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.
*****We
are looking for one more
part-time
employee, someone who knows the river well and and is knowledgeable
about flyfishing*****
Pictured
is my
best
and only fish landed
from yesterday, a beautiful holdover (I think) brown. Between
my buddy and myself, we were 2/5. Still a grind out there, but some
high quality fish are making it into the landing nets. Plus the
weather is overall getting very nice. Things will only improve over
the next month.
We
have the brand spanking new Simms
Flyweight Waders
in
stock now, check ‘em out. Super lightweight and fold into their own
pouch for easy carrying.
Current
Sale Items:
-Thomas
& Thomas Contact II Euro rods $499 (were $895): all sizes are now
completely sold out. The all new Contact III+ is available now.
-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.
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 accepting pre-orders for Thomas & Thomas Contact III+ Euro
rods. We are also
happy to accept various trade ins toward the III+ to make them more
affordable, and you can also trade in your Contact II. UpCountry is
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 impressed. They have two different tips, including a solid one that enables you to more easily
cast lighter flies, cushion lighter tippet, fish thin Micro Leaders,
and it also 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 greater 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 (3" longer). If you break a rod tip on these, T&T
has an expedited repair program for the Contact III+ series that
should have you back on the water with a new tip inside of a week or
so.
F
Thursday
Morning 3/26/26
River
Report:
*****We
are looking for a part-time employee, someone who knows the river and
is knowledgeable about flyfishing*****
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/Salmon Stamp, you need it to fish the
Farmington River and any other river that is a TMA (Trout Management
Area).
The
new Thomas & Thomas Contact III+ 10’ rods (#2 & #3)
arrived
Monday 3/16, and
we still have a small stock of them. We received some of the longer
rods (10’ 9” & 11’ 5”) Friday 3/19, but all of them were
pre-sold (except for one 11’ 5” #3), and we are awaiting our next
shipment of them (we have a LOT more coming), probably arriving in
early April.
The
river has come down nicely from the rain Sunday/Monday, still about
130cfs higher than normal for today’s date, but very fishable with
good clarity and still
dropping. I
would currently stay above the juncture with the East Branch though,
at the moment they are probably dumping 200-300cfs from Lake
McDonough, making it noticeably higher & slightly colder below
that (basically don’t go below Michaelangelo’s).
There were quite a few Midges & Early Black Stoneflies popping
yesterday in the afternoon when the sun came out in
the early afternoon. I
fished with my buddy Will, and we had to work very hard for every
bite. I ended up 1 for 2 with a fat holdover brown, and Will
went 1 for 3 and landed a thin but pretty wild brown- both trout were
landed on #14 black nymphs. Total flow yesterday was in the low
700cfs range, it dropped about 100cfs since then and now the total
flow in the Permanent
TMA/Catch & Release is 634cfs
and dropping.
Median/normal total flow
for today’s date would be 505cfs.
Riverton above the Still River (from the dam to just below the Rt 20
Riverton Self Storage/Hitchcock bridge) is 335cfs,
and just below that the Still River is adding in an additional 299cfs
& dropping.
Long range highs vary quite
a bit, running
from the mid 30’s to the upper 60’s, and averaging 50’s to
60’s. Unionville USGS is
1,250cfs
and dropping-
look for flows of 1,000cfs or less to fish that section of the river.
The normal/median flow for Unionville would be 941cfs
for today.
Colebrook Reservoir is
just about full after being low for many months due to the drought in
the second half of 2026.
The reservoir height/elevation has come up about
40 feet in the past 3-4
weeks, from about 670 feet up to almost 710
feet, “full” would
be considered to be 716’ of elevation this time of year, and once
it goes over that the Army Corps will dump extra water to get it
below that. The state began their Spring trout stocking in rivers
about 2
weeks
ago, and they
have stocked both
upstream and
downstream
of the Permanent TMA/Catch
& release in Riverton (from the dam downstream about 4 miles
through Whittemore, stopping just above the Campground, and
from just below the 219 bridge/the Wall in New Hartford down to just
below the Rt. 202 bridge in Canton to the Nepaug River junction/Town
Bridge). The 6.2 mile
Permanent TMA/C&R normally gets stocked once a year in April.
Fishing is still a grind overall, you have to work for your fish,
even in the sections that
were recently stocked. The
stocked trout
seem to be bunched up in very small areas, and you have to move
around until you find them.
When flows are elevated and/or
off-color, you should think about Junk Flies (Worms, Mops, Eggs,
Green Weenies), bigger nymphs (Stoneflies, Princes, etc.), and
streamers of course. Recently stocked trout also love Junk Flies &
Woolly Buggers. The higher the flow gets, the more trout will move
closer to the banks to get out of heavier current. Darker colored
flies show up well in off color water, nymphs with hotspots are also
good. Fish the water near the bank before you step into the river,
otherwise you may
spook trout you otherwise could have caught.
Riverton
water temp this morning is 38 degrees, it
peaked Wednesday at 39.5
Behind UpCountry (11 miles below the dam) the water temp is 39.4
degrees this morning, it peaked yesterday afternoon at 42
degrees. Water temps have been pushing into the low/mid 40’s during
sunny afternoons on warmer days, and that will tend to pick up the
fishing as it leads to a faster metabolism for the trout, and more
insect activity.
Early Black Stoneflies #14-16 are the
current glamour hatch,
March is the big month for that bug, and they normally spill over
into April and can even overlap the Hendrickson hatch some years.
They haven’t been
bringing trout to the surface, but the holdover & wild browns are
eating the nymphs subsurface. Anytime
now we will see #16-18 Baetis/Blue Winged Olives (BWO’s) in the
afternoons, just need water temps to rise a bit more.
Sunday and onward I see
nothing but highs in the 50’s and 60’s, that should get them
going. Fishing has mostly
been a grind, but the holdovers & wilds have
been a large average size
(16-19”,
with some in the 20” plus
range). Be patient, as hours of slow fishing can suddenly turn on
when a bite window opens up. It’s quality over quantity, and all it
takes is one big trout to make your day. Pick likely looking water
and fish it thoroughly, slow & deep with nymphs and streamers.
Trout won’t move far to eat in cold water, so make lots of casts in
the higher percentage spots, and set the hook on ANYTHING suspicious.
Strikes are usually subtle
this time of year.
For you fly tyers, big
Hareline &
Wapsi fly tying material orders arrived recently.
I’d
recommend focusing on mid/late morning through late afternoon when
water temps bump up a bit, and
sunny days are the best of all.
Fish slow & deep, as trout are lethargic when water temps are
cold. Expect most eats to be subtle, so set the hook on anything.
Cycle between black nymphs & Prince nymphs #14-16 (to imitate the
Early Black Stones), Caddis
larva (cased & regular), Blue Winged Olive nymphs #16-18,
small nymphs #16-22 (Midges & Mayflies), flashy Perdigons,
Rainbow Warrior #16-18, Junk Flies (Eggs, Mops, Worms, Green
Weenies), various
streamers- fish them all
slow & deep. In the mornings (roughly 7am to 10am’ish) you may
find some trout rising to Winter Caddis, and during sunny afternoons,
if you are lucky there may be a few trout rising to Stoneflies or
Midges. Cold water strikes can be VERY subtle, so set the hook on
anything. Remember, “hook sets are free”.
Some
days there can be a decent streamer bite. Cold water 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 brown trout, and jig streamers
tight-lined on a Euro rig can be very effective. Dead-drift them, but
also occasionally twitch/pop your indicator to give your streamer a
little movement. Top colors this time of year are white, olive, and
tan.
When water temps are in the mid
30’s to
low/mid
40’s, look for most of the trout in 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 when all of a sudden after slow fishing,
the trout feed actively subsurface for 1-3 hours, so be patient &
persistent. Expect to work for trout this time of year. Trout
normally will only move inches for your fly in cold water. Keep your
expectations reasonable. Work the high percentage water more
thoroughly with extra casts, because in cold water 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.
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. Sunny days are best of all The
exception to starting later 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 an early
morning streamer bite before the nymph fishing turns on. Other than
that, I generally wouldn’t venture out before 9am, and I’d expect
the best fishing to be late morning through late
afternoon, when water temps rise and are at their highest for the
day. Sunny days 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.
Midges and
Early
Black Stoneflies
#14-16
are
the
main afternoon hatches, Early
to mid mornings, Winter
Caddis
#18-24 is the bug and may
bring some trout to the surface. The
lower the flow, the more apt you are to find some
risers.
*******************************************************************************
Dries:
-Early
Black Stoneflies #14-16: Mild sunny afternoons are
best.
-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.
-Baetis/Blue Winged Olives/BWO’s #16-18: not yet but very
soon, afternoon hatch
Nymphs:
-BMAR
Early Black Stonefly #14 (hatching now in afternoons)
-Small Nymphs #18-22:
various patterns, many bugs are small to tiny, 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.
-Cased
Caddis #10-14: above average pattern in March & April, especially
when flows are up (high water knocks them into the drift, they mostly
live in slower water near the stream edges).
-Blue Winged Olive
(Baetis/BWO) Nymphs #16-18: late morning through afternoon
-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): Can work when standard nymphs fail, especially
when there are not many hatches. Also great in higher and/or
off-color water, and on recently stocked fish.
-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. Good choice when flows are
up. Some days when trout won’t move for a small nymph, it takes a
bigger bite of food to get an eat. Often catches larger than average
fish. Experiment!
-Caddis Larva (olive to green) #14-16: tons of
these in the river, good all year, especially in
March/April.
-Attractor Nymphs #10-20: such as Sexy Waltz,
Rainbow Warriors, Frenchies, Prince, Triple Threat, flashy Perdigons,
etc. Some 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, one of the only bugs that is active & hatching in the
Winter.
Streamers:
Streamers
are 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. Also, anytime flows are higher is a great time to use a
streamer.
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. White has been
a top color, and olive and tan are both very good.
-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