Greetings Compleat Anglers! A windy and rough forecast will lend itself well to staying inland for the weekend. While the wind direction is not horrible, the conditions will be challenging for you saltwater anglers. However, when the weather cooperates the boat anglers have been getting into some very large Stripers and Bluefish from New York to Rhode Island. The action has moved to the East with the majority of the fish around the Montauk, Point Judith, and Cape Cod areas. From shore the options are endless. Back bays, river mouths, beaches, and open water are all fishing very well. Whether wading or fly fishing from a boat, anglers are reporting lots of fish around and plenty of opportunities to hook up. The Gator Blues have shown up as well. These fish are both in deep water as well on the flats/back bays of Long Island. A very cool fishery, these fish will smoke poppers and flashy flies in shallow water. Our freshwater fly fishing is also probably at its peak right now. While the small streams are essentially done for the rest of summer, the next month will see the best fly fishing all year for larger tailwaters. From the Catskills to the Farmington, hatching bugs are providing some awesome dry fly action. The Croton system is also fishing well. Flows and water temps are great so provided it is not too windy this weekend, the fly fishing should be lights-out. A little reminder: crowds will be substantial so, if you plan on fly fishing this weekend get there extra early. Read on for more…

Rhode Island

Rhode Island is really starting to come into its own. The salt ponds, rock piles, and back bays have been fishing very well with fish in that 20-30 inch range. Falling tide has been the top producer (no surprise there) however, as long as the water is moving, there is a good chance of finding fish. Deceivers and Clousers will get the job done on any given day for these smaller fish. You don’t need to get crazy with your fly selection. Anything reasonable should get bit. We are seeing the lower light hours becoming more critical as we get deeper into Summer. The fish are starting to become tougher to locate during mid-day under high sun. For that reason, falling tides in the morning or afternoon are best (unless it is overcast then go whenever the tides are good). The large migrators are definitely in the area and making Rhodie their Summer home. While certain areas tend to be hot-spots, make no mistake they are peppered all over out there. It is always a good idea to have some 10wt or 11wts with larger flies ready to go. The Cinder Worm hatch is also in full swing. We are hearing that popular spots such as Ninigrit Pond have been producing lots of worms with hungry Stripers in tow. Especially with the Full Moon we had a few days ago, the worms should be thick. Gator Blues are also all over the place right now. There are a ton of options off Rhody at the moment. Whether from shore or boat, the fishing is great right now.

Connecticut

Local Streams

The local streams are slim pickings at this point. Most fly anglers have moved on to other fisheries and others who have given it a shot have reported that there are very few fish left in these rivers. Most of them have been cleaned out by spin anglers and poachers. That, coupled with rapidly warming water temperatures, has resulted in slow action. With water temperatures starting to hit the 70s the fish are also becoming quite stressed. As such, it will be best to fish elsewhere. A few rivers will hold on a bit longer if you are willing to explore, however expect to cover a lot of water to find less-pressured or cooler water temperature areas. If you do decide to roll the dice, it has been a small caddis, midge, and BWO game lately. These are smaller bugs that can be challenging to fish but if you have a good drift and the right size, you should be able to get some fish to take a dry (provided they are rising). Other than that, very small nymphs will have a reasonable chance of success. The smaller stream fishing will continue to deteriorate as the temperatures continue to climb, and, as such, we will be pulling this section out of the report until the Fall. 

Farmington River

The Farmington is without a doubt the best option for trout fishing in the entire state at this point. With all of the small streams burning up and poached out, tailwaters are the only viable option if you want constant trout fishing. The Farmington is our premier trout fishery and the month of June is when you find out why. Plenty of healthy fish with abundant populations of forage in cold water all equates to a great fishery throughout the summer. While angling pressure is something to contend with, it is THE place to be right now. The flow out of the dam is around 160cfs. The Still is coming in at 40ish. That is a little on the low side but still a great flow for dries and nymphs. We could use some water so hopefully we get some more rain soon. It looks like we could get precipitation later in the week so fingers crossed. Water temps are fluctuating depending on the air temperatures but this weekend should be just shy of 53 degrees during the afternoon. The farther away from the dam you get, the warmer the water will be so starting down low in the morning and moving up in the afternoons can be very effective. Nymphs will most likely be the best option. No surprise there. The fish are beginning to become very educated so smaller, more natural flies have been producing the best. For you dry fly anglers, there are some Vitreus flying around. The majority of the hatches will be smaller bugs and Caddis, Midges and certainly BWOs should be flying around this weekend. You can expect fish to be rising in the mornings provided the water doesn’t blow out and the wind isn’t ripping. So, bring those dries just in case. Make no mistake, the fly fishing can be nothing short of spectacular this time of year. The fish are active, hungry, and there are no shortage of options as far as techniques. We are hearing it has been very crowded on the river lately. This weekend will be no exception so if you have a favorite spot in mind I would recommend trying to get there at or before sun-up. It is time to start playing those games to try and beat other anglers. Remember to not high or low hole anyone. We have been seeing a lot of anglers being disrespectful and crowding anglers who are already fishing in a spot. There is plenty of water to fish. If someone is fishing a hole, just move on and find other open water. If there are no holes open, get there earlier next time or wait until one opens up. Good luck! Keep in mind: Please report any suspicious activity and poaching to DEEP by calling 800-842-4357.

Housatonic River

The Housatonic is starting to get a little low. The flows are around 500cfs and falling. That, coupled with warming water, will see this river start to get challenging in the weeks to come. That said, the flows are great for wading. We know how fickle this river can be. It goes up quickly and will stay up for a long time so if you want to fish this river, do not wait. This weekend is another great window. The fly fishing only section on the TMA is where you should focus the majority of your attention. It is loaded with a lot of very nice sized fish. The recently stocked fish will take a wide variety of flies as well. All of the junk-style nymphs will certainly work as well as more natural patterns. With the cloudy conditions this weekend you can expect to see BWOs hatching and fish rising on them. There will be caddis as well. Alderflies, Sulphurs, and Cahills will be the predominant hatches.  Definitely bring the dry fly box. As long as it is not too windy, the bugs should come off. That said, nymphs will most likely be the way to go for most of the day. While the trout fishing has been getting tough, the Smallie fishing down low has been spectacular. The fish are looking up and willing to take poppers in the mornings and afternoons. Transitioning to streamers fished on sink tips will be far more productive for the rest of the day. We are in the prime month for Smallies. Water temps are perfect and the fish will take any reasonable streamer. This is a great option when conditions are less than ideal or other rivers are just too crowded. A 6 to 8wt rod with an intermediate or sink tip line will get the job done. This is a great time to target these fish with double digits not uncommon.

Please report any poaching to the DEEP by calling 800-842-4357.

Saltwater

We are seeing a lull in Striper activity of late. East wind, frequent storms, or any other number of reasons could be contributing to the fishing seeing a bit of decline. I’m sure the moon phase is not helping either. However, there are certainly fish around and any effort to get on them should pay off. The big migrators are pushing through and while they can be tough to pin down, they are certainly here. There is plenty of bait around as well so a multitude of flies should work. The falling tide has been the most productive (no surprise there) but the rising will still produce as well, especially from a boat. We are seeing good surface activity early in the mornings with fish blitzing on silversides and other assorted small bait. The one major change is that the fish are becoming much more light-sensitive. Mid-day is seeing very little action while the low light hours are producing well. So get up early or stay out late, it makes a big difference. Tidal fluctuations are also becoming far more important. The strongest tides of the month are when you should really be focusing your attention for shots at larger fish. However, as long as the water is moving, you will have feeding Stripers (provided you are in the right area). Any decent effort to locate Stripers has a high probability of success. There have also been some very large Bluefish around as well. It can take some effort to find these fish but if you do, they will smoke almost any reasonable fly. These fish are big so be sure to use the 10wt. Pick your weather windows and the fly fishing should be lights out. Please report any poaching to the DEEP by calling 800-842-4357.

New York

The Catskills

The Catskills are fishing well albeit challenging. Angling pressure and warming temperatures are creating a feast-or-famine type situation out there. Some rivers are fishing exceptionally well whereas others are quite challenging. The key to success seems to be locating colder water, fishing at the opportune times, picking the right days to go, and targeting the prime locations. It is certainly a bit of a guessing game as conditions change daily but if you hit it right, the fly fishing can be spectacular. For hatches, the larger bugs will be Isos, Cahills, and Sulphurs. There will be varying degrees of hatches depending on where you are fishing but most of them will have these bugs. After that comes the BWOs and assorted caddis. As such, you will want to bring a good variety of files and be prepared to switch flies often. The Willowemoc and Beaverkill are a bit warmer and really starting to slow down. There are similar hatches for these rivers and while the flows are good across the board, you will still want to focus on the mornings and afternoons as the water will be the coolest. The Catskills are a great option right now on the right day. This weekend it could be a bit of a zoo up there but there will certainly be some awesome opportunities. 

Saltwater 

The further East you go the better the fly fishing will be at this point. Long Island Sound seems to be slowing quite a bit. While there are plenty of fish scattered all over the New York coast, the epicenter of the action will be out toward the Hamptons and Montauk. This is where the majority of the fish will spend the summer, moving inshore and offshore to feed on the numerous baitfish species abundant in the area. There are large fish pushing in daily and if you want a larger Striper, Montauk and the surrounding area is the place to be. The key is to fish during low light hours, especially with the Full Moon, as fish are much more nocturnal in the summer months. You can get schoolies throughout the day but those fish over 30” really begin to shut down when the sun gets high. It is wise to start throwing larger flies at this point too. They don’t have to be huge but flies 4 inches or bigger seem to be the go-to. Black and purple for low light conditions and white or white-and-olive for brighter conditions. The beaches are seeing good action in the mornings and afternoons. The salt ponds and inlets are also a very good option as well. Most of the larger fish seem to be taken by boat anglers as these fish are hanging around deeper structure. Teasing fish up with a popper and then throwing the fly has been the most productive way to get these fish. There are plenty of Gator Blues around too. An awesome target on fly, the tease-and-switch technique with a popper is a great way to connect with Blues over 10lbs. It is a pretty nasty forecast this weekend so if you do head out there, be safe and maybe stay tucked in tight.