Store
Hours:
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.
On
Columbus Day, Monday 10/13, we will close early at 3pm.
Pictured
up top is a flawless
wild male brown trout, landed last week by local guide Derrick
Kirkpatrick (CT Fish Guides).
Tom
Ames new & updated "Pocketguide to Eastern Hatches"
book is
back
in stock, we received 48 copies last
week.
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 central
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.
Monday
morning 10/13/25
Columbus
Day River
Report:
We
will close at 3pm today, Monday
10/13
Columbus Day.
Finally,
some substantial rain, and more in the 10 Day Forecast. Total flow is
up to 202cfs & rising as of 8am. 1.12” of rain so far in New
Hartford, with another 1/3”
forecasted for
today (Monday),
and “the potential for heavy rain”. We’ll take it all. Riverton
is 68cfs (very
low),
and below that the Still River is adding in an additional 134cfs and
increasing. This
bodes well for flows this week, this bump should do nothing but
improve the fishing. Historically Otis Reservoir will start releasing
water to lower the lake starting on the weekend, which I’m guessing
will show up next week as an increase in the flow out of the dam.
Riverton water temp is 60 degrees this morning, it peaked at 63
yesterday afternoon. When
Colebrook
River Lake
turns over/flips, the water coming out of the dam
will suddenly drop into the mid 50’s- typically this happens in
late October/early November.
The HOBO unit behind UpCountry is reading 56.4 degrees in New
Hartford this morning, it peaked at about 59 degrees yesterday. These
are optimal water temps. Long range weather sees highs averaging mid
50’s to mid 60’s, with nights averaging in the 40’s. Foliage
color should continue to improve this week, the next two weekends
should be peak.
Flow bumps like this combined with
overcast weather tends to make for a really good streamer bite,
should be good for that today (Monday) & Tuesday too. If you are
nymphing, make one of your flies a Junk Fly (Egg, Mop, Worm), and
pair that up with a nymph of some sort.
Trout
should begin spawning in earnest starting over
the next week or so, keep your eyes out for redds, the light
colored oval areas in shallow gravelly riffles where trout drop their
eggs.
Avoid
walking through them, and the first 15 feet or so below
them as the eggs will often wash 5-15 feet below the redd.
Favored spawning areas typically include side channels and pool
tailouts, but riffles at pool heads can also have spawners if there
is pea gravel present. The bulk of the spawning on the Farmington
River is typically from about mid October through late November, and
the eggs/fry hatch out in February through early March. Walking on
the eggs in this time period will crush and destroy them and future
wild trout. Please also refrain from fishing to spawning trout on
redds, it’s unsporting & unethical. They are stressed enough
already, just let them do their thing and make more wild brown trout.
There are always lots of non-spawning trout to catch, as well as
trout that are still pre-spawn, and soon there will be plenty of
trout that have completed spawning. Some trout will position in the
first deeper water downstream of spawning fish
to
eat loose eggs in the drift.
Hatches
are simpler now, with the big 3 being tan/brown
Caddis #16-18, Isonychia #12-14, and Blue Winged Olives #22-26.
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 light
numbers of 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 small
dry flies
properly to our picky trout in flat water. Be stealthy in your
wading, and it doesn’t hurt to dress in drab clothing. 5x-6x
tippet is appropriate for nymphs. Streamer fishing requires 0x-3x
tippet depending upon fly size. Jigged streamers on a Euro rig
typically match up nicely with 4x-5x.
Now
that Fall is here and spawning will be kicking
into full gear,
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 mostly
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 holding
good numbers
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) #22-26: 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
-Yellow Sally #14-20: Fast
water bug, you will see the shucks on 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 “clean-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
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 due to spawning. 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.