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 up top is Luca C. with a flawless Farmington River brown trout to end 2025.
Current Sale Items:
-Thomas & Thomas Contact II Euro rods $535 (were $895): 10 #2, 10’9” #4, and 11’ 2” #3 are still available, other sizes are 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 instore, 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 out
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 almost
any 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 to late February.
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.
Friday 1/2/26
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,
or you can go on the CT DEEP website.
Other
than some colder temps lately, conditions are pretty good and will
improve for this weekend with a modest warm-up (29-31
degrees), less
wind than we’ve had, and the sun will peek out at moments. The dam release increased Monday 12/29, which is a
good thing because they had the river low, which combined with the
colder temps was resulting in a lot of shelf ice & slush. The
increase in flow from that and rain Sunday night/Monday morning
cleared the ice out, and slush hasn’t been an issue unless you go
way downstream after a truly cold night. Riverton
USGS gauge (at the Rt 20 bridge/Riverton Self Storage) is 223cfs
this morning.
The
Still River gauge appears
to be reading high due to the cold nights, I’d guess it at
100-120cfs (it’s reading 262cfs and rising, which makes zero sense
and is definitely
wrong). This puts the total flow in the
Permanent TMA/Catch & Release (C&R) in the low/mid
300cfs
range, I’d call this medium. I think we should see water levels
stay up in the medium range at
least through
next week & weekend.
Riverton water temp this morning is 35.5+
degrees, it peaked yesterday afternoon at about 36.
Behind UpCountry the water temp is about 31.5 degrees this morning,
it peaked at 32.6 degrees
Thursday afternoon.
Unionville USGS streamflow is 526cfs
(medium/normal).
Overall, fishing was good the majority of December, which is historically typical. If you catch a bite window when the trout decide to actively feed, double digit catches have not been uncommon for better anglers. Trout are done spawning and they are hungry. Lately the best time overall seems to be about 11am to 3pm, when water temps rise and are at their highest. It’s also the most pleasant time of day to be outside. Nymphing has been the most consistent method this month, 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 in December. Flows are dropping and getting lower lately, but you will likely see a flow increase at the dam on Monday (release is based upon Colebrook Reservoir inflow & water released from Otis Reservoir). Water temps are still cold (30’s) because it is Winter, so focus on presenting your nymphs & streamers slow and deep.
Small
nymphs are sometimes the key to subsurface success this time of year,
and by small I mean #18’s all the way down to #22-24. Exception
would be Stoneflies #8-10 & Mops. Most nymphs are small to very
small right now. 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, and #14-22 nymphs such as Pheasant Tails/Frenchies
and Walt’s Worms. Other good December nymphs include Midges #18-22
(black, olive, red), small flashy Perdigons, Rainbow Warrior #16-18,
Princes #10-14, Caddis Larva, Mops, nymphs with pink beads (PT’s,
Walt’s, Hare’s Ears, etc.), and Stoneflies #8-10.
Some days there can be a good streamer bite. Trout are virtually done spawning now, and they lose weight during the process. They are looking to bulk up afterwards, which can make streamers a tempting choice for them. With cold water temps here now, 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.
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. Having said that, I’ve had some surprisingly productive days
in the Winter, especially in December and the first half of January.
Fish will start to pod up, 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 general there is now 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). 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 a
good snow cover on the ground.
Midges are
becoming the afternoon hatch now that the Fall Blue Winged Olive
hatch is done. 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 Fall & Winter when there are not many
hatches.
-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.
-Caddis Larva (olive to green) #14-16: tons of these in
the river, good all year
-Attractor Nymphs #10-20: such as Sexy
Waltz, Rainbow Warriors, Frenchies, Prince, Triple Threat, Walt’s
Worm.
-Winter/Summer Caddis Larva #18 (yellow)- also imitates
Black Caddis larva & some Midge larva, works all year long
Streamers:
This
time of year, brown trout are hungry after the spawn and looking to
put weight back on. 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, and yellow. 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 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