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Northeast Fishing Report 11/21/2025
Hello Compleat Angler friends! This week we have no significant changes to our Connecticut trout fishing, and all of our freestones have been holding below average flows. Hatches have been slowing down, but the main insects you will see include Tan Caddis, Midges, and Blue Winged Olives during the afternoon. Subsurface has been the best option, both nymphing and streamer fishing. On the Farmington River, you will want to bring your smaller nymphs as well as some egg patterns now that Brown Trout are spawning. The Housatonic River will be similar, and flows will be ideal for fishing and wading this weekend. Anglers are finding trout on all techniques, including dry flies when there are hatches of small Blue Winged Olives. On the Salmon River in New York, Steelhead have moved throughout the entire river now, and they’re still entering the estuary. Flows are high so we should see a nice push of fish into the river as a result. On the saltwater, there are some schoolies on some Peanut Bunker near the coves and harbors, and one will find them blitzing during the later morning with tide movement. The best action is still along the Southshore down to the Jersey Coastline, which is holding larger migratory Stripers. The most prevalent bait is Bunker and Sand Eels.
Read on for more…
Connecticut
Local Rivers
Flows are relatively unchanged compared to last week and are still below average. For instance, the Saugatuck River is reading 14.5 CFS. The good news is that most options have been stocked for this Fall. Many options have improved for fishing as a result, and trout will be forgiving in terms of fly selection. You can expect hatches of Caddis, Blue Wingd Olives, Light Cahill, Isonychia, and some Midges. Most of the fishing will be best subsurface, however with hatch activity being diminished. It will be worth bringing streamers as stocked trout can be aggressive. A dry/dropper rig is also an effective searching technique when fishing low water events. Stocked trout will be taking a variety of gaudy and larger flashier nymphs until the key into the natural forage. It will also be worth switching over to some smaller flies now that fish have been acclimated to their rivers.
Dry Fly Hatches:
Nymphs:
General Mayfly Attractor 14-18
Streamers:
Krystal Bugger (Black, Chartreuse, Brown, Olive, White, Burnt Orange) 6-12
Naugatuck River
Flows on the Naugatuck River have been gradually dropping below average and are now 173 CFS at the Beacon Falls Gauge. The good news is that the state has stocked Atlantic Salmon and trout in both the lower and upper sections, and during current conditions the deeper pools will be holding more fish. A variety of streamers will work, from Woolly Buggers to more traditional Atlantic Salmon Flies. Try swinging your fly through the pools, and sometimes varying your presentation, such as stripping you fly, will entice a grab. You may also find some trout, and similar bug activity to our local rivers and streams report. Nymphing will be effective when there is no hatch activity. The Shetucket River was also stocked with Atlantic Salmon and Trout this Fall.
Farmington River
Flows on the West Branch of the Farmington River were dropped and are now slightly below average. At Riverton, the West Branch Gauge is reading 225 CFS, while the Still River has dropped to 80.9 CFS. All sections of the Farmington are ideal for fishing and wading this weekend. Water temperatures on the West Branch are in the low 50s. Hatches haven’t been exceptional; however, you may find some Tan/Olive Caddis, larger October Caddis, Blue Winged Olives, and Midges. The insects will be small this time of year, so you will want to bring small dries and an assortment of small nymphs, especially during average and below-average flows. Nymphing will be best throughout the afternoon, when hatch activity tends to slow down. Trout are now spread into the well oxygenated faster water and all water types, and it will be worth fishing off the beaten path. During the morning hours streamer fishing can also be an effective technique, especially for the more recently stocked trout that are most aggressive, and pre-spawn Brown Trout. For dry fly fishing with smaller flies, we recommend a 9-12’ leader in 6x. As a reminder, some Brown Trout are actively spawning, so you will want to avoid fishing to paired up spawners and avoid stepping on Redds. As a result, egg flies are also working well this time of year.
Dry Fly Hatches:
Nymphs:
General Mayfly Attractor 14-18
Streamers:
Krystal Bugger (Black, Brown, Olive, White, Burnt Orange) 6-12
Larger Articulated Streamers on a sinking/sink tip line
Housatonic River
Flows on the Housatonic River are dropping gradually, but have increased a bit from last week, reading 850 CFS at Falls Village which is slightly below average. Clarity and wading will be ideal for all sections this weekend, and trout fishing will be decent as the Housatonic was stocked for the fall. Trout have been recently stocked on two occasions, and these fish will be forgiving in terms of fly selection. This means Mop Flies, Squirmy Worms, egg flies, and a variety of streamers will be effective. Anglers are also still finding some Smallmouth Bass. More educated and larger holdover trout that have been in the system longer are keying in on small Blue Winged Olives and some Isonychia during the evening. For Smallmouth, we recommend streamers such as Wolly Buggers, Crayfish Patterns, and popper flies.
Dry Fly Hatches:
Blue Winged Olives (overcast days) 18-24
Blue Winged Olive Emerger 18-20
Nymphs:
General Mayfly Attractor 14-18
Streamers:
Krystal Bugger (Black, Brown, Olive, White, Burnt Orange) 6-12
Larger Articulated Streamers on a sinking/sink tip line
Saltwater
The Western Sound has seen some spotty Striper action as small pods of fish migrate through, as well as some resident fish preparing to hold over. Most of the Stripers will be schoolies with a few mid 30” mixed in. Focusing on rocky coves, shallow water, the mouths of rivers, and harbors, you may find fish blitzing on Peanut Bunker. The Eastern Sound is also seeing some action from the mouth of the Housatonic to Fisher’s Island and the mouth of the Connecticut River. You may find larger Stripers, as Albies and Bonito have moved on. This past week the Stripers are more concentrated around key areas which include the mouths of rivers and tight to rocky shoreline, versus the open Sound. The most prevalent bait is Bay Anchovies and Peanut Bunker. Things are likely to change after this storm with high winds passes through.
Hot Flies for Summer/Fall:
Custom Tied Baby Bunker (Super Realistic!)
Bob’s Banger (Stripers and Bluefish)
Surf Candies for Bonito and Albies
Good Fly Lines for Fall:
Rio Outbound Short (Good for big flies and big winds)
Rio Striper (Good all-rounder)
Leaders:
9' 16lb Fluorocarbon Leader for Bonito and Albies
Please report any poaching to the DEEP by calling 800-842-4357.
New York
Salmon River
Flows on the Salmon River have seen another increase this past week, and are above average, 2060 CFS at the Pineville Gauge. Salmon are mainly concentrated in the upper portions as the run is slowing down, meanwhile Steelhead and some nice Brown Trout are entering, and are the primary catch in the lower sections and now throughout the entire river. We can expect an increase in Steelhead numbers entering the river during high water events. For Steelhead, we recommend using a 9’ 3x tapered leader with split shot rigged above a micro swivel to avoid having your split shot slide down to your fly. For flies, more aggressive fish in the lower sections will grab bright colored intruders from Pink to Blue and Chartreuse swung on single and two-hand rods. Egg sucking leeches, Woolly Buggers, Glo Bugs, Squirmy Worms, Stoneflies, and Estaz Eggs in a variety of colors will work well. Kings and Cohos are now spawning in a variety of locations throughout the river and are now into the smaller tributaries.
Catskills
Flows on the Mainstem of the Delaware River have held steadily below average, with the Lordville Gauge reading 1490 CFS. Water temperatures on the Mainstem are now in the high 30s, and flows will be clear and still fishable by drift boat while high for wading this weekend. The East Branch flows are below average, 862 CFS at Fishes Eddy, and the West Branch is also below average reading 360 CFS at Hale Eddy. Hatches have been decent, and some days have been producing great Blue Winged Olive hatches. On brighter sunny days you can expect the hatches to be best during the late afternoon. For hatches you can expect Blue Winged Olives on overcast days, Light Cahill, Tan Caddis, and Isonychia. Often, fish will be keyed in on very small Blue Winged Olives (Pseudos in size 20-28) during the afternoon. Nymphing will be the most effective method when there are no hatches, and streamer fishing will be improved with higher flows. Sticking to streamer fishing during the morning with floating or sinking lines will pick up a few aggressive pre-spawn Brown Trout. However, Brown Trout have started spawning so you will want to avoid fishing them. Hatch sizes will be small and trickier to fish this time of year, and we recommend a leader at least 12’ long in 6x.
Dry Fly Hatches:
Blue Winged Olive Emerger 18-20
Nymphs:
General Mayfly Attractor 14-18
Streamers:
Krystal Bugger (Black, Brown, Olive, White, Burnt Orange) 6-12
Larger Articulated Streamers on a sinking/sink tip line
New York Saltwater
The South Shore of Long Island into New Jersey has been seeing the best Striper action as of recent, with Peanut Bunker, Sand Eels, and a few adult Bunker being the primary bait. Jamaica Bay is seeing larger Stripers mixed in with schoolies. The best Striper action will continue down into South Jersey, as waves of fish continue to migrate down the coast. There are a few Stripers being caught on the East End towards Montauk although numbers haven’t been phenomenal. There is still good Striper fishing in the bays. Albie and Bonito fishing has ended.
Rhode Island Saltwater
While anglers are still finding a few Bonito along the beaches, their numbers have been sparser. Striper fishing in the bays and mouth of rivers has been producing; however, overall numbers of fish have been tapering off. Some days will have Stripers on bait in deeper water structures as the remainder migrate through or start to settle into the winter holdover spots. The prevalent bait that is creating Striper blitzes tend to be Bay Anchovies, Sand Eels, and Peanut Bunker. Most of the Stripers are schoolies size with a few slot size and over in the mix.