We are open 7 days a week, current hours are:
8am-6pm
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. Wednesday
10am-3pm,
Saturday & Sunday 8am-5pm
We
are still looking for one more part-time employee, someone who knows
the river well, is experienced and knowledgeable about flyfishing,
and has a flexible schedule.
Pictured
up top is customer
Jonah with a recent beauty.
Current
Sale Items:
-Sage
Sonic fly rods 25% off
-Scott G Series fly rods 25% off
-Simms
G3 Waders 20% 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.
The
new 2026
Thomas & Thomas
Contact III+ Euro rods are now available.
We are happy to accept various trade ins toward the III+ to make them
more affordable, and you can also trade in your Contact II. 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. 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 in a week, instead of the usual 6-8 weeks. Between the
improved damping/recovery, new low profile single foot guides, and
one snake guide (right next to the tip top), you also get
dramatically less tip wrapping with micro leaders.
We are now a Guideline dealer, They are a Scandanavian company that makes some great rods & reels and more. Zach & Derrrick are both BIG fans of their products. We have Euro, dry fly, and streamers rods from them. We also have Guideline Euro leader butt material in 3x to 5x for making micro leaders, plus a cool mini chest pack that you can attach 5 different ways.
Thursday
Morning 6/22/26
River Report:
Hours:
Wednesday 10am-3pm.
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday 8am-6pm. Weekends remain at
8am-5pm. We will stay on this schedule through the end of the
summer.
A customer recently turned in a wooden
landing net, we have it at the shop.
Looks
like good weekend weather, no rain, not windy at all, highs
78-84 degrees. Total
flow remains
low at 139cfs-
the rain earlier this week dropped ¾” on us, but it
barely registered on the flow gauges and we
need a lot more. They are
being conservative with water released from the dam due to drought
concerns, and maintaining
a bank of cold water in the reservoir system.
Main bugs are Sulfurs &
assorted Caddis, but
Isonychia are becoming a legit hatch that’s working it’s way
upriver, at least as far
up as Church Pool. July
is the peak month for Iso hatches.
Don’t forget about
Terrestrials, especially Ants & Beetles, they are very active
now. If they are not rising (often the case), go subsurface with
nymph & wet flies/soft hackles, blind fish an Attractor dry fly,
or do a Dry/Dropper rig with a nymph 18-24” under a buoyant/visible
dry. Don’t go too heavy
while nymphing the current low water conditions, or you will hang
bottom constantly and not catch fish. Plus you don’t need to dredge
bottom this time of year. Streamers
are at their best during first and last light, and at their worst in
the middle of a bright, sunny day. Mousing at night is a good option
for
big brown trout, keep your leader very short and heavy.
We
are in that time of year when the best fishing tends to be early and
late in the day, with evenings being the peak time for rising fish.
But as you get closer to
the dam, evening hatches often occur in early to mid afternoon.
It’s also the time of
year to take water temps and make sure you are staying in cool enough
water. Most of the river is currently cold enough to trout fish, but
the further downstream you fish from the dam, the warmer the water
will be- especially in the afternoons. Fortunately,
despite the lack of rain
the reservoir is close to full, and the water released from the dam
is still in the mid 40’s and then slowly rises in temperature as
you go downstream. Temps in Riverton above the Still River have
ranged from mid 40’s to low 50’s, and in the Permanent TMA/Catch
& Release (C&R) temps have been running from the mid 50’s
up to the low/mid 60’s. As
long as water temps are 68 or
less,you are fine. If it’s
over that, move upstream until you find colder water, with 50 to 65
degrees being optimal. A good strategy is to start in the morning at
the furthest downstream point you intend to fish, and then move
upriver as the day progresses to stay in ideal water temps. Currently
you are fine all day as far downstream as New Hartford and
maybe Canton (take
water temps!), but in
Collinsville & Unionville you really
need to keep your eye on
the water temps, with morning after a cooler night being the best
time to fish down there. Afternoons & evenings in the lower river
can see water temps down
there to high to fish,
especially on warm, sunny days when
it can easily crack
70 degrees.
Hatches
remain similar to what they were, but remember they work their way
upstream, with any particular hatch happening last in Riverton due to
the icy cold water coming out of the dam (mid 40’s). Sulfurs are a
mix of #16 Invaria and #18 Dorothea- make sure you have BOTH sizes,
trout can be picky on that. More of an evening hatch, but the further
upriver you are the more the chances you may see an early to mid
afternoon hatch of them. Assorted Caddis going from #16-24 (tan,
olive/green, black, gray) are major players.
Typically most hatching occurs from about mid morning to early
afternoon, and then the adult Caddis come out in the evening to
egg-lay in riffly water. Isonychia are picking up steam, with some
good reports in New Hartford, and working
their way upriver at least
as far as Church Pool and likely above that.
Iso’s are a big #8-12 fast water bug that typically emerge between
late afternoon and dark. You can even blind fish them over likely
looking fast water. July is the big month for this bug, one of my
absolute favorite hatches. Iso’s will continue to hatch right
into the mid fall time period, but they get smaller as the season
progresses.
#10 is about average for them currently, but some are bigger, some
are smaller. Other bugs in the mix include #14 Light Cahills in the
evenings, and #20-22 and smaller Blue Winged Olives (evenings, cloudy
afternoons). #12-14 Vitreus are probably almost done, but there
should still be a few
up in Riverton near the dam.
Total flow downstream
of the Still River is currently low at 139cfs
due to the 90cfs flow reduction at the dam last week and lack of rain
in June. Riverton is 116cs,
and the Still River is adding in 23cfs
below that. They are being conservative with water releases at the
dam in Riverton (Hogback/Goodwin Dam) due to drought fears this
Summer and a low inflow to Colebrook Reservoir. Currently the water
coming out of the dam is ice cold and in the mid 40’s, gradually
warming up as you travel downstream. Water temps are a non issue on
most of the river, Riverton has been ranging from mid 40’s to low
50’s, and behind UpCountry in New Hartford the HOBO unit is reading
57.9
degrees this morning, it peaked yesterday at 64.
Temps are trout friendly all the way downs, especially
on hotter sunny days.
Dry/Dropper with a Caddis dry and a trailing weighted
pupa 1-2’ below can be an effective combo during a Caddis
emergence- they usually take the pupa, and the dry acts as a
suspender/indicator, but sometimes they eat the dry. Frequently the
better dry fly action for Caddis is when they come back later in the
day to egg-lay, usually in the low light of evenings. And sometimes
swinging wet flies/soft hackles is the way to go when Caddis are
hatching and/or egg-laying. On
average, they are
much better/faster swimmers than Mayflies, which is why the takes to
them are often violent and trout will sometimes jump out of the
water. They
also tend to be most active in faster, broken water like riffles,
pool heads, pocket water, etc. When fishing Caddis dries, sometimes
the fish want them dead-drift, but frequently they won’t eat it
unless you twitch/move it, the naturals are very active, not passive
like a Mayfly.
Water level is low for late June, more like what you might see at the end of the summer or the early fall when we haven’t had much rain. On the up side, this means easier wading, access to all the spots, and more fish rising when there is a good hatch (easier/more efficient for them to surface feed when the water is shallower & slower). But, this also means you should be stealthy, dress in drab colors, use a longer/lighter leader with a long tippet (3-6+ feet), and use smaller flies. If you are nymphing use lighter flies/smaller split shot, and smaller Indicators. Try not to send ripples when you wade in slower pool water.
Evenings
are peak time for dry flies, although anytime there are bugs hatching
surface action is a possibility. The closer you are to the dam, the
earlier the evening bugs will start, and they will also end earlier.
Sulfurs are still the June “Glamour Hatch”. 7pm to dark is prime
time to find rising trout in June. Depending upon how far below the
dam you are, the main players in the evenings are Sulfurs #16-18
(emergers, duns,
spinners), assorted Caddis
#16-22, #14 Cahills, and frequently #20-22 Blue Winged Olives &
rusty spinners. Rusty spinners imitate the majority of Mayflies, and
you should have Sulfur spinners too.
As you get closer to
the dam and the water gets icy cold, hatches can happen at weird
times of the day, often earlier in the day than the books say. Warmer
water downstream means the hatches start there first and make their
way upriver. Be prepared to also fish subsurface- just because there
are hatches is no guarantee of dry fly fishing & rising trout.
But…. we are into the peak dry fly time of year, with evenings
being prime time for surface action. Cloudy afternoons have seen
#20-22 and smaller Blue
Winged Olives (BWO’s) hatching, with
trout gently sipping them
off the surface in the flat water. They don’t hatch well on bright
sunny days. We are getting toward that time of year where the best
shot at good dry fly action tends to shift more toward the evenings,
with some exceptions. Cooler/cloudy days can see the bugs hatch
earlier, and hot/sunny days can push the bugs even closer to dusk.
Caddis are the main hatch in the mornings; they return in
the low light of evenings to mate & egg-lay over the riffles.
Vitreus are a fast water bug, normally hatching between 4pm and dusk
(hatch is almost over
and only upriver near the dam now). Sulfurs are typically between 7pm
and dark, but closer to the dam they often hatch in early/mid
afternoon. Cahills are an evening bug. And Isonychia normally are on
the water between late afternoon through dusk, but I’ve sometimes
seen them hatch as early as late morning. Most mayfly spinnner falls
in June occur in the last hour of daylight, typically mating in the
air and falling over the riffles and pocket water, with many floating
down into the pools. Hatch times in Riverton in the 2 miles right
below the dam can vary considerably from “normal” due to the
abnormally cold water.
Trout do not always rise to
hatches, and this seems to surprise some experienced anglers, which
amuses me because it’s always been the case on every river I’ve
fished in my life. Be prepared to go subsurface with nymphs &
pupa. I’ve caught many thousands of trout over the years nymphing
Caddis pupa in the fast water from May to October, even November.
Caddis pupa are like candy to big trout. Wet flies & soft hackles
are also good options if you don’t want to nymph, I recommend
fishing 2 or even 3 at a time, on tag end droppers. And don’t rule
out streamers, especially early & late in the day, and on rainy
days and/or during high or off-color water.
There
are miles of trout-filled water both above and below the 6.2 mile
year round/permanent Catch & Release area. Don’t limit yourself
to only fishing that section, that’s a mistake. There are 4 miles
of TMA above that up to the dam, and another 10 miles of TMA below
that down to the Rt 177 Unionville bridge, and it’s all great water
with lots of trout: stocked, holdover & wild. There is a decent
amount of trout water even below that. The lower river (Collinsville,
Unionville, Farmington) is good until the water gets too warm,
usually around late June/early July, and then it picks up again in
mid/late September when things cool down.
Subsurface
flies that are working include #14-20 Caddis patterns (pupa, larva),
Sulfur Nymphs #16-18, Pheasant Tails/Frenchies #12-22, Isonychia
Nymphs #10-12, #8-10
Stonefly nymphs (mornings), Blue Winged Olive (BWO) nymphs #16-22,
flashy Perdigons #16-22, Rainbow Warrior #16-18, Junk
Flies (Mops, Squirmies, Eggs) can work when the trout aren’t
responding to traditional or more imitative nymphs. Also, remember
there are always
lots of smaller bugs in the river, so things like #18-22 Pheasant
Tails, Hare’s Ears, and Walt’s Worms can be very productive. If
you are nymphing and not catching fish, you are doing something
wrong. Move and cover water, change your weight, change your depth,
experiment with different flies, change sizes, etc. Going smaller
often helps.
****************************************************************************************
Dries:
Smorgasbord time!
-Sulfur
#16 (Invaria) and #18 (Dorothea): Typically hatch between 7pm and
dark, but in the upper river as you get closer to the dam, they
often
hatch in early/mid afternoon/
-Assorted
Caddis (tan, olive/green #16-18, black, gray #18-22): hatching about
mid morning through early/mid afternoon, egg-laying in the low light
of evenings, faster water.
-Isonychia #8-12: lower river
(Collinsville/Unionville) and up at least as far as Church Pool, and
likely further upstream than that now. Fast water bug, usually about
4pm to dark.
-Beetles & Ants #12-20: great option when bugs
are not hatching
-Vitreus #12-16: near the end, mainly up closer
to the dam in Riverton now. Late afternoon through eves, faster
water.
-Blue Winged Olives/BWO’s #20-22: afternoon hatch on
cloudy days, also on the water in the last hour of daylight in flat
pool water. Don’t sleep on small rusty spinners at dusk.
-Light
Cahill #14: evenings
-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:
Nymphs:
-Caddis
Pupa #14-18 (tan, olive/green)
-Sulfur Nymphs #16-18: you can
use specific imitations, or go generic with Pheasant
Tails/Frenchies
-Pheasant Tails/Frenchies #12-22: imitates a
wide range of Mayflies including Sulfurs, Vitreus, Baetis/Blue Winged
Olives, Isonychia, small Stoneflies, Hendricksons, and more
-Small
Nymphs #18-22: try Pheasant Tail’s, Hare’s Ears, Walt’s Worms,
etc. Size is often more important than the exact pattern, and the
bugs get smaller (mostly) in the Summer
-Baetis/BWO Nymphs
#16-22
-Caddis Larva (olive to green) #14-16: tons of these in
the river, good all year
-”Junk Flies” (Eggs, Mops,
Squirmy/San Juan Worms, Green Weenies): Often work when standard
nymphs fail, especially when there aren’t many hatches. Also
great in higher and/or off-color water, and on recently stocked fish.
-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. Best in early to mid mornings.
-Midges #18-22
(black, olive, red): Zebra Midge, Flash Midge, Red Iris Midge,
etc.
-Attractor Nymphs #14-20: 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. And some days they prefer drab flies.
-Winter/Summer
Caddis Larva #18 (yellow)
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 or off-color is a great time to
use a streamer.
Top colors currently are 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. Can also be fished under an indicator, or
stripped/swung like a regular streamer. Great to use as a clean-up
fly after you nymph a run.
-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 good fly
-Muddler
Minnow #6-10: an oldie but a goodie, still VERY effective