Hello Compleat Angler friends! This week we were slammed with more rain and high winds, so our local streams and rivers are currently high and stained with debris. Look for an improvement later in the week before Thursday’s expected rain. In the immediate future the best options are either the Farmington River above the Still, or a float trip on the Delaware, which is starting to see an increase in hatches from Blue Winged Olives, Stoneflies, and some early Hendricksons and Quill Gordons showing up on the East Branch. Streamer fishing should also be productive with the increase in flows this past week. Anglers that have been saltwater fishing have seen an increase in Striper activity, and some anglers have been bringing a few fish to hand. Currently the mouth of the Housatonic will be a little stained from rain, however as clarity improves a bit so will the Striper fishing. For our boat anglers, some of the flats, coves, and mouths of rivers are holding fish. These areas are best fished with an intermediate line paired with Clousers or Deceivers. In addition, the Salmon River flows have dropped into the 500 CFS range, which should prove well for our wade anglers fishing dropback Steelhead. These fish, while concentrated the most in the upper sections, will be spread throughout the river this time of year, so it is worth covering ground. Read on for more…

Connecticut

Local Rivers

So far this has been the Spring of high flows, and this week is no exception. Our local options are currently very high and stained, so we would advise fishing once the flows return to safer and fishable levels. For example, the Saugatuck is flowing at 1170 CFS, where the mean this time of year should be 261 CFS. Look for an improvement towards the middle of this upcoming week, and before Thursday’s expected rain. When clarity improves and flows are dropping it will be wise to stick to nymphing and streamer fishing, which has been producing good results since fish were stocked. Bring some larger attractor patterns while the water is still high. Your Mops, Squirmies, and streamers will still work on these fish, however, look to fish more natural colors and sizes in a few weeks. Recently stocked trout will start to acclimate and key in on natural forage. When flows return to average levels dry fly opportunities will improve. Look to bring Small Black Stoneflies in sizes 16-18. Other considerations are Midges in sizes 18-14, and some Blue Winged Olives in sizes 18-20. In areas that were stocked consider bringing some Squirmy Worms, Mop Flies, as well as your standard assortment of nymphs in sizes 12-18: Pheasant Tails, Prince Nymphs, Caddis Larvae, and Perdigones. For smaller flies, mix in some size 18-24 Zebra Midges. Stocked fish will aggressively chase streamers from Wooly Buggers in 4-10 to larger articulated flies. Both can be paired with a floating line or sinking/sink tip option.When nymphing and dry fly fishing in our smaller river and streams we like having a shorter leader, such as theRio Powerflex in 7.5ft. Both 5x and 6x will have you covered for most dry fly and nymphing scenarios. In addition, at the end of your dead-drift let your nymphs swing to the bank as this will imitate an emerging insect. Where you catch one fish you will catch more as stocked trout tend to pod up before moving into different water types. Areas to consider are the Saugatuck, Hammonasset River, Mill River in Hamden, the Mill River in Fairfield, and the Aspetuck River. Holdover fishing has been good in the Mianus River, and they have stocked the TMA. The Norwalk River has not been stocked yet, on average this river is hit by the stocking truck later than other Spring stocking options. Plenty of ponds and lakes were also stocked, which is a good opportunity to take the kids fishing.

Naugatuck River

The Naugatuck was stocking in the TMAs in Harwinton and Litchfield, the Upper Trout Trophy Area, and both the East and West Branches. However, it is advised to wait until the flows drop, as the river is stained and high, running 2320 CFS at Beacon Falls. Look to fish Small Black Stoneflies, Midges, and Blue Winged Olives as your main hatches. With respect to other insects, having a range of sizes from 12-24 in nymphs/dries will have you covered. Stocked trout will be taking a variety of offerings, so bringing some streamers, Mops, Squirmies, etc., will be the ticket. The Naugatuck is a good alternative for areas with more crowds/pressure. When targeting Salmon, your traditional Atlantic Flies and hairwing streamers will work: Grey Ghosts, Blue Charms, and Mickey Finns. Don’t be afraid to throw some larger intruders and flashy streamers in Pink, Black, Blue, and Purple, especially after they’ve just finished stocking. Try swinging these streamers slowly as you first fish the pool, and if you don’t get any takes, switch to a faster retrieve/swing. The fish will let you know what they prefer. Overall, the Atlantic fishing has slowed, since high water events have pushed the fish downriver.

Farmington River

Flows were cut at the dam on the West Branch in Riverton, reading 425 CFS. While this is a nice average flow for the West, the Still River is high from rain and adding an additional 755 CFS downriver of the confluence. Fishing above the Still River will result in more average flows and clearer water. Water temperatures have been fluctuating in the high 30s to low 40s on the West Branch. For hatches during the morning, you will encounter Winter Caddis in sizes 18-20, while the afternoon hatches may consist of Small Black Stoneflies in 18-20, Blue Winged Olives in 18-20, and more recently some Blue Quills in 16-18. It will also be worth bringing a few Midges in sizes 18-20. For nymphing, you will want to bring Stoneflies in sizes 8-12. One technique is to use these larger flies as your point nymph paired with a smaller dropper nymph: Pheasant Tails in sizes 12-20, Caddis Larva 14-18, Perdigones 12-20, Hare’s Ears 14-18, and Zebra Midges in 18-24. In terms of rigging, look to use 5x-6xFluorocarbon when nymphing. Smaller nymphs in sizes 18-20 will pair well on a dry/dropper rig. For Streamer fishing you’ll want to bring some Wooly Buggers and jig style streamers in sizes 8-10 in a variety of colors: Olive, Black, White, and Brown. Fishing articulated flies on a sinking/sink tip line can be another useful tool to include in your arsenal. Weighted Sculpin patterns are another consideration and can be fished on a floating line. Now is a good time for our Trout Spey anglers to break out the Scandi heads to try swinging some wet flies, as insects will become more active during the afternoon. Fishing a wet fly swung on aless aggressive sinking tip can pull additional fish during the afternoon when insects emerge. Strikes will still be subtle as average water temperatures are still cold. Remember to not high or low hole anyone. Let’s be respectful to other anglers. Good luck! Keep in mind:Please report any suspicious activity and poaching to DEEP by calling 800-842-4357.

Housatonic River

The Housatonic River is seeing increased flows from the rain, currently at 3190 CFS and rising. These flows are too high and stained for wading, so we advise fishing during safer flows, which are 1000 CFS and under. When flows return to normal, you may encounter some Midges in sizes 18-24, Small Black Stoneflies in sizes 14-18, and Blue Winged Olives in sizes 18-20. Streamer fishing and nymphing are going to be the most productive techniques until water temperatures warm a bit to increase hatch activity. Anglers that have been streamer fishing are swinging flies on a floating or sink tip line with either single handers or trout spey rods. If you are fishing articulated neutrally buoyant streamers (Mini Dungeons, Drunk and Disorderly, Circus Peanuts, etc), you will want to pair these with asinking line and a short 5’ leader tapered from20lb to 10lb. For our floating line Streamer Anglers, consider drab colored Conehead Woolly Buggers paired with a 9ft 2x leader. Now is also a good time for our Trout Spey anglers to consider throwing larger patterns during the afternoon in combination with swinging soft hackles in the mornings and evenings. Trout Spey is a good way to cover and search water, especially in the wider stretches. During the mornings nymphing still remains the most effective method. For nymphing with an indicator (we’ve had great feedback on theOros Strike Indicators), a 9ft taperedfluorocarbon leader in 5x-6x is recommended. Nymphs to consider bringing include Pheasant Tails, Caddis Larvae, Prince Nymphs, Hare’s Ears, Waltz Worms, Perdigones, and Yellow/Golden Stoneflies in sizes 12-18. For smaller nymphs, Zebra Midges in 18-24 will fool fish under most conditions.

Saltwater

Anglers are starting to catch their first Stripers of the season at the mouth of the Housatonic River. Stripers are starting to drop back down with more regularity and have been ranging from schoolie sized into the mid 30” range. For this fishery we recommend using a 9 or 10wt rod paired with an intermediate sinking line. For your leader a shorter 7.5ft section of 20-30lb will turn over easily when paired with a Clouser. For colors consider bringing Olive and White on clear sunny days. With the amount of rain we’ve had, the water will be stained so bringing brighter colors such as Chartreuse and White will help stand out. Larger Herring Patterns are also a consideration this time of year for our boat anglers. There have been some Stripers filtering in around the coves, harbors, and around the mouths of rivers. Focusing on rocky structures and points when fishing from a boat is crucial and waiting until the flats warm during the afternoons and into the evenings usually means seeing more Striper activity in these spots. The Housatonic River Striper Fishing will pick up throughout the lower sections as April progresses.

New York

Salmon River

Flows were decreased in stages throughout this week on the Salmon River, and our current reading is 500 CFS in Pineville. These flow cuts will cause the dropbacks to hold in some deeper pools, so it will be worth fishing these spots. Where you catch one fish you will find more, as the Spring dropbacks tend to pod up and concentrate. More of the Steelhead have spawned and are dropping back, and once water temperatures increase, we will see more Smallmouth Bass enter the lower sections of the river. For Steelhead, these fish will be more aggressive as they look for meals to increase their weight after spawning. As a result, many different techniques will work, whether you are swinging flies with sinking tips or nymphing. For nymphs consider Stoneflies in sizes 6-12, as well as Pheasant Tails, Hare’s Ears, and Squirmy Worms. A variety of egg patterns will work from Estaz Eggs, Glo Bugs, and Sucker Spawn to 6-8mm beads. Switching files, sizes, and techniques will help you identify what the Steelhead are keying in on during that day. Many anglers are still finding fish at the heads and tails of runs, which are prime traveling lies for fish moving downriver, so don’t overlook the sections where flows increase in speed. Anglers from Altmar to Pineville will still see the largest concentration of fish, and in the Upper Fly Zone now that this section of river is open. When Nymphing, having amicro barrel swivel incorporated into your leader will help avoid splitshot sliding down your leader, as well as aid in quicker re-rigging during breakoffs and snags. For our two handed anglers, Skagit has been the most productive method, and we like Rio’sSkagit Max Power head combined with either amono orcoated running line. Having a variety ofMOW Tips so you can fine tune the depth of your fly based on flows and current speed will aid in your success. For tippet, we like usingMaxima Ultragreen in 10lb when swinging flies. Having a variety of colors to rotate between is the name of the game: Brown, Olive, Black, Blue, Purple, and Pink are all good considerations. This weekend will be sunny, with the warmest day reaching into the low 60s on Tuesday. This should prove good for fishing assuming flows stabilize enough for fish to acclimate to the changes.

The Catskills

Flows have increased on the Delaware River, which means wading is going to be tricky. The mainstem is currently flowing 7750 CFS at Lordville, and water temperatures have been fluctuating in the low 40s. The West Branch is 2880 CFS at Hale Eddy while the East is 3250 CFS at Fish’s Eddy. Under average flows anglers are starting to see more Small Black Stoneflies in sizes 16-18, as well as Blue Winged Olives in sizes 18-20. Other considerations are midges in sizes 20-24 and overall, the dry fly fishing should improve once flows reach average levels, as water temperatures have been steadily improving. Most notable has been an early appearance from Hendricksons and Quill Gordons this past week on the East. Most anglers are fishing streamers during the high water and are bringing a few fish to hand, so bring some articulated streamers paired with a sinking line while flows are dropping. Some colors to consider are White, Yellow, Chartreuse, Black, Olive, and Brown. For nymphing, consider Prince Nymphs, Pheasant Tails, Caddis Larvae, Perdigones, Waltz Worms, etc... In sizes #14-#20. During the warmer afternoons you may have luck swinging soft hackles. During the colder mornings stick to your subsurface patterns, until the afternoon when you may see some fish rising in the slower pools.