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Fishing Reports
Farmington River
August 13, 2008
Posted by Housatonic River Outfitters, Inc.
Contact: Harold D.McMillan, Jr.
Cornwall Bridge, CT 06754 US
Phone 1: 860-672-1010
Fax: 860-672-6759
Email: hflyshop@aol.com
URL: http://www.dryflies.com
Current Report
While flows are up from
rain Monday day/night, they
are dropping fast. The
release from the dam is only
171cfs (they had been running
about 400cfs for the past
month or two), with the
additional flow coming in from
the Still River. It is
receding rapidly and should
drop at another 150-200cfs by
Thursday, putting it in the
upper 300/lower 40cfs range.
Flow is medium-high at just
under 600cfs this morning and
mostly clear, just a slight
ice tea tint to it. Seems the
fishing has picked up a bit
since they cut the flow at the
dam back from 400cfs at the
dam down to under 200cfs
recently, I saw lots of trout
rising in the AM to the
Summer/Winter Caddis on
Monday, and the nymphing was
better than the last few times
I was out- still had to work
for them though. Some of
the best fishing of late has
actually been with dries
during hatches, esp. in the
mornings and late evenings.
During a good hatch the
fishing can be good.
Subsurface has been tougher,
the trout seem to be lethargic
with the higher than typical
water temps and not inclined
to move far for nymphs. Mid
to upper 60's is a very doable
trout temp, but on the
Farmington they are
conditionned to cooler water
and anything above the low
60's seems to slow up the
subsurface action. If you
venture out nymphing, I
suggest starting as early as
possible to hit the lowest
possible water temps.
Hatchwise in the TMA look
for various small Olives,
Sulfurs, Summer/Winter Caddis,
tan Caddis Needhami,
Cahills/Summer Stenos and
Midges. Don't neglect
terrestrials such as beetles &
ants this time of year, they
can be very effective, esp. at
midday & during non-hatch
times. Remember that
there is a ton of very
fishable water both above &
below the TMA, it is well
stocked with fish throughout,
including many very nice
14"-16" Bows. A lot of 16-18"
holdover browns have shown up
in angler catches, including a
few even bigger fish and some
nice rainbows. Under normal
water conditions, various
nymphs in small to medium
sizes work, as do various
streamers (esp. in low light,
higher water & after a good
rain)- play with different
colors to see what what works
best at any given moment, it
changes. Remember that in
addition to the Housy, we also
do guided fishing trips on the
Farmington.
While the Farmington is
known for producing dry fly
fishing all year long, don't
neglect fishing nymphs &
streamers, especially if you
want to tie into some truly
large trout, or if there are
no fish rising, or the
conditions are less than
optimal. Under "normal"
conditions, try your favorite
nymph pattern and trail a
smaller dropper pattern in the
#18-22 range behind it (Midge
Pupa/Larva, Brassie, Zebra
Midge, Pheasant Tail, Hare's
Ear, Micro Mayfly, RS2, WD-40,
Serendipity, Copper John,
etc.). Try also throwing
streamers on a sink-tip line,
Teeny-type line (130 to 200
grains depending on flow), or
a Sinking Leader (Rio, Airflo,
etc.). No hatch-matching to
worry about when you are
chucking streamers. Try
various colors and patterns
until you find what works at a
given moment. Don't be afraid
to fish big streamers, #2-#4-
they work! During bright
weather with low, clear water,
sometimes smaller patterns in
more natural tones (such as
olive or tan) and
slimmer/sparser ties often
produce better- experiment
with colors, the trout will
tell you which one is right.
Day in and day out, try White
or Natural Zonkers and White
Buggers #2-12, they are
consistent producers on the
Farmington. Brown (one of my
favorite streamer colors),
Black, and Olive are good
colors also. Try also some
tried-and-true older patterns
such as Baby Brown Trout,
Muddlers, Mickey Finn, Grey or
Black Ghost, etc. Trout see
plenty of Woolly Buggers
nowadays, but many of the
older patterns aren't fished
too much anymore, and the fish
aren't as wise to something
that they don't constantly see
and get punished with. This
also applies to nymphs, wets
(definitely a neglected fly
category, but they still are
very effective), and dries,
esp. in heavily fished rivers
like this one. And remember,
old patterns that are still
around usually survived the
test of time for a reason. A
Black Ghost is one of the all
time great streamers anywhere
there are brown trout, and it
can be tied as a featherwing
(the standard), a marabou, a
bucktail, or even Zonker
style. Something about the
combo of white, black, a
splash of yellow, and some
silver flash really appeals to
browns.
***************************************
When fishing dry, accuracy
and drag-free floats are
essential. Try lengthening
your tippet to help combat
drag. This often works better
than dropping down to
ridiculously light tippets.
Make sure your tippet doesn't
straighten out completely when
it lands on the water- if it
does, you have instant drag. I
believe the main reason
lighter tippets seem to
sometimes catch more fish is
because it is easier to get a
drag-free float due to the
greater limpness/flexibility
and the fact that a lighter
tippet is less apt to
straighten out completely due
to lesser mass(it just doesn't
transfer energy as well as a
thicker tippet). Instead of
using a standard 18-20" or so
tippet, try using 3 or more
feet. Adjust the length so
your tippet lands in S curves-
if it straightens completely,
lengthen it, if it piles up
shorten it. It will give you
the same effect as dropping
down about 2 sizes on your
tippet. As you go to smaller,
lighter flies, you will have
to reduce your tippet size,
but try lengthening it before
you go super-light. Be
sporting and use a tippet that
will allow you to land the
trout in a reasonable amount
of time.
****************************************
If no fish are rising,
don't neglect to try nymphs,
from big #8 Golden Stoneflies
down to small #22-24 nymphs.
Hare's Ears, Golden Stones,
Brassies, Princes, Disco
Midges, Pheasant
Tails(deadly), Midge
Larva/Pupa, Caddis Larva,
WD40's, RS2's, Copper Johns,
etc., are all
possibilities. Pheasant
Tails, in various sizes, are
very effective on this
river(and most others, for
that matter) at almost any
time- a #16-20 is a go-to fly
under normal conditions- I
like it with a flashback or
beadhead to help the trout
find it.
Streamers can be deadly at
moments, especially if you
like to catch bigger fish.
Most people are so hatch
oriented on this river, they
don't fish them much. For best
results, use on a sink-tip or
some sort of sinking line-
they are MUCH more productive
fished like that. No need for
light tippets with these
flies- think 0x-3x, depending
on fly size mainly, but also
on water clarity and light
conditions.
**************************************
One-Week Fishing Forecast
Best fishing overall is on top
with dries right
now, rising water temps have
made nymphing tougher- fish
the hatches for best
results. Reductions in flow
from the dam (from about
400cfs down to under 200cfs)
has picked up the fishing
though, both on top &
underneath. Heavy rains
Monday have raised the flow,
but it is dropping fast and
fishable with plenty of clarity.
Two-Week Fishing Forecast
Ultimately depends on
the weather, water levels and
temps.
Hatch Info
-Needhami
-Cahills/Summer Stenos
-Sulfurs
-Olives
-Iso's
-Caddis- tan
-Summer/Winter Caddis
-Black Caddis
-Terestrials- beetles & ants
Hot Fly Patterns
-Needhami #24-26- use emergers
& duns
-Cahills/Summer Stenos #12-18
(PM hatch)- emergers, duns &
cream spinners
-Sulfurs #16-20- use nymphs,
emergers, duns, spinners
-Isonychia #10-12- use nymphs,
duns
-Caddis- tan #16-18- use larva
(olive/green), pupa (tan), and
adults (tan)
-Olives #18-28- use nymphs
(WD-40, Pheasant Tail, etc.),
emergers, duns & rusty
spinners
-Winter/Summer Caddis (lt.
brown) #16-24- use larva
(yellow #18), foam pupa
patterns (lt. brown to olive)
& adults (muddy olive/brown)
-Black Caddis #18-22- use
larva (yellow #18), pupa &
adults
-Golden Stonefly Nymphs #8-14
-Olive Caddis Larva #12-16
-Pheasant Tail #14-22- BH,
regular, and esp. Flashback
versions
-Streamers #2-12- various
patterns such as Woolly
Buggers, Slump Busters,
Zonkers, Leeches, etc. Try
olive, brown, black, yellow or
white.
River Flows
Medium-high at
aproximately
594cfs total
flow & dropping, with
171cfs from
the dam in
Riverton and 423cfs from the
Still River (and receding fast).
Meet our Guides
Ethan Raskind
Captain Bob Schmidt
Alex Hvatsky
Scottt Becroft
"Cowboy" Dave Ingram
Aaron Jasper
Eddie Esposito
Jim Plante
Jerry Gourd
Mike Klubek
Keith Godfrey
Water Temperature
Low to mid 60's- AM temps,
typically
rises somewhat during the day.
 This fishing report brought to you by Housatonic River Outfitters, Inc..
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