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
will be closed again on Tuesday/Wednesday this week.
*****We
are looking for one more
part-time
employee, someone who knows the river well and and is knowledgeable
about flyfishing*****
Pictured
is one
of 5 big browns my friend’s son David caught on Sunday, and he lost
an absolute giant too. Caught on a mix of lures & nymphs.
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 and they are SWEET!
-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 blown away. 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 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 (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.
Monday
Morning 3/22/26
River
Report:
*****We
are looking for a part-time employee, someone who knows the river and
is knowledgeable about flyfishing*****
We
will be closed again on Tuesday/Wednesday this week.
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.
Sunday
afternoon & evening rain was supposed to be about 2/3”, it
ended up being 1.15”
total. The rain is all done but the water level is still bumping up
this morning, total flow in the Permanent TMA/Catch & Release is
high at
984cfs and still rising, it should peak out s anhortlyd
start dropping later this afternoon. Median/normal total flow for
today’s date would be 465cfs. Riverton above the Still River (from
the dam to just below the Rt 20 Riverton Self Storage/Hitchcock
bridge) is 259cfs, and just below that the Still River is adding in
an additional 725cfs. The Still River drops fast, so look for the
total flow to go down rapidly over the next couple of days, and
we should be in nice
shape well before the weekend. Long range highs vary, but it’s
mostly milder and highs
will average in the 40’s and 50’s, even
getting into the 60’s this Thursday. Unionville
USGS is 1,920cfs
and still rising-
look for flows of
1,000cfs or less
to fish that section of the river. The normal/median flow for
Unionville would be 850cfs
for today.
The inflow to Colebrook Reservoir in MA
has dramatically increased which is a good thing because the drought
last year left the lake low, and we never got the fall rains that we
normally do. The reservoir height/elevation has come up 35+
feet in the past 3 weeks, and it is still increasing (from about 670
feet up to almost 707+
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 last week, and last week they stocked upstream
of the Permanent TMA/Catch & release in Riverton (from the dam
downstream about 4 miles through Whittemore, stopping just above the
Campground). It’s likely they will stock downstream of the
Permanent TMA/C&R later this week or next week (that section
would be from just below Rt 219 in New Hartford from the Wall/Calahan
Park downstream to Canton by the junction with the Nepaug River/Town
Bridge Rd.) 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 upper river where it was recently
stocked. The trout in Riverton 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 will spook trout you otherwise
could have caught.
Riverton water temp this morning is 38
degrees. Behind UpCountry (11 miles below the dam) the water temp is
39.3
degrees this morning, it peaked yesterday afternoon at 39.8
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 also
more insect activity.
Early Black Stoneflies #14-16 are a
legit hatch now, March is the big month for that bug, and they
normally spill over into April and can even overlap the Hendrickson
hatch some years. Anytime
now we will see #16-18
Baetis/Blue Winged Olives (BWO’s) in the afternoons, just need
water temps to rise a bit. Fishing has mostly been a grind, but other
than Riverton (which was recently stocked), the trout are quality
holdovers & wilds, with a large average size (mid to upper teens,
with some in the 20” and bigger 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 very 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 mid/late afternoon
when water temps bump up a bit. 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 small nymphs #16-22
(Midges & Mayflies), black nymphs & Prince nymphs #14-16 (to
imitate the Early Black Stones), Junk Flies (Eggs, Mops, Worms, Green
Weenies), streamers, and 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”.
If you catch a bite window when the
trout decide to actively feed, good catches are possible for skilled
anglers who know the river well and are good nymphers. Lately though,
anglers are working hard for each and every bite. You have to be in
the right spot (the “spot within the spot”), at the right time,
with the correct flies, rigging & technque. Currently 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. Jigged
streamers fished slow & deep are also a good choice when nymphs
aren’t producing, and white has been an above average streamer
color. Water temps are still cold (mid 30’s to mid 40’s), so
focus on presenting your nymphs & streamers slow and deep.
Nymphing
is often the ticket in March, with fish coming to flies
like Egg patterns #14-18, and #14-20 nymphs such as Early Black
Stoneflies, Princes, Pheasant Tails/Frenchies and Walt’s Worms.
Other good nymphs include Blue Winged Olives (BWO’s) #16-18, Midges
#18-22 (black, olive, red), small flashy Perdigons, Rainbow Warrior
#16-18, Caddis Larva, Cased Caddis, Mops, and nymphs with pink beads
(PT’s, Walt’s, Hare’s Ears, etc.).
Some
days there can be a good 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 30’s and low 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.
If you are headed out fishing this time of year, 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 mid/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.
*******************************************************************************
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.
Nymphs:
-BMAR Early Black Stonefly #14
(hatching now)
-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).
-BMAR Winter Stonefly #18 (hatch
is near the end)
-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): Can 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. 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 the
Winter/Spring.
-Attractor Nymphs #10-20: such as Sexy Waltz,
Rainbow Warriors, Frenchies, Prince, Triple Threat, 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:
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. White has been
a top color this Winter, and olive and tan are both 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