Hello Compleat Angler Friends! The most significant change this week is another big increase in flows (no surprise) from this past week’s rainstorm. A combination of snowmelt and rain has a lot of our options stained and blown out. If you can’t contain your excitement, some viable options are the Farmington River above the confluence of the Still River, as well as heading north to Steelhead fish on the Great Lakes. Those anglers that braved the cold and snow were rewarded as a good number of fish pushed in from the estuary. Once our rivers clear up, and continue to drop, look to streamer and nymph fish in the above average flows. These techniques will be your best bet as high water and current water temperatures will diminish hatches. With more rain expected Friday night into Saturday morning, we anticipate that flows will subside to more fishable levels towards the end of the upcoming week at the earliest. Read on for more…

Connecticut

Local Rivers

Flows are back up on all our local options, and currently they are high and stained. For instance, the Saugatuck is reading 1350 CFS but is now on the drop. Unfortunately, we are expecting more rain Friday night into Saturday morning, so look for flows to approach near average levels later this week. If you can’t wait to fish, stick to the inside seams as trout will be pushed towards the slower flows, and try using flashier and larger nymphs, such as Mop Flies, Squirmies, or Flashback variations. Larger streamer patterns will also stand out among the dirty water, and some colors to consider are Black, Yellow, White, or any fly that incorporates a lot of flash. When flows approach more average levels, some patterns to consider are conehead Woolly Buggers fished on a floating line and larger articulated patterns paired with a sinking or sink tip line. One of our favorite streamer lines for this technique is the Airflo Streamer Max Short,as well as the Scientific Anglers Sonar Trout. The Short head loads rods well for our smaller rivers especially when targeting the opposite bank and sinking the fly quickly into the strike zone. The most productive technique is going to be nymphing. Patterns to have with you this time of year include Zebra Midges, Pheasant Tails, Prince Nymphs, Caddis Larvae, Hare’s Ears, and Perdigones in sizes 14-24. A double nymph rig is a good way to cover multiple columns of the water or offer multiple options. Fishing a larger fly as your point fly will help get your dropper down to an appropriate depth without the use of split shot. During these flows it helps to use nymphs with a tungsten bead as they will plummet faster getting you to the strike zone quicker.When nymphing and dry fly fishing in our smaller rivers and streams we like having a shorter leader, such as the Rio 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. Trout will be spread out during these flows, so covering different water types and holding lies will improve your success. Areas to consider include the Saugatuck, Mianus, Mill, and Aspetuck Rivers. There are still fish to be had from Spring holdovers and Fall stockings. And our anglers are reporting the Saugatuck is still fishing very well.

Naugatuck River

Flows are currently 3540 CFS at Beacon Falls on the Naugatuck River. At the moment, flows are too high and stained to fish. When flows start to reach average (around 600 CFS) bringing some junk flies will catch the less educated stocked trout, and you should look to fish similar offerings we are using on our local streams: Caddis, Blue Winged Olives, and Midges. With respect to other insects, having a range of sizes from 12-24 in nymphs/dries will have you covered, and egg patterns are still working. Overall, fishing will be most productive with streamers and nymphs. Fishing drab colored Woolly Buggers and streamers 3-5” will work for the more aggressive fish. The Naugatuck is a good alternative for areas with more crowds/pressure. When targeting the 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.

Farmington River

West Branch flows at Riverton are currently 159 CFS, flows are back down after a quick dam release. The Still River is flowing at 1130 from rain/snow melt. Your best option is going to be fishing above the Still River, which will create stained water downriver. Temperatures near the Riverton gauge are fluctuating in the mid to high 30s with colder temperatures downriver of the Still. The mains hatches for this time of year will be Winter Caddis in sizes 18-20 during the morning hours, and Midges in sizes 18-24 during the afternoons. Some Blue Winged Olives may still be around in sizes 20-24 as well. Again, subsurface will be the most effective approach. For streamer fishing try using jigged streamers under a tight line system, weighted flies (cone head Woolly Buggers, Sculpin Helmets) under a floating line, or neutrally buoyant articulated streamers with a sinking line or sink tip. Trout will be looking for a large meal to help stock up on calories for the long winter. Now is a good time for our Trout Spey anglers to break out the Skagit Heads and T Tips which will turn over larger intruders and streamers. Fishing a wet fly swung on a less aggressive sinking tip can pull additional fish during the afternoon when insects will be emerging. For nymphing, junk flies will catch the recently stocked Trout (Mops and Squirmies) in addition to Stoneflies in sizes 8-12. These flies will also work well downriver of the Still while flows are high but dropping. 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. These nymphs are all safe bets from Fall and well into Winter, and nymphing will be the most productive method. Most of your smaller nymphs will be more productive this time of year, especially with these average flows. In terms of rigging, look to use 5x-6x Fluorocarbon when nymphing. As water temperatures continue to become colder, strikes will be more subtle to detect. 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 has plateaued and is currently ready 5590 CFS. Flows are too high and stained to fish, so wait until flows subside to 1000 CFS or less. Once the river is fishable, for hatches you may encounter some Midges in sizes 18-24, and Blue Winged Olives in similar sizes during the afternoons. Streamer fishing and nymphing are going to be the most productive techniques this time of year. 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 a sinking line and a short 5’ leader tapered from 20lb 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. During the mornings nymphing still remains the most effective method. For nymphing with an indicator (we’ve had great feedback on the Oros Strike Indicators), a 9ft tapered fluorocarbon leader in 5x-6x is recommended. Nymphs to consider bringing include 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 well into Fall and throughout Winter. While the spawning season is over, egg flies are continuing to produce, and consider more washed-out colors like Tan, Light Pink, and Cheese.

New York

Salmon River

With flow cuts and cold weather in the forecast, the flows on the Salmon River are currently 550 CFS at the Pineville Gauge. Since water levels are below average, look for fish holding in the typical Winter lies (softer water in the larger and deeper pools). All sections of the river will be holding Steelhead, and there are still fresh fish pushing into the lower sections daily. This week a good number of fish pushed in from the estuary. Most anglers reported double digit numbers of fish. While swinging flies will still attract the most aggressive fish, the most productive method in the cold weather will be nymphing. Estaz Eggs, Glo Bugs, Squirmy Worms, Stoneflies, Steelhead Slammers, and Sucker Spawn will all take fish. Having a variety of colors and sizes, as well as switching flies often will help you determine what they are keying in on. The surrounding tributaries will also be holding Brown Trout and Steelhead. Beads in different colors will also work well (such as Chartreuse and Mottled Tangerine), so switching up flies/colors and techniques will be the key to success. As a bonus, these flies will also work on Brown Trout. Having a micro barrel swivel incorporated into your leader will help avoid splitshot sliding down your leader, as well as aid in quicker rerigging during breakoffs and snags. For our two handed anglers, Skagit has been the most productive method, and we like Rio’s Skagit Max Power head combined with either a mono or coated running line. Having a variety of MOW Tips so you can fine tune the depth of your fly based on flows, depth, and current speed, to aid in your success. For tippet, we like using Maxima 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. Now that the weather is getting colder and into the low 30s, it will be beneficial to bring a good layering system as well as a pair of warm fingerless gloves.