Pat Torrey is our resident Zen Master of nymph fishing. Here is a quick tip from his wisdom.

Blue Winged Olives and the Wet Fly

If you are the type of angler who is looking for a different kind of fall fishing experience, we at UpCountry just might have the answer for you: fish the fall Baetis with little Blue Winged Olive wets.

Almost every afternoon from mid October until the first week of December  the Farmington River has a very consistent hatch of small Baetis mayflies, size 26-28. The extended time frame of the hatch allows the fish to get pretty familiar with this food source. Most anglers fish this hatch with standard dry fly and emerger patterns, which become less and less effective as time goes on.

As an alternative: try fishing the Baetis hatch below the surface with soft hackled wet fly imitations that are seldom used. To paraphrase the late Gary LaFontaine: if you want to catch more fish, fish when other fishermen don’t; fish where other fishermen don’t, and fish how other fishermen don’t.

Blue Wing Olive Wet
Hook: 
Tiemco 100 or 2487

Body: 
Olive brown fur or olive thread

Tail: 
Blue dun wet hackle or brown zelon

Rib: 
Gold wire (optional)

Hackle: 
Blue dun wet hackle

Updated
  01/31/12 08:34 AM

Northwestern Connecticut Weather  

Water levels for the Farmington River & Still River

2011 Licenses available for residents and nonresidents

  Hours: Mon to Fri 8am - 5pm / Sat & Sun 6am - 5pm

Gift Certificates Available in Store or by Mail

 Current Conditions on the upper Farmington:

Tuesday 1/31/12 - The Farmington is currently 470cfs through the catch & release area. Winter Caddis (sz 18-24) have been on the water most mornings from the early morning through early afternoon. Tiny Black Stoneflies (sz 20-26) are also on the surface. Grey Stoneflies (sz 16-18) have been hatching on the warmer days. Streamers of all types, Egg Patterns, San Juan Worms, Black Stonefly Nymphs, Pheasant Tails, and Prince Nymphs are working on the bottom.

We purchased another estate lot of fly tying materials, used rods and reels, and assorted vests, bags, chest packs, fly boxes full of flies and more this week, so our bargain bins are overflowing. You can see the items by stopping by the shop this week or at the CFFA Expo at Maneelys Banquet Hall on Saturday Feb 4th. 

We also purchased a huge lot of nearly new Scott and Echo Fly Rods. We will be trickling them out onto our Used/Store Specials page over the next few weeks on our website, or you can stop in the store to see the entire collection.

Rich Strolis will be holding a new fly tying class at UpCountry on Saturday Feb 25th from 9am-2pm. "Rich's GoTo Patterns for the Farmington River" is an intermediate level class which teaches patterns that provide continual success on the Farmington River watershed and throughout New Englad.. These flies are a wide range of surface and subsurface patterns that with a few alterations can be used to represent several different food forms readily available. Participants will need a vise, thread and tools. All other materials will be provided. The class will run from 9am-2pm. Tuition is $75. Call the store to enroll at 860-379-1952

New fly tying class forming: "Wet flies for the Farmington River". Wet flies have been taking trout for hundreds of years, and the fish aren’t getting any smarter. Join outdoor writer and guide Steve Culton as we explore fuzzy nymphs, soft hackles, and wingless wets geared to Farmington hatches like Hendricksons, caddis, sulfurs, and more. The class will also cover wets that can be fished on the surface. Participants will need a vise, thread and tools. All other materials will be provided. The class will run from 10am-3pm on Sat, Feb 11th and is limited to five people. Tuition is $50. Call the store to enroll at 860-379-1952

The Farmington has new rules as of January 1st. The entire river from the Goodwin Dam in Riverton to the Route 177 bridge in Unionville is catch and release from Sept 1 to the third Saturday in April under the new regulations. This effectively ends the closed season and allows fishing 365 days a year under all 21 miles of this regulated area. The existing trout management area remains a year round catch & release area and has been expanded 1.5 miles upstream to end just north of the campground.

If you are looking to buy new equipment this season..... how about trading in some of the rods you have sitting in your closet?....... UpCountry is looking for used fly rods and reels to sell. We buy, consign, and trade for good equipment. Bring me some of your old and we will help turn it into something shiny new for the coming season. We pay top dollar for trades. Call ahead for an appointment. (860) 379-1952.

Links:

www.TroutPredator.com - Aaron Jasper's website offering Farmington and Housatonic River information, plus great articles and information on specialized techniques for catching big trout. 

www.Catching-Shadows.com - Rich Strolis's great website featuring information on fishing the Farmington River plus a growing collection of videos detailing Rich's unique fly patterns. 

www.Flyaddict.com has now grown to over 1000 members since its launch and is fast becoming the premier place for fishing reports and conversation in the region. If you haven't yet... I suggest registering for free on the forum page and checking it out. The site is receiving daily reports from the Farmington, plus reports from the Naugatuck, Willimantic, Housatonic and others

The CT Yankee is a local blog covering fishing in Connecticut from flyfishing, and surfcasting the coast to fishing the many freshwater streams around the state.

Matt Sweeney caught this 27"+ monster rainbow using a small caddis pupa. click the photo for a better look.

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