to 70 degrees and above later in the
day as you go further downstream. Riverton is 62 degrees at the Rt 20
bridge this morning (peaked out at 67 degrees yesterday afternoon),
and behind Upcountry it was about 60 degrees at 8am, but it peaked
out Sunday afternoon at 71 degrees. Ideally seek out water temps of
68 degrees or less (65 or less is even better), and please do not
harass the trout in 70 degree plus water, it’s very stressful for
them to be caught & released in warm water. Cloudy days see
noticeably less rise in water temps, and if we ever get some real
rain, more water in the river will also help keep the water cooler in
the afternoons.
FYI
it usually gets 3-5 degrees colder at night here than what they
predict. The target dam release for September is 200cfs, but with the
dry August and dry long range forecast they are being conservative
with the water so as not to run out. We could use some substantial
rain. It is reading 102cfs
at the Riverton USGS gauge (by the Rt 20 bridge), and below that the
Still River is adding in 12cfs,
giving us a total flow below that of 114cf.
That is low but definitely
fishable. The upside to low flows is that when there are bugs on the
water, the trout rise like crazy and it can make for some good but
technical dry fly fishing. It’s also easy to read the water, and
also easy to wade and access all the spots. The downside is less
holding water and spookier trout. Longer leaders, lighter/longer
tippets, and smaller flies all help. Be stealthy and dress in drab
colors.
If you are nymphing in these lower flows,
remember to downsize everything: smaller flies, smaller beadheads on
your flies, smaller split shot, thinner tippet, and smaller/drabber
strike indicators. Euro Nymphers need to move their anchor flies from
3.5 & 4mm beads down to 3mm, 2.5 mm, and even 2mm- consider
nymphing with a single fly.
Otherwise you will be dredging bottom and hanging up constantly.
Remember, trout are set up to feed at their mouth/eye level &
above, you don’t want your flies drifting underneath them. Nymphing
with a Dry/Dropper rig can be very effective in lower flows,
especially in sections with slower water. Your dry fly acts as a
subtle strike indicator/suspender for a smaller, lightly weighted
nymph.
We are
stocked up on tying materials for Great Lakes salmon & steelhead,
including Estaz, Glo Bug Yarn, McFlyfoam, 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.
We are 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 very hard to see on the water. FYI splashy rises
generally means Caddis. Isonychia can also create aggressive rises.
Iso’s typically hatch in fast water between late afternoon and
dark, and they ramp up in the late Summer/early Fall as the temps
cool down. They have been light in numbers, but this overall cooler
weather seems to be helping, they have been runing #10-14. The rocks
in the fast water have a good number of large Stonefly shucks on
them, also some #14-20 Yellow Sally Stoneflies on the rocks The
Sallies are mainly a nymphing deal, but
I have had reports of people catching them on Sally dries.
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 still a very
good strategy for bigger
fish, think first light (6am) to about 10am’ish. Fish the faster
water- pool heads, riffles, runs, and pocket water.
If
trout are not rising, be prepared to go subsurface and fish the
faster water. Small nymphs, and at moments Junk Flies have both been
effective of late. If you don’t want to nymph, try Dry/Dropper or
fish 2-3 wet flies/soft hackles. All effective summertime/early
fall 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,
but the cooler weather is improving that a bit. Bugs have been very
hard to predict this year. Check different river sections out when
the fishing & hatches are slow. Fish in the shade whenever
possible, trout will often move into those areas, especially
on warm, sunny days. 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 during non-hatch times,
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 #10-14 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 (we did
have a pretty dry August though, September is already much wetter but
the long range forecast is very dry), 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 periods
(like now) this would be reduced, especially if the lake level is too
low- currently they have decided on a 100cfs release to conserve
water. 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 an overall great job managing the
flows since they took over in June 2024, and it should only get
better as they gain experience.
A
great Summer/early Fall 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. As I already
mentioned in this report, often just going small (#18-22, even
24’s) on your nymphs is
the key to success this time of year. Mousing after dark for big
trout is popular, and an especially good choice when it’s hot
during the day. A lot of the biggest trout become mainly nocturnal in
the late summer/early
fall.
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. As we move into the Fall (starting
now), trout will get more aggressive on streamers due to the
impending spawn (mid October through November). 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. 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 during the
day there will definitely be a Caddis pupa pattern #14-18 on my rig.
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 and the lower river (Collinsville,
Unionville, Farmington). 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.
****************************************************************
Dries:
-Flying
Ants #16-24: typically afternoons/early eves, especially on warmer,
humid days, even better if it rained the day before (softens the
ground so they can burrow into it). A September staple. Doesn’t
happen every day, but when it does, it can be epic.
-Assorted
Caddis #16-22 (tan, green/olive, black): Mostly on the smaller side
now, various species (black, gray, tan). Active mostly in the
mornings and evenings, nymphing with a small pupa is currently a
productive tactic for them. They typically egg-lay later in the day
in low light, in the faster water.
-Isonychia #10-14: light
hatch, mid afternoon to evening in fast water
-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, including Iso’s & BWO’s. Most commonly on
the water at dusk.
-Light Cahill/Summer Stenos #12-14:
evenings
-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, but sometimes they
will eat them on the surface.
-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 and early fall
-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
this time of year
-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): 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.