As of Monday 9/15, we are back to closing at 5pm on weekdays. We are also going to be open on Wednesdays once again starting on 10/1, but it will be 10am-4pm.
We will once again be open 7 days a week starting on 10/1, current hours are:
8am-5pm Monday & Tuesday, closed on Wednesday, 8am-5pm Thursday & Friday, and 8am-5pm on Saturday & Sunday.
Pictured up top is a trophy FRAA Rainbow that Derrick’s client landed recently.
We just got in another 30 copies of Tom Ames new & updated "Pocketguide to Eastern Hatches" book, that’s 100 copies sold in 3 week!s 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.
A big Wapsi fly tying materials order just arrived, and sometime next week we should also have a big Hareline tying materials order come in.
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.
Friday
morning 9/19/25
River
Report:
Just
another day in paradise. The weather flips back cooler again starting
tonight (Friday), well down into the 40’s overnight, and weekend
highs of 71 for both days, with nights in the low/mid 40’s. This
will put the entire river back in play for the weekend and beyond.
The warmer, sunny days this week were pushing water temps up in
the afternoons as you
ventured downriver, but that won’t be an issue now. Cooler temps in
the later summer/early fall tend to improve insect hatches also.
Seeing the beginning of foliage colors, a little more each day. Still
about 1 month away from peak colors, love October!
The
water coming out of the dam is now about 62 degrees, and
then as you go downstream the
river below that cools
down overnight, and then gradually rises up in temp and peaks in the
afternoon. We are in that
weird time of year where as long as the weather is cooler, the water
temps will actually be cooler the further downstream you get from the
dam (due to overnight cooling)- cloudy
days will see the coolest water temps.
Obviously on hot
sunny days with warmer night this would not be the case.
Riverton is about
62.5 degrees at the Rt 20
bridge this morning (peaked out at 68
degrees yesterday afternoon), and behind Upcountry it was 60.85
degrees at 8am, but it peaked out Thursday
afternoon at 71.9
degrees. Ideally seek out water temps of 68 degrees or less, and
65 or below
is even better. 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. If
we don’t get some substtantial
rain soon, they will have to reduce the dam release some more.
We
continue to see Flying Ants some days, and when it happens it can be
some excellent dry fly fishing.
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 in
different sizes 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.
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, as the water level in
the reservoir has dropped a lot (currently at 658.85’ elevation and
dropping this morning).
We could use some substantial rain. It is reading 111cfs
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
123cf.
That is low but definitely fishable. 153cfs
is the historical
median/normal total flow for today, so
we aren not far off of that.
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, and on
hotter/sunny days the water temps can shoot up.
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 the
trout have been eating #16-18 Yellow Sally dries in the late
afternoon to evening time period.
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 good
strategy for bigger fish, think first light (about
6:15am) to about 10am’ish.
Fish the faster water- pool heads, riffles, runs, and pocket
water. In the
afternoons, look for shaded holding 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. 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 #18-20,
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.
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 about a
100cfs release to conserve water (110cfs
currently). 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 (we
are definitely is a period of dry weather lately),
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
6:15am)
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 to
give you a shot at a trophy brown.
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, skewing
toward the smaller sizes.
Caddis pupa are working subsurface in #16-22 (tan, olive/green).
You can use specific pupa patterns, Walt’s Worms, and Sexy Waltz
(has flashy rib & hotspot). On cooler overcast afternoons, we’ve
been seeing #22-24
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! And
when they sampled the trout recently (early September 2025), they
shocked up a lot of trout and the fish were in good condition.
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 trout have been
eating on the surface in the late afternoon through
evening.
-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.