We are 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 is our customer Brent with a really nice brown from about 2 weeks ago before the deep freeze. Spring cannot come soon enough!!!
Current Sale Items:
-Thomas & Thomas Contact II Euro rods $499 (were $895): 10’9” #4 is the only size still available, others are all sold out
-Scott G Series fly rods $660 (30% off, were $945)
-Thomas & Thomas Lotic fiberglass rods $450 (were $695)
-Sage Sonic fly rods 25% off
-Scott G Series fly rods 25% off
-Simms G3 Waders 20% off
-Simms Confluence Waders 35% off
-Scientific Angler Amplitude Smooth Trout fly lines 20% off
-All Airflo fly lines are 40% off
***Sales apply only to in-stock merchandise and can be bought in-store, or on the website & shipped to your door - call with any questions***
Gift
Certificates are available and can be sent by mail or bought on our
website.
Between
the 40% off sale and our trade-in program,
those of you who have lusted after a T&T Contact II Euro rod but
are on a tight budget should be able to finally afford one. Next
year's Contact III+ (arriving mid to late February 2026) will bring a
new gold standard to the industry, but the Contact II is the
current best and will elevate your game. Bring the rods & reels
that are gathering dust in your closet and trade them for something
that will make your Christmas special.
We
will match most
advertised deals
from other stores local or on the internet if we have the item in
stock. We want your business, and as your friends and local fly shop
please come to us first if we can help. Our business only survives
because of your support.
We
are now accepting pre-orders for the first batch of Thomas &
Thomas Contact III+ Euro rods that will be available starting
sometime around mid February/early March.
UpCountry will be one of the first stores in the country to receive
these rods limited to an initial run of 500 nationwide, so get in
line by giving us a call now, a $100 deposit will reserve a rod for
you. T&T brought these rods to us recently, and we were blown
away. They have two different tips, including a solid one that
enables you to more easily cast lighter flies, cushion lighter
tippet, and makes it harder for smaller fish to throw the hook. The
Contact III+ is made of a new material that’s twice as strong, and
recovers noticeably faster/crisper. This will translate into more
casting distance, more accuracy, and greater sensitivity. With the
included second tip, it's like getting two rods in one. Lengths
remain the same at 10' & 10'9" with the exception of the new
11’ 5“ 3wt. If you break a rod tip on these, T&T has an
expedited repair program that should have you back on the water with
a new tip inside of a week or so.
Friday
Morning 1/30/26
River
Report:
Don’t
forget to get a 2026 CT fishing license, you will need a new one as
of January 1st. You
can get a license here at UpCountry, on the CT DEEP website, or you
can get one in person at most town halls. Don’t forget to also
purchase the $5 Trout Stamp, you need it to fish the Farmington
River.
We now have FRAA Banquet tickets available for
purchase in the store via cash or check, but not credit/debit cards.
Date is Saturday March 7th, cost is $60 per ticket.
Still
hardcore Winter out there, 3 degrees as I write this report. Brutal
fishing conditions currently, but if you can handle the cold temps
the upper river near the dam remains fishable. Highs
move back into the low/mid 30’s next week from Monday through
Friday. The problem
currently is the Polar
Vortex has created extensive
shelf ice, anchor ice (on the river bottom), and floating slush are
making most of the river unfishable. The slightly warmer water coming
out of the dam keeps it from freezing in
Riverton, but as you move
away from the dam water temps get below freezing again, and
tributaries like the Still River dump in ice water and slush.
As of Wednesday afternoon, it was open/fishable from the dam down to
about 2 miles below the Still River, but
that can change. The
other issue is parking, as almost none of the pullouts are plowed,
just the main parking lots. If you do head out, pick a sunny day and
focus on late morning through mid afternoon when water temps bump up
a degree or two. Fish slow & deep, as trout are super lethargic
in water that is near 32 degrees. Expect
most eats to be super subtle, so set the hook on anything.
FYI
the flow gauge on the Still River is frozen.
The
dam is reading 148cfs
at the Rt 20 bridge, that’s
a medium-low level for the upper river.
I’d estimate the Still
River at 80-100cfs, which puts the
total
flow below that
in the Permanent TMA/Catch & Release is about 230-250cfs
(historical normal flow
for today would be 345cfs).
Above the Still River in Riverton from about the Rt 20
bridge/Riverton Self Storage to the dam it will remain open
& fishable no
matter how cold it gets.
Riverton water temp this
morning is about 33.5
degrees, yesterday
afternoon it peaked at 36
degrees. Behind UpCountry
(11 miles below the dam) the water temp is 31.5
degrees this morning. Unionville USGS streamflow gauge
is frozen.
Joey
& I have been working on some fly tying orders- Fulling Mill
arrived last week and
filled holes for hooks, beads and flies. We
will shortly be placing orders with Wapsi, Hareline, and Nature’s
Spirit.
Slow & deep in the pools with nymphs &
streamers is normally the name of the game in Winter.
Strikes can be VERY subtle, so set the hook on anything. Remember,
“hook sets are free”. The best subsurface fishing lately has been
somewhere between 10am and 3pm’ish most days (it can vary though).
But… don’t totally rule out dry flies, especially the Winter
Caddis hatch in the early to mid mornings (typically between
7am-10am, but can be earlier or later). Midges are also a possibility
during mild afternoons, a little sunshine really helps.
If
you catch a Winter bite window when the trout decide to actively
feed, double digit catches are sometimes possible for skilled anglers
who know the river well. Trout are done spawning and they are hungry.
Lately the best time overall seems to be mid/late morning to mid/late
afternoon, when water temps rise and are at their highest. It’s
also the most pleasant time of day to be outside. Some days it can be
earlier than this though, especially if you have milder
night/morning. Nymphing has been the most consistent method, with
various nymphs #16-20 getting it done, as well as Junk Flies
(Squirmies, Eggs, Mops). We often pair a Junk Fly with a more
imitative smaller nymph, it’s a good Winter combo. Jigged streamers
fished slow & deep are also a good choice, white has been an
above average streamer color this Winter. Water temps are cold
(30’s), so focus on presenting your nymphs & streamers slow and
deep.
Small
nymphs are sometimes the key to subsurface success in the Winter, and
by small I mean #18’s all the way down to #22-24. Exception could
be Stoneflies #8-10 & Mops. Most nymphs are small to very
small right now, with some exceptions. Both Midges and Winter
Caddis are small, and most other nymphs/larva are immature and still
small in early Winter. Some days fly size can make a big
difference. Nymphing is typically the ticket in the Winter,
with fish coming to flies like Egg patterns #14-18, and #14-22
nymphs such as Pheasant Tails/Frenchies and Walt’s Worms. Other
good Winter nymphs include Midges #18-22 (black, olive, red), small
flashy Perdigons, Rainbow Warrior #16-18, Prince #10-14, Caddis
Larva, Mops, and nymphs with pink beads (PT’s, Walt’s, Hare’s
Ears, etc.).
Some
days there can be a good streamer bite. Cold water temps means you
typically need to slow down your streamer presentations and get them
deep. The easier you make it for the trout to eat, the more strikes
you will get on streamers. Steamers fished under an Indicator
can sometimes get you a big Winter brown trout. Dead-drift them, but
also occasionally twitch/pop your indicator to give your streamer a
little movement. Top
colors are white, olive, and tan.
When
water temps are in the 30’s (now), look for most of the trout in
Winter lies. That means deeper, slower water like pools, softer runs,
and deeper moderate riffles. Be aware that during afternoons when the
water temps bump up a little, trout will commonly move into the
riffles and into the current to feed at the pool heads. There are
often bite windows in the Winter, when all of a sudden after slow
fishing, the trout feed actively subsurface for 1-3 hours, so be
patient & persistent. Colder water means less bug activity and
less feeding by the trout, so expect to work for trout this time of
year. Trout normally will only move inches for your fly in icy cold
water. Having said that, I’ve had some surprisingly productive days
in the Winter. Fish will pod up in groups, and if you can locate the
pod and catch a bite window, you can do well. Keep your expectations
reasonable though. Work the water more thoroughly with extra casts,
because in the Winter trout normally won’t move far at all for your
fly. Slow & deep for your nymphs and streamers, and set the hook
on anything, even just gut instinct.
If you are headed
out fishing in the Winter, in general there is no need to get out
there at the crack of dawn. Give the water a few hours to warm up one
or two degrees, that’s all it takes to get the trout feeding. The
exception would be the Winter Caddis hatch, which goes on all Winter
in the early to mid mornings (7am to 10pm would be typical, but it
can vary). Sometimes also, you can get a mid-morning streamer bite
before the nymph fishing turns on. Other than that, I wouldn’t
venture out before 10am, and I’d expect the best fishing to be late
morning through mid/late afternoon, when water temps rise and are at
their highest for the day. Sunny days are best of all, they warm the
water up more than overcast weather. The general rule of thumb with
trout is, fish at the time of day when air temps are the most
comfortable for you, and it’s 90% accurate. The exception to warm
days being best of all is when there is a decent amount of snow on
the ground. Warm sunny days can melt the snow and send ice water into
the river, dropping water temps by lunchtime and totally shutting
down the afternoon bite. Sunny days with highs in the 30’s or less
are better when we have significant snow cover on the ground.
Midges are
the afternoon hatch now. Early
to mid mornings, Winter
Caddis
#18-24 is the bug.
*******************************************************************************
Dries:
-Summer/Winter
Caddis #18-24: hatch is typically early to mid morning. Trout focus
on the pupa first, and then as the morning progresses they normally
switch to the winged adults when they return to egg-lay. Try both
twitching & dead-drifting your fly, trout often key on movement
with this bug.
-Midges #20-28: afternoon hatch, especially on
sunny/milder days. Sometimes brings trout to the surface. If not, go
subsurface with Midge pupa & larva.
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 superseding the exact
fly pattern.
-Midges #18-22 (black, olive, red): Zebra Midge,
Flash Midge, Red Iris Midge, etc.
-Blue Winged Olive
(Baetis/BWO) Nymphs #16-22: all year long
-Pheasant
Tails/Frenchies #14-22: imitates a wide range of Mayflies including
Sulfurs, Isonychia, Vitreus, Blue Winged Olives, small Stoneflies,
and more.
-”Junk Flies” (Eggs, Mops, Squirmy/San Juan
Worms, Green Weenies): Often work when standard nymphs fail,
especially in the Winter when there are not many hatches. Also
great in higher and/or off-color water.
-Big Stonefly Nymphs
#8-10: golden/yellow, brown, black, Pat’s. Big Stones are a
mouthful that can be hard for trout to pass up, and there are a
surprising amount of them in the river. Some days in the Winter when
trout won’t move for a small nymph, it takes a bigger bite of food
to get an eat. Experiment!
-Caddis Larva (olive to green)
#14-16: tons of these in the river, good all year, especially in the
Winter.
-Attractor Nymphs #10-20: such as Sexy Waltz, Rainbow
Warriors, Frenchies, Prince, Triple Threat, etc. Some Winter days
trout ignore natural/drab nymphs but will eat gaudy attractors.
-Winter/Summer Caddis Larva #18 (yellow)- also imitates Black
Caddis larva & some Midge larva, works all year long, and one of
the only bugs that is active & hatching in the Winter.
Streamers:
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. Streamers are also a great “clean-up” fly to
fish after you have thoroughly nymphed a run, and often will produce
a bigger fish than the nymphs did.
Top
colors have been white, olive, tan. A little yellow paired with
another color (olive, tan, etc.) in a streamer can trigger brown
trout. Black can be good on recently stocked trout (especially
rainbows), during low light (dawn/dusk), and high and/or dirty
water.
-Jig 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 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