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 a beautiful colored up male brown caught this week by customer Zach Daugherty, it taped at 21”. I’m nicknaming this fish “Smiley”.
Tom Ames new & updated "Pocketguide to Eastern Hatches" book is back in stock. 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.
Fall
Nymphing Tip:
Small
nymphs are often the key to subsurface success this time of year when flows are normal, 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, especially the Fall
batch of Blue
Winged Olives (BWO’s).
Overall, small nymphs & larva 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 30’ 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 10/31/25
Halloween
River
Report:
Should be receiving another Wapsi fly tying materials order later today.
We
have
needed
substantial
rain for
a while now,
to refill
the reservoirs and put water back in the streams after a dry late
Summer/early Fall, and we finally got it. 2.83” in New Hartford
over the past 24 hours. While
the total flow is pretty high as I write this at a bit under 1,300cfs,
it’s already peaked & dropped, and will be in much better shape
for the weekend, especially by Sunday. The upper river above the
Still River in Riverton is at 340cfs and dropping (very
fishable above the Still River today),
and the Still River is adding in 948cfs & dropping below that,
giving us a total flow of 1,288cfs and
going down
as of 9am- if
I get a chance, I’ll update the flows on
here
in the
late
afternoon before I leave the store.
We
drop FAST once it stops raining.
It
should be well under 1,000cfs (800’ish?)
total flow by Saturday morning, and quite a bit lower on Sunday
(Maybe
500cfs range, give or take).
Riverton water temp is 53 degrees this morning, it peaked yesterday
afternoon at 57 degrees. Downstream water temps are currently lower
than that, running from high 40’s to mid 50’s, depending upon
time of day & weather. Water temperatures will continue to slowly
decline with long range highs mostly in the 50’s, and nights
averaging in the 30’s.
They
started doing a steady release out of Otis Reservoir Wednesday night
10/29, looks like they are releasing/adding about 100cfs into the MA
section of the Farmington River above where it flows into Colebrook
River Lake. That value has to be ultimately added to the dam release
in Riverton, which should happen on Monday, 11/3. The Still River is
being augmented by water released from Highland Lake to lower the
lake level there (they do that every Fall, just like at Otis
Reservoir). We should be in good shape in terms of water for quite a
while now. Seems like we are back to weekly rain also. This last rain
put us at about 37.5” of total rainfall for 2025 in New Hartford,
which is right about normal. Historically the total annual rainfall
for here is about 44”, and now we are back on pace to be right
about there.
Grady
recently acquired some reasonably priced trout-weight bamboo rods,
most are in the $300 range. They are in
the rod rack all the way to the right, in between the Sage and T &
T rods. There are some real values & bargains here.
Higher
flows, especially when they are off-color, are a great time to toss
big streamers 4-6” to target trophy trout, making
today (Friday)
a good one for the diehard big streamer/big trout guys.
It’s also a good time to fish Junk Flies like Eggs, Squirmy/San
Juan Worms, Mops, and Green Weenies. Bigger Stonefly nymphs can be
good too, and Prince nymphs also. Target the softer water off the
main flow and closer to the banks during high water, that’s where
most of the trout move to. Don’t just jump in and go out crotch
deep, because if you do that, you probably just spooked all the
catchable trout. In higher flows, I often start fishing while
standing a rod length back on the bank. As
flows go down and clear up over the weekend (it happens fast here),
fly selection goes back to the typical
mid-Fall fly patterns: smaller nymphs, egg flies, dry flies, and
various small to medium size streamers.
Some
nice fish are getting caught by anglers who are flexible in their
approach. Watch out for redds (where trout deposit their eggs in the
gravel), spawning is in full effect how, and will be
for the rest
of November. Read several paragraph below for advice for fishing
during the spawn. Still some pretty leaves on the trees, but we’ve
lost a lot of leaves due to wind and rain lately.
Looks
like low flows will be a non-issue in November lol.
And the Still River continues to
be
augmented by water releases from Highland Lake to lower the lake
level like they do every Fall.
While hatches are overall
light this year, at moments there are good numbers of tan/brown
Caddis #16-18, small Blue Winged Olives (BWO’s) #22-26 on cloudy
afternoons, and a few #12-14 Isonychia (Iso’s) are still around but
getting near the end. When they are not rising, which is the majority
of the time, fish streamers, Junk Flies (Mops, Eggs, Worms, Green
Weenies), and small nymphs #18-22. Egg flies get hot once trout begin
spawning in good numbers, which is
now.
Trout move around a lot in October/November,
so
they can be in one spot today, and a totally different spot tomorrow.
This
is
prime time for streamer fishing, browns get extra
aggressive
due to the spawn. 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, more
aggressive retrieves tend to produce better this time of year,
getting those quick reaction bites.
Brown
trout
are
spawning now, 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.
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, typically they are light in numbers. 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 and the size of the trout your are
targeting. Jigged streamers on a Euro rig typically match up nicely
with 4x-5x.
A big Hareline
tying materials arrived recently and it’s up on the walls now. I’m
working on a Nature’s
Spirit fly tying order
at the moment. Time to tie some flies for the Fall!
Assorted
Caddis #16-22 will be present daily right into November until the
truly frigid weather sets in, 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).
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): Various species. Active mostly in
the late 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.
*Blue Winged
Olives (BWO’s/Olives) #22-26: afternoons & eves, especially
during cloudy weather. Rusty spinners also in the same sizes at
dusk.
-Isonychia #12-14: light hatch, afternoons/eves in fast
water, hatch is near the end
-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 & near the end, late afernoons & eves, use
BMAR October Caddis in fast water
-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 very good in higher,
off-color water.
-Big Stonefly Nymphs #8-10: golden/yellow,
brown, black, Pat’s
-Isonychia Nymph #12-14: afternoons
through eves, fish in fast water. Use BMAR Iso nymph, Keslar’s Iso,
also Princes & Pheasant Tails. This hatch is near the end
now.
-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 in 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 yellow. 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