We are once again open 7 days a week, current hours are:
8am-5pm Monday & Tuesday, Wednesday 10am-4pm, 8am-5pm Thursday & Friday, and 8am-5pm on Saturday & Sunday.
Pictured up top is the best fish for me during a 4 hour outing Thursday afternoon/evening. The trout didn’t seem to want my nymphs, but some were willing to eat Junk Flies.
Tom Ames new & updated "Pocketguide to Eastern Hatches" book, is sold out, but we have another big batch coming in Monday afternoon 10/6. 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, it’s been flying off the shelves.
Nymphing
Tip:
Small
nymphs are often the key to subsurface success this
time of year, and by small
I mean #18 and smaller, all the way down to #22-24. Exceptions would
be Isonychia #12-14, and Stoneflies #8-10. Most nymphs are small to
very small this time of year, and in general in lower water
conditions smaller flies work better on average. They are also 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 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.
We
have some 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.
Diamondback
Generation IV Euro nymphing rods are available. 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, and lighter flies - 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 10/3/25
River Report:
The
flow is noticeably improved as
of Wednesday 10/1, due to
the annual fall lowering of Highland Lake, which flows into the Still
River. Still a relatively low dam release of 102cfs up
in Riverton, but the Still
River bumped from about 10cfs up to 82 cfs. This puts the total flow
below the Still River at 184cfs, what I would call a medium-low and
VERY fishable level. This extra release should
continue well into November. And at some point after Columbus Day,
you will see Otis Reservoir in MA begin to release water to lower the
lake, and this flows into Colebrook River Lake and has to be added to
the dam release. So we are looking good for water levels in October &
November, even if we don’t get much rain.
Overall
temps have really cooled off, the high yesterday only hit 65 degrees
here, and it was 41 degrees at 8am this morning. It’s 62.5 degrees
for a water temp in Riverton this morning, and 56.4 at the Hobo unit
behind UpCountry. Riverton
peaked out at 67.5 yesterday (Thursday), and New Hartford maxed out
at only 61.5. We are in that weird time of year where as long as it
is relatively cool out, the middle & lower river are cooler than
Riverton. That’s because it’s coming out of the dam at about 64
degrees, and it will stay there until the lake flips/turns over.
With warm weather making a brief return for Saturday though Tuesday
(highs 79-84), it will be a good idea to use your thermometer. Cooler
nights & the newly improved higher flow will both help keep water
temps from warming up as much as they have been on warm sunny days
though.
Hatches
have been overall light
and a mish mash of
assorted bugs. Summer/Winter Caddis #18-24 in the mornings, Tan
Caddis #16-18 (also some tiny tan ones in #22), Isonychia #12-14
(afternoons through dusk), Blue Winged Olives averaging #20-26
(cloudy days especially), and Summer Stenos/Light Cahills #12-16
(eves). Also a few Yellow Sallies averaging #16-18. You
have a shot at seeing Flying Ants during the warmer afternoons coming
up this weekend, but otherwise we are about at the tail end of that.
Long leaders 12’+ paired with long/light tippets (3-6’ and even
longer) of 6x-7x (depending upon fly size) will help present the fly
properly to our picky trout in flat water. Be
stealthy in your wading, and it doesn’t hurt to dress in drab
clothing.
When
nymphing in lower flows, remember to downsize everything: smaller
flies, smaller beadheads on your flies, smaller split shot, thinner
tippet, and smaller/drabber strike indicators. 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.
The big Wapsi
fly tying order that arrived recently
is up on the walls, and Hareline
tying materials arrived
Thursday.
A
good early
Fall tactic is to target the first light (about 6:30am) 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.
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.
Isonychia 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 #12-14. 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 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 mostly).
You can use specific pupa patterns, Walt’s Worms, and Sexy Waltz
(has flashy rib & hotspot). On cooler overcast afternoons, we’ve
been seeing #20-26
Blue Winged Olives (BWO’s/Olives).
The fast water is
currently full of trout. 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 #14-22
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. Bigger PT’s can imitate Iso nymphs. From May
through early/mid November, if I’m nymphing, at some point during
the day there will definitely be a Caddis pupa pattern #14-18 on my
rig.
****************************************************************
Dries:
-Assorted
Caddis #16-22 (tan, gray, black): Mostly on the smaller side now,
various species. 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 #12-14: 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.
-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.
-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
-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). We are near the end of Flying
Ants now that the weather is colder.
-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. Getting near
the end for this hatch. Mostly a nymphing deal, but trout have been
eating on the surface in the late afternoon through evening.
-Ants
& Beetles #14-20: deadly in the summertime and early
fall
-Attractor Dries #10-16: Mini Chubbies, Stimulators, Amazon
Ants, etc.
-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
(mostly 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 #12-14: mid afternoon through
eves, fish in fast water. Use BMAR Iso nymph, Keslar’s Iso, also
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:
Trout get aggressive on streamers as you move into the fall and the they are pre-spawn.
-
top colors have been olive, tan, white, and black. A little yellow in
a streamer can trigger brown trout in the fall. 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.