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 knowledgeable about flyfishing, and has a flexible
schedule.
Pictured
up top is Derrick’s
client Carver with a 20.5” holdover FRAA rainbow. The fish leaned
out since it got stocked in April 2025, but she has some great
colors.
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 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 6/18/26
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 just turned in a wooden landing
net, we have it at the shop.
Just
another day in paradise. We will have sale tables outide the store this weekend, with various sale items as well as used equipment. Little dribble of rain today, but it will be
dry and mostly sunny for the weekend, highs in the upper 70’s, with
some actual rain inbound for Monday (about 3/4”)- we could
certainly use it. Total flow downstream of the Still River is
currently low at 135cfs due to the 90cfs flow reduction at the dam on
Monday. They are being conservative with water releases due to
drought fears for 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 62.4. Temps are trout friendly all the way
downstream through Canton, and even in Collinsville/Unionville you
are probably okay on all but the hottest sunny days, but I would take
a water temp to be sure. Leave the trout alone if it’s over 68
degrees in the lower
river, move upstream and
ideally look for water temps in the 50-65 degree range (optimal trout
temps).
Blake
reported a good Caddis hatch yesterday from mid morning until early
afternoon, multiple species from #16-22, various colors. He
said there were not a lot rising (a few), but they were killing
Caddis pupa & Walt’s nymphed subsurface. Dry/Dropper with a
Caddis dry and a trailing weighted pupa 1-2’ below can also 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 got when Caddis are hatching and/or egg-laying. Caddis, on
average, 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. Caddis 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 only
being mid-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. 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 (Invaria & Dorothea), 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.
Even when it gets hot,
the water is coming out of the dam in the mid 40’s currently
and keeps the river at trout-friendly temps for many miles below
that. Getting a diversity of bugs now, depending on how far below the
dam you are, it’s “Bug Soup” time. The major players on most of
the river are still assorted Caddis #16-22, #16 Sulfurs (Invaria),
#18 Sulfurs (Dorothea), and #14 Light Cahills. Caddis are #16-18 in
both tan and olive/green, as well as black, gray #18-22. There are
some #20-22 Blue Winged Olives (BWO’s/Olives) in the evenings.
#8-12 Isonychia are starting up, they are in the lower river
(Collinsville, Unionville), and at least as far above that as Canton
& Satan’s Kingdom, possibly farther upstream than that, they
and will steadily work their way upriver. July is typically the big
month for Isonychia in the Permanent TMA/C&R, but bugs don’t
pay attention to calendars.
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 Blue
Winged Olives (BWO’s) hatching, 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 near the
end 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.
Caddis are most active from about
mid morning through early/mid afternoon, and come back later in the
day to egg-lay over faster water in the eves. We are seeing at least
4-5 varieties of Caddis currently, in different sizes & colors.
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.
Riverton is 116cfs
(low)
below the Hogback Reservoir, with the Still River is adding 19cfs
a little below the Rt 20 bridge. This puts the total flow at a low
135cfs
below the Still River. FYI the state has overall been conservative
with water releases this year to maintain a good pool of cold water
for summer distribution. We could use more rain, other local
rivers & streams that depend upon rainfall are unusually low for
mid June, and we need rain to keep the reservoirs full. Riverton
water temp was 45 degrees at 8am this morning, it peaked at about 52
yesterday. Behind UpCountry it was 57.9 degrees at 8am this morning,
it peaked yesterday afternoon at 62.4
.
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, #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 Canton and into
the Satan’s Kingdom area, moving upstream, possibly higher than
that now. Fast water bug, usually about 4pm to dark.
-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) as we move toward 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 are not 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.
-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 very 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