Guide Services - Farmington River / Houstatonic River - UpCountry Sportfishing on the Farmington River

UpCountry Sportfishing
352 Main St/PO Box 70
Pine Meadow Ct. 06061

Phone:
(860) 379-1952

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

A selection of Pat’s wet fly patterns are available at UpCountry.

You'll find Don Butler working behind the counter much of the time, but he also guides, ties flies, teaches classes and holds a record
83 months in a row
catching a trout on a dry fly on the Farmington River.

Guide Services on the Farmington & Local Waters

One of your best resources when traveling to a new river is the knowledge of a good guide. We arrange trips on the Farmington and Housatonic Rivers and will help to choose right water for your ability and needs. Contact any of our guides directly to set up a trip or call us and we will do our best to match you with a guide that fits your needs and experience.

Shawn F. Britton is regionally known professional fly tier, published artist and freelance writer. He has been fishing since birth and knows his local waters, the Farmington River and the Housatonic River like the back of his hand. He offers his guide service, classes, and instruction for both fly fishing and spinning rod on the premier rivers, lakes and ponds in Western Connecticut. His float tube trips for pike and bass are a different and fun way to spend a day on the water. Contact Shawn at his website www.fliesbybritton.com, email: bootroutman@gmail.com or call 860-309-8588

Bruce Marino With over 35 years flyfishing and tying experience, Bruce Marino has traveled to many destinations to fish for fresh and saltwater species. In his travels, Bruce's flies have become widely used and are go-to patterns for the guides in the areas that they guide in, including the Minipi Camps in Labrador where they use his BMAR Norway Rat, Hex and Stonefly patterns and Crocodile Bay Lodge in Costa Rica, where the guides use many of his BMAR Wounded Baitfish patterns. Bruce now guides almost exclusively on the Farmington River and is an exceptional choice for beginners and advanced anglers alike. Contact Bruce at 860-653-8288 or www.bmarflies.com

Louis Gaudet has six years of guiding experience on the Farmington, Delaware, Beaverkill, Salmon, and Housatonic Rivers. His experience teaching makes him a terrific choice for learning and working on the skills needed to become a complete angler. Louis believes in working equally on dryfly, nymphs and streamer techniques to allow the angler to adapt to any situation. Contact him at 860-810-7899 or email gaudet012@gmail.com or www.riverhooligans.wordpress.com

Rob Nicholas is the only full time guide servicing the Housatonic River. Offering both drift fishing and wade trips, Rob blends an educational guide trip with a fun fish catching experience. Contact Rob at www.housatonicanglers.com

Pat Torrey specializes in nymph fishing techniques and gives classes in the art. He has fished with Joe Humphries and is the best resource to be found on fishing nymphs in New England and Montana rivers. Contact Pat at 860-675-6161

Rich Strolis has been guiding for the last 7 years on the Farmington and Housatonic Rivers respectively, and fishing for the last 30. He owns his own drift-boat and is intimately familiar with both floating and wading the Housatonic River, but is most noted for his knowledge of the Farmington River. A multifaceted angler, Rich can cater to the needs of a beginner or seasoned angler looking for a successful outing. A great deal of his experience derives from his time spent on the water on various rivers and streams across the lower forty eight states and Alaska. He is a subsurface fanatic who loves to chase trophy trout with larger streamers and nymphs. When he is not guiding he enjoys tying flies where his creations have appeared in the pages of Fly Fisherman magazine and books by noted aquatic insect photographer, Thomas Ames. Rich currently runs a website devoted to his business and passion for fly-tying where he does monthly fly-tying tutorials that demonstrate step by step construction of some of his own flies and other time tested patterns. Contact Rich at www.catching-shadows.com

Fred Jeans is a FFF certified fly casting instructor. His many years as a fishing guide, outdoor writer and lecturer qualify him as one of the region's finest. He has been published in several national sporting journals including Fly Fisherman magazine. Fred's skills as a casting instructor make him invaluable to anyone looking to improve their form. Contact Fred at www.selectiveangler.com

Mike Carl has over 25 years of fly-fishing experience, most of it spent on the Farmington. He also has traveled to Montana and Pennslyvania and has fished on some of their most historic and challenging waters. He is an instructor for the Kinzua Fly Fishing School in P.A. and comes highly recommended by co-owners Steve Skvarka and Carl Zandi. He has been mentored by Joe Humphreys for years and works with him at KFFS clinics. Mike specializes in the tactics that Joe is most noted for-nymphing, small streams and night. Mike also started his new guide business in Eastern CT and is a good resource for some of it's more popular river and streams. You may contact him at easternctflyfishing.com

Steve Culton is an outdoor writer, professional fly tier and guide who has been fishing the Farmington River for over 35 years. He has an infectious enthusiasm for all things fly fishing, and leads several fishing and tying classes at UpCountry every year. Whether sharpening your nymphing skills or tempting trout with dry flies, Steve can help build the skills you need to approach any pool with confidence. He is particularly interested in teaching the art of wet fly fishing, from traditional subsurface methods to fishing wets as dries in the film and on the surface. You can contact Steve at 860-918-0228 or swculton@yahoo.com

Steve Hogan is a local angler and guide who specializes in fishing the Farmington River and its trophy waters. In addition to guiding the upper end of the river Steve has spent many years fishing the lower Collinsville/Unionville section of the Farmington and can provide intimate knowledge of how to fish in its challenging waters. The lower reaches of the Farmington are dominated by hidden pocket waters and provide angling opportunities where fewer angler go. Contact Steve through his website at flyfishthefarmington.com

Antoine Bissieux, Orvis endorsed flyfishing guide. After teaching thousands of students at the Orvis Flyfishing School in Manchester VT, and guiding on the Battenkill, Antoine now offers casting clinics, instruction and customized guide trips on the Farmington River. All equipment is provided. Beginners and trips specially tailored to your needs are welcome. Contact Antoine through his website at www.bissieux.com or by calling 860-759-4464

Mark Swenson is from the Danbury/Southbury area and has fished the Farmington, Naugatuck and Housatonic watersheds for over 40 years. Mark has a Bachelor of Science degree in teaching and owns a design studio, working as a commercial artist. He also works as a biological illustrator and photographer, creating art work published by CT and NY DEP. Mark is great with beginner to intermediate level flyfishers and prides himself on the challenge of getting first time anglers into trout. If you haven't ever held a fly rod before or are somewhat hesitant about walking around in moving water, a few hours with Mark will have you both confident & competent by days end. Contact Mark at 203-632-0206 or email: marcus2@charter.net

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