Hello Compleat Angler friends! As far as the fishing goes, we are largely in the same holding pattern that we were last week, waiting for flows to drop after all of the rain we've received. Most of our local rivers are still too high for fishing and it will be a little longer before they drop and clear. As of this writing, the forecast looks relatively dry, with a chance of showers later next week, but no significant rainfall is forecasted. Fingers crossed. Our saltwater game is largely the same as well with a few hardy anglers targeting resident fish in some of our rivermouths. On the salmon river the flows are just under the 2000 CFS threshold for the DSR but they are still pretty high. All in all, it's not a bad time to relax, celebrate the New Year, and re-stock your fly boxes. Read on for more…

Connecticut

Local Rivers

Flows are still high from this past week’s rain. They are dropping, sure, but we still need a little more time for conditions to clear. Prior to the high water the Saugatuck had still fishing well, the Mianus had slowed a bit, with some anglers catching a couple fish per outing. While most of the fishing this time of year is going to be subsurface with nymphs and streamers, on some of the warmer afternoons you may find small black Stoneflies hatching, however fish will be rising with irregularity. When conditions settle again your best bet is going to be nymphs: 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 and offer fly styles; fishing a larger fly as your point fly will help get your dropper down to an appropriate depth without the use of split shot. Streamers will still work too, and try a slower retrieve during those colder mornings. Smaller Wooly Buggers can either be used on a Floating or Sinking line.One of our favorite streamer lines is theAirflo Streamer Max Short,as well as theScientific Anglers Sonar Trout. The Short head loads rods well on our smaller rivers when targeting the opposite bank and then sinking the fly quickly into the strike zone. When nymphing and dry fly fishing in our smaller rivers 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. Trout will be grouped together in the deeper holding lies, so where you catch one you will find more. Areas to consider include the Saugatuck, Mianus, Mill, and Aspetuck Rivers. There are still fish to be had from Spring holdovers and Fall stockings.

Naugatuck River

The Naugatuck and Shetucket were stocked with Atlantic Salmon and Trout in the Trout Management Areas. The most recent stocking of Atlantic Salmon was done this month on the Naugatuck and Shetucket. Flows are currently too high to fish. Once flows recede, junk flies will catch the less educated stocked trout and also look to fish similar patterns that 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, as well as egg patterns for this time of year. Overall, the fishing will be most productive with streamers and nymphs. Fishing drab colored Woolly Buggers and streamers 3-5” will be working for more aggressive fish. 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.

Farmington River

Because of the rain and flow increase at the dam we advise against fishing until flows recede to more average levels. High water will diminish surface activity. Once conditions improve, the afternoons into the evening should be most consistent for bug activity, and the two main hatches you will encounter are Blue Winged Olives in sizes 20-26, and Midges in sizes 22-26. Additionally, you may see some Winter Caddis in sizes 14-20 during the mornings. Water temperatures will fluctuate in the low to mid 40s depending on the time of day. Bringing some larger streamers can also result in finding some nice trophy fish 20” and over. Now is a good time for our Trout Spey anglers to break out theSkagit Heads andT Tips which will turn over larger intruders and streamers. Fishing a wet fly swung on aless aggressive sinking tip can pull additional fish during the afternoon when insects will be emerging. The same can be said for those nymphing with single handers: swinging nymphs at the end of your drift can simulate an emerging insect. Twitching jigged streamers through a run can also be a deadly technique. For nymphing, junk flies will catch the recently stocked Trout (Mops and Squirmies) in addition to 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 12-18, 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. In terms of rigging, look to use 5x-6xFluorocarbon when nymphing, andNylon 5x-7x when dry fly fishing. During normal-low flows, and especially with smaller flies, it pays to have a stealthy leader in the10-12’ range which will aid in a delicate presentation. Staying into the evening can result in some good spinner falls. With the variety of bug activity, soft hackling can be a productive option as well.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 is gradually dropping but is still too high and stained to fish. As flows drop to average levels your main hatch will be Blue Winged Olives in sizes 20-26, Midges in the same size, and Caddis in sizes 14-20. Your best bet for dry fly fishing will be during the afternoon when water temperatures, and the bug and fish activity, are highest. During the mornings nymphing still remains the most effective method. For nymphing with an indicator (we’ve had great feedback on theOros Stike Indicators), a 9ft taperedfluorocarbon 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. Streamer fishing will also be effective, because trout will be looking for higher calorie meals, so bringing some larger streamers will prove useful. 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 wet hackles in the mornings and evenings.

New York

Salmon River

We have high flows on the Salmon River as well, reading just under 2000 CFS at Pineville which means the DSR is currently open, though much tougher. The good news is that more fish will push up from the estuary during high water events, so the lower and middle sections of the river may see an improvement as flows reach average. The occasional Brown Trout has been caught in the lower to middle sections of the river. The tributaries are seeing Steelhead push in, and there has been some impressive Brown Trout fishing so far. With regard to Steelhead, it’s all a matter of finding pods of fish that are holding and willing to cooperate, as well as covering water. For Steelhead it is worth bringing2x-3x fluorocarbon when nymphing. The most popular flies are going to be different colored Glo Bugs, Stoneflies, Squirmies, Steelhead Slammers, Rushers Steelhead Nymph, Wooly Buggers and Egg Sucking Leeches. Some anglers are having success fishing large brightintruders in Pink, Black, Purple, and Blue/Chartreuse swinging the lower parts near the estuary for 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 amicro 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’sSkagit Max Power head combined with either amono orcoated running line. Having a variety ofMOW Tips is great for fine tuning the depth of your fly based on flows, depth, and current. For tippet, we like usingMaxima Ultragreen in 10lb when swinging flies. Now that the weather is getting colder and into the low 30s, it will be beneficial to bring a goodlayering system as well as a pair of warmfingerless gloves.

Saltwater

Anglers are still getting into Stripers as they migrate along the coast, and focusing on the bays and beachfronts you may still encounter fish crashing Peanut Bunker. This is most concentrated along the South Shore, while the North Shore and Montauk have slowed considerably. Most of these Stripers are in the schoolie size, however boat anglers have been finding larger fish 30” and over on the outside of the feeding frenzies further from the beaches. The Peanut Bunker are in the 3-5” range, so using small deceivers, or EP Peanut Butters will be your best imitations paired with an intermediate or full sinking line. Don’t overlook poppers, as they will be working well when Stripers are feeding in rafts up high. There are also some Bluefish still in the mix. Striper fishing should continue to taper off as fish migrate further South into New Jersey, which still has the bulk of the migration. For now, most of the New York concentration of fish are being found around Fire Island and further West.