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 thick bodied male brown trout landed on a small nymph by outdoor writer Will Ryan on Wednesday when we fished together.
Tom Ames new & updated "Pocketguide to Eastern Hatches" book is back in stock, we just received 48 copies. 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. They are by far
more numerous than bigger ones. Some days this makes a huge
difference. Dry/Dropper nymph rigs can be effective, especially in
softer and shallower currents. 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
including jigged streamers, but the #2 is great if you fish mostly 6x
or lighter tippet, it 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, as well
as King Salmon and other larger fish where you need a stiffer rod
with some serious backbone. Could also be a good choice for hot fresh
Fall Steelhead in heavy water & rapids 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 10/10/25
River Report:
What
a difference a few days make. Cool to downright cold out since
Wednesday night, the water temp behind UpCountry this morning is 49.6
degrees!!!
Wednesday afternoon the water temp in New Hartford was 65 degrees.
Last night was down into the upper 20’s, our first legit frost this
Fall. Rain
this past Tuesday night/Wednesday morning only amounted to about
1/3”, but it looks like the drought breaks with legit rain coming
in Sunday afternoon through Tuesday morning, currently they are
predicting about 1.25” in total, with the brunt of it coming on
Monday. We could use all that and more! 10 Day Forecast is seasonable
& normal, with highs in the mid 50’s to mid 60’s, and nights
averaging in the 40’s. You should really see the foliage colors pop
with the colder nights here now, we are not yet at peak (prob next
weekend), but it’s getting quite colorful out there.
Total
flow remains moderately low, but only about 45cfs below the
normal/median flow for today’s date. The total flow in the
Permanent TMA/Catch & Release is 149cfs this morning (Riverton
above the Still River is 57.5cfs, and the Still River is adding in
91.5cfs). Riverton
was 59 degrees this morning, it reached 64 yesterday afternoon.
The rain coming in a few days will give us a much needed boost in
flow. The Still River got a boost from water being released from
Highland Lake to lower the level like they do every Fall, and this
should last well into November. After Columbus Day (this Monday
10/13), they normally also let water out of Otis Reservoir in MA
(it’s 5-10 miles above Colebrook River Lake) starting the following
weekend (October 18/19) to lower the lake. The water released from
Otis by law has to be added to the planned released from
Goodwin/Hogback Dam in Riverton. This usually takes at least 3-4
weeks, and if we get decent rainfall it takes longer than that.
Soooo, look for more water & improved flows in the very near
future between Mother Nature & lowering of those two lakes. Isn’t
it nice to have some good news?
Water
temps,
as I mentioned above, have come way down and are no longer anything
to worry about (in terms of it getting too high). It’s coming out
of the dam about 64 degrees, but then rapidly cooling as it moves
downriver, and the Still River runs cool this time of year. When the
lake turns over/flips, the water coming out of the lake will suddenly
drop into the mid 50’s- typically this happens in late
October/early November.
Hatches
are simpler now, with the big 3 being Tan/brown Caddis #16-18,
Isonychia #12-14, and Blue Winged Olives #20-26. And don’t forget
about the early to mid morning Summer/Winter Caddis #18-24 that hatch
12 months a year. There
are a few Giant October
Caddis around later in the day. You may see some other bugs like
Yellow Sallies & Summer Steno’s, but those are the main ones.
While hatches have been light overall in
2025, we’ve been seeing
good
numbers of the #16-18 Tan/Brown Caddis, and the cooler weather here
now should only improve
hatches & trout feeding on them. Long leaders 12’+ paired with
long/light tippets (3-6’ and even longer) of 6x-7x (depending upon
fly size) will help present your fly properly to our picky trout in
flat water. Be stealthy in your wading, and it doesn’t hurt to
dress in drab clothing.
Now that Fall is here and spawning
will be starting later this month, brown trout are getting more
aggressive. This means it’s an above average time to fish
streamers. Early & late in the day are the peak streamer times,
and also on overcast days and anytime the water rises and/or gets
off-color. Play with retrieves and fly color. In general, in October
faster more aggressive retrieves tend to produce better, getting
those quick reaction strikes.
A big Hareline
tying materials arrived last week and it’s up on the walls now. I’m
working on a Nature’s
Spirit fly tying order
at the moment.
A good October nymphing 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- this can put
some bigger trout in the net. 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.
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 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.
Assorted Caddis #16-22 will be
present daily right into November, 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 #8-24
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 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, afternoons/eves in fast
water
-Blue Winged Olives (BWO’s/Olives) #20-26: afternoons &
eves, especially during cloudy 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.
-Giant October/Pumpkin Caddis
#8-12: light hatch, late afernoons & eves, use BMAR October
Caddis in fast water
-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, a few, near the end
-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, with size of the fly often superceding the exact
fly pattern.
-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
-”Junk
Flies”: Mops, Eggs, Squirmy/San Juan Worms, Green Weenies. Often
work when standard nymphs fail. Especially good on recently stocked
trout, and also during high or dirty water. Egg Flies are deadly from
about mid October through April. Mops are a great “cleanp-up” fly
after you already fished a run. And worm flies are good in higher,
off-color water.
-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. FYI
yellow/brown Sulfur Nymphs can also work to imitate them. Hatch is
near the end.
-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, works all year
long
-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. The low-light conditions of early & late in the day are prime time for streamers, as are overcast days and periods of higher and/or off-color water.
-
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.