Store Hours:
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 Dave
Machowski’s client with a BIG FRAA rainbow from the weekend.
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.
Monday
afternoon
flow update:
As
expected, they made a flow cut at the dam this morning, about a
70-80cfs reduction. This brings the total flow down to 405cfs, I
would call that a medium level. Riverton is 252cfs from the dam down
to the Still River, and below that the Still River is adding in
153cfs. These are excellent conditions.
Monday
Morning 3/30/26
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 3/16, and
we still have a small stock of them. We received some of the longer
rods (10’ 9” & 11’ 5”) 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.
Looks
like mild weather is here to stay, the next 3 days will see highs of
68-70 degrees, the 10 Day
Forecast has highs averaging mid 50’s to 60’s, and
the nights are all well above freezing.
River has come down to a nice and very fishable/wadeable total flow
in the Permanent TMA/Catch & Release of 486cfs (historical
median/normal total flow for today would be 514cfs).
Riverton from the dam to the Rt 20 bridge/Riverton Self Storgage
(Hitchcock) is 331cfs, and a little below that the Still River is
adding in 155cfs. You may
see them make a flow adjustment from the dam today, and if so it
would be a reduction in the release- I’ll update this later this
afternoon if it changes.
Morning water temp in Riverton is 38 degrees, it reached
40+ degrees Sunday afternoon. Behind UpCountry it’s about
38.5 degrees this morning, it reached 43+ degrees yesterday
afternoon. The mild forecast means that water temps will rise, which
should positively impact the fishing. Look
for afternoon water temps to push into the mid 40’s on milder days,
especially if it’s sunny.
Flows are a bit higher
from about Satan’s Kingdown & below, as they are dumping some
water out of the East Branch.
Unionville USGS is 806cfs
and dropping, which makes
that lower section in Collinsville/Unionville fishable again.
The normal/median flow for Unionville would be 990cfs
for today.
I
would still describe the fishing as a grind, you have to work hard
for your fish, and it’s generally
a quality over quantity situation. This is normal for early Spring,
and the warmer temps in the forecast should hopefully pick up the
fishing. The upside to the
tougher fishing is that
the holdovers & wilds
have been a large average size (16-19”, with some in the 20” plus
range). This could be the week we starting seeing the early season
Baetis/Blue Winged Olives (BWO’s), fingers crossed as they are
late. Not surprising after the brutally cold Winter we had, that can
make the hatches start later than normal. Early Black Stoneflies are
the afternoon glamour hatch, but they have not brought trout to the
surface, it’s been a nymphing deal with them. The exception to the
slower fishing is if you are in the recently stocked sections and you
locate a pod of stockers, you can do some numbers. The hardest part
is locating them. Cover
plenty of water, and change flies if your are confident you are over
fish.
Colebrook
Reservoir is 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 month,
from about 670 feet up to about
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 3
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), also in New
Hartford/Canton 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 mid/late April.
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.
Early Black
Stoneflies #14-16 are the current Bug
du Jour, March is the big
month for that hatch,
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. Any day
now we will see #16-18 Baetis/Blue Winged Olives (BWO’s) in the
afternoons, just need water temps to rise a bit more. The
Ten Day Forecast is virtually all mild weather with highs averaging
in the 60’s & 50’s, this should finally get them going.
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.
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 in
the colder water of the early season.
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 happens 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 any day
bnow, afternoon hatch, nymphs are already active
subsurface
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. 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. 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
-Muddler Minnow #6-10: an oldie but a goodie, still VERY effective