Monday-Friday 8AM-5PM, Saturday & Sunday 8AM-5PM

News:

Two points of note: 
We reveived our big Simms fall order with lots of different weight next-to-sking thermals, hoody sweatshirts, raincoats, gloves and plenty more. We are now carrying our own line of high quality CDC, it's called UpCountry "Helium" Everfloat CDC. These feathers are specially treated in-house to float better. We put one untreated CDC fly versus one tied with Helium Everfloat CDC in a glass of water, and the untreated one sunk after 15 minutes, while our CDC fly was still floating 2 1/2 weeks later!!! We have 12 colors in 1 gram packets, retails is $11.99. 

Simms has done an extremely limited one time release of $300 waders using their highest end breathable material previously used only on G3, dubbed the "Second Wind Wader". They have just arrived and are selling fast - Our shop scored about 1/4 of the available pairs in the country but once they are gone, they are gone. The uppers sport a highly breathable 3 layer construction, while the lowers use an even more durable 5 layer fabric to combat the brambles. USA made in Bozeman, Montana using the functional design of previous Simms wader models including built-in gravel guards, interior pocket and belt. These waders represent a tremendous value, and would typically retail for double the price. Available sizes in, Large, Large King, XL & XXL.

Just arrived, the brand new highly anticipated Hardy Tactus fly rods designed by world champion Howard Croston for Euro nymphing & technical dry fly fishing. The nymphing rods include a 10' 8" #0/2, 10' 2" #2, 11' 2" #2, and 10' 8" #3. They have a powerful butt section for fighting bigger fish, and a include two tips: one standard tubular/hollow for a traditional feel and more power, and a nano carbon solid tip for lighter work with micro leaders, light flies, and better bite detection. The new series is lighter in hand and has a noticeably crisper recovery. The dry fly rods are either 9' 2" or 9' 9", both lengths offered in #3 and #4 The shorter length has a lower swing weight and is slightly better for accuracy, while the 9' 9" models give offer extra reach and better mending capabilities. While optimised for dry fly fishing, the 9' 9" lengths also function quite well as hybrid nymphing and wet fly rods.

UpCountry is looking for good used fly rods & fly reels for cash and trade. This is how we get those great items listed on our Used Gear/Specials page. Bring in your old items and we can turn them into something new. We give more for trade ins than anywhere else. Call ahead for an appointment.

Steve Culton's brand new book "Fly Fishing the Farmington River" is out now, and it is fantastic. The book contains detailed information on the river, from the Hogback Dam in Riverton down to Tariffville Gorge. There is an updated hatch chart, new fishing locations, specific techniques and strategies for the Farmington, suggested fly patterns, plus detailed info from guides & river regulars. We have of plenty of  in stock available in the shop and in our online store here: Book

UpCountry will be holding a special "Hardy / Greys Demo Day" on Saturday, October 24th from 11am to 3pm. This will be your first chance to play with the new Hardy Tactus Rods, the new Hardy Firecrest fast action series rods, the new Greys Compflex , the the completely redesigned Greys Streamflex and more. Meet Earl Evans, our regional sales representitive, enjoy some food and refreshments, and see all the good things UpCountry has been up to inside our store.

For more fish photos, store announcements and river news visit our Facebook page.

River Report:

Second picture is Max Kantor, our Guideline rep, with a 20" plus Farmington River Brown he landed yesterday while out with Derrick Kirkpatrick (who is a Guideline Ambassador). Derrick also landed a 20"+ brown. 

A customer found a knife that was lost in the Boneyard area recently, if you think it might be yours contact us at 860-379-1952.

Last blast of summer yesterday with highs in the mid 70's, back to normal fall weather now. I would say we are at peak foliage and this upcoming weekend should be the one to be here if you want to catch the fall colors at their most colorful. Next week & weekend should be very pretty too, and there are still plenty of trees with green leaves yet to change. Total flow is normal for mid October at just over 200cfs, with a little under 1/2" of rain coming tonight into Friday morning- that's a good thing. Weekend will be cool and mostly sunny, with highs in the upper 40's to mid 50's and cold nights. 

When I think of fall trout fishing, other than the amazing foliage I think of streamers, Blue Winged Olives (BWO's), Tan/Brown Caddis, and big brown trout. Yesterday I fished the upper, middle & lower river. Saw sporadic Caddis and small BWO's. Had to cycle through a bunch of different nymphs, with some success on Junk Flies like Mops & Eggs, but overall the best for me were small BWO nymphs in the #18-22 range, especially later in the day. Interestingly, other than some rainbows like the one pictured today, all the other fish were wild browns in the small to medium size range, and they fought well above their weight class. Picked up some Salmon Parr too. Got a few good sized bows on olive streamers- the takes were not hard, they just stopped the fly. 

Some bigger streamers worth trying in the fall include: Strolis Ice Pick, Gamechanger Brown Trout, Schmidt's Viking Midge, Rio's Precious Metal, Rio's Flashdance, and the Dolly Llama. 

The browns are coloring up for the spawn and look absolutely stunning, especially the larger males. Spawning on the Farmington River usually takes place between the latter part of Ocotober and goes through mid November, with a few outliers spawning early and a few in December. Keep your eyes out for redds, the oval light colored patches in the gravel where trout spawn and deposit their eggs. Redds are typically located in the gravelly tails of pools and side channels, sometime pool heads too if the gravel is suitable. Don't walk on redds, and don't step on the first 10-15 feet of water below them as many eggs wash a little downstream. Please do not fish to fish sitting or spawning on redds- it's unsporting, and you want to let the browns make more future wild browns without being disrupted. There are more wild browns in the river than most anglers realize. Be careful handling female brown trout right now, they are full of eggs. Try to keep them in the water if possible, and do not squeeze them.

Brown trout get more aggressive before & during the spawn, which can make streamers a good fall choice. Small nymphs #18-22 continue to be consistent producers, and dry flies are working well during hatches when you have risers. The main October bugs are tan/brown Caddis #16-18, Blue Winged Olives #20-24, and Isonychia #12-14, with several other bugs in the mix too. I've been seeing trout eat Yellow Sally Stoneflies on the surface at dusk every time I've been out, they typically run #14-16, but can range from #12-20. 

Yellow in a streamer will often trigger fall trout- can be all yellow, or olive & yellow, brown & yellow, etc. Other good colors to try include olive, tan, white, and brown.  Play with retrieves- start with a fast, aggressive presentation and then adjust depending upon the trout's reaction. This is a time of year to play with big streamers in the 4-6" range. You won't catch as many trout, but it ups your odds of landing a true trophy. For catching greater numbers of trout, 3-4" can be a sweet spot- big enough to interest a larger fish, but small enough that the 12-14" fish will still try to eat it. 

The total flow in the Permanent TMA/Catch & Release (C&R) is 207cfs. Riverton USGS gauge is reading 148cfs two miles below the dam, and the Still River is adding 59cfs just below that. River water temp is 60.5 degrees in Riverton this morning. The entire river from Riverton to Unionville is very fishable, so don't limit yourself. Its now the time of year when due to cooler air temps, shorter days, and longer nights, water temps are usually warmest near the dam and cooler as you move downriver.  

As mentioned above, big streamers can be a very good fall fly choice, but smaller streamers and Wooly Buggers will bring a lot of trout to the net in the coming weeks as well. If you favor quantity over just chasing big trout, smaller offerings will produce more fish overall and still catch the monsters, but to a lesser degree. Big trout consider them less of a threat and put up less of a chase.

One technique for catching trout on streamers is to work upstream, making long casts to the bank, followed by a rapid stripping retrieve. Look for current breaks such as rocks, and features that protect trout from birds like overhanging branches, big rocks, undercut banks, and logs to cast around. Keep moving slowly upstream on foot, making just enough casts to cover an area thoroughly. Most of your strikes will come on the first couple of presentations, so don't spend too much time in one spot. Use polarized glasses to help see your streamer underwater and to see any trout chasing them down. If a trout chases but doesn't commit, immediately follow up with another cast. If that doesn't work and the fish is big enough, consider changing your streamer to get another chance.

When fishing streamers its important to cover lots of water and get your offering in front of as many trout as possible. Use heavy tippet for this method such as 0x-2x (depending upon fly size) - the trout are looking at your fly, not at the tippet you use and you want to be able to set the hook HARD, using a hybrid of a strip-set and an angled sideways lift. 

Bigger Stonefly nymphs #8-10 can be a good choice, especially in the mornings, but they can pull above average fish later in the day too. Also an excellent choice after a flow bump like this. Trico Spinners #22-26 are still on the water, but have moved to late morning following the cold overnights we have had recently. Isonychia #12-14, have been out in the afternoons, but their hatching has been light so far this month. Blue Winged Olives (BWO's) #18-24 & Hebe's/Yellow Quills #16-18 are hatching in the afternoon & evening. Tan/brown Caddis #16-18 & big October Caddis are increasing in numbers and are producing trout throughout the day, particularly in fast water. Still seeing some big #12-14 Summer Steno's/Light Cahills in the eves, along with #14-16 Yellow Sallies. 

Nymphing remains a consistent producer when the trout aren't rising. A lot of the best fishing currently is in riffly water with a bit of current and some chop to it, whether you are fishing nymphs or dry flies- water temps are still mainly in the upper 50's to low 60's. Many bugs live and hatch in faster water, and the evening egg-laying/spinner falls occurs where the riffles are. Smaller, heavy jig streamers fished slow & deep are a great fly to fish after you are done nymphing a run, often producing a bonus fish or two or three. Junk Flies (Mops, Eggs, Worms) are also good "clean up batter" flies. Don't be afraid to try some gaudy flies in October, due to the impending spawn trout often react well to funky colors. Could be a bright hot-spot, a fluorescent tag/tail, or a colorful bead. 

Fall often means using smaller nymphs in the #18-22 range, especially in low to medium flows- this can be the difference between a very slow outing and a banner day. Most nymphs are small this time of year. A good strategy at our current flows is to use a weighted #14-18 nymph at the bottom of your rig to get your flies down, and a smaller lighter pattern on a dropper 18-24" above. On your top dropper, you can even use an unweighted fly, a brass bead nymph, or a soft hackle/wet fly if your anchor fly on point is heavy enough to get your rig down.

Hatches: 

Dries: 

- Tan/Brown Caddis #16-18, Very visible on the river right now, typically seen flying upstream in mating flights. You will see them sporadically thoughout the day, heaviest in the evenings.

- Blue Winged Olives/BWO’s #18-24: afternoon hatch on cloudy days and later in the day when the sun goes off the water on days with blue skies. Usually here with us until Christmas.

- Black & Gray Caddis #18-22, A Fall staple, often overlooked because of its dark color

- Giant October Caddis #8-12, Fish our BMAR October Caddis or an Orange Stimulator

- Isonychia #10-14: Fast water bug, usually hatches mid-afternoon to dark. Even if you don't see any hatching and no trout are rising, you can successfully blind-fish these in riffly water that you would normally nymph.

- Yellow Sally #12-18: A smaller Stonefly that lives in fast water, looks like a miniature Golden Stone. Trout have been eating them on the surface at dusk.

- Hebe #16-18 (Little Yellow Quill): a dull yellow Sulfur-type mayfly we see in late summer/early fall in the late afternoon & evenings. Near the end.

- Light Cahill/Summer Steno #12-14: evenings, a few, but trout are eating them.

- Summer/Winter Caddis #18-24: hatch is typically early to mid morning. Trout focus on the pupa first, and then as the morning progresses they normally switch to the winged adults when they return to egg-lay. Try both twitching & dead-drifting your fly, trout often key on movement with this bug. Hatches all year, peaking in both the summer & winter.

- Midges #20-28: 365 days a year, underrated and overlooked by many anglers. 

Nymphs:

- Caddis Pupa #16-18 (tan, olive, green)

- Baetis/BWO Nymphs #16-22

- Caddis Larva (olive, green, tan, cream) #14-16: tons of these in the river, good all year

- Pheasant Tails/Frenchies #12-22: imitates a wide range of Mayflies including Hebe's (Yellow Quill), Baetis/Blue Winged Olives, Isonychia, and small Stoneflies.

- Walt's Worm #14-20: great general purpose nymph that suggests many different bugs, especially Caddis on this river. 

- Isonychia Nymph #12-14: dead-drift, swing, twitch, and even strip them in. They are great swimmers, and some days trout prefer different presentations- you won't know until you experiment. Use true Isonychia nymphs, large Prince nymphs & Pheasant Tails to represent them. 

- Yellow Sally #14-18: small Stonefly that looks like a miniature Golden Stone. Lives under rocks in fast water. Active & hatching. Dries are good in fast water near dusk.

- Junk Flies (Eggs, Mops, Squirmy/San Juan Worms, Green Weenies): Often work when standard nymphs fail, especially when there aren’t many hatches.

 - Large Stonefly Nymphs #8-10: golden/yellow, brown, black, Stoneflies are a mouthful that can be hard for trout to pass up, and there are a surprising amount of them in the river. Good choice when flows are up. Some days when trout won’t move for a small nymph, it takes a bigger bite of food to get an eat. Often catches larger than average fish. Best in early morning during summer. Look for the empty shucks on top of rocks where they crawl out to emerge in fast water.

 - Midges #18-22 (black, olive, red): Zebra Midge, Flash Midge, Red Iris Midge, etc.

Streamers:

-Fall is Prime Time to fish medium to large streamers and take advantage of the trout's seasonal aggression. Streamers that incorporate yellow can be particularly good in the fall. Periods of higher/dirty water are a great time to fish big streamers and target big trout. Also early & late in the day during periods of low light. They are a good clean-up fly to try before right before you leave a spot. 

-Woolly Bugger #4-12: assorted colors expecially yellow, white and tan

-Zonker / Rabbit Strip tied streamers #4-8: In white, natural, olive, and Fall colors

-Zuddler #4-6: olive, brown, white, black, yellow

-BMAR Yellow Matuka #6 - deadly fly! 

-Articulated Streamers 4-6" long: various patterns to target the biggest trout in the river, a good choice in the fall to catch fewer but bigger fish

___________________

If you like our fishing report, please consider buying your gear from us. We generally ship the same day, for free anywhere in the country for orders over $70. We ship small orders via mail or UPS for a small cost. Our shop can only exist with your patronage.

UpCountry Sportfishing is always looking for good used fly fishing gear for cash and trade. This is how we get those great items listed on our website and you see on our racks. We buy fly rods, fly reels, quality classic bamboo, and fly tying equipment etc. Bring in your old items and we can help turn them into something new. We give more for trade ins than anywhere else. Call ahead for an appointment.

Customer Brent M. with a hefty brown caught on a streamer over the weekend. Fall is Streamer Season!

Monday-Friday 8AM-5PM, Saturday & Sunday 8AM-5PM

News:

Simms has done an extremely limited one time release of $300 waders using their highest end breathable material previously used only on G3, dubbed the "Second Wind Wader". They have just arrived and are selling fast - Our shop scored about 1/4 of the available pairs in the country but once they are gone, they are gone. The uppers sport a highly breathable 3 layer construction, while the lowers use an even more durable 5 layer fabric to combat the brambles. USA made in Bozeman, Montana using the functional design of previous Simms wader models including built-in gravel guards, interior pocket and belt. These waders represent a tremendous value, and would typically retail for double the price. Available sizes in, Large, Large King, XL & XXL.

Just arrived, the brand new highly anticipated Hardy Tactus fly rods designed by world champion Howard Croston for Euro nymphing & technical dry fly fishing. The nymphing rods include a 10' 8" #0/2, 10' 2" #2, 11' 2" #2, and 10' 8" #3. They have a powerful butt section for fighting bigger fish, and a include two tips: one standard tubular/hollow for a traditional feel and more power, and a nano carbon solid tip for lighter work with micro leaders, light flies, and better bite detection. The new series is lighter in hand and has a noticeably crisper recovery. The dry fly rods are either 9' 2" or 9' 9", both lengths offered in #3 and #4 The shorter length has a lower swing weight and is slightly better for accuracy, while the 9' 9" models give offer extra reach and better mending capabilities. While optimised for dry fly fishing, the 9' 9" lengths also function quite well as hybrid nymphing and wet fly rods.

UpCountry is looking for good used fly rods & fly reels for cash and trade. This is how we get those great items listed on our Used Gear/Specials page. Bring in your old items and we can turn them into something new. We give more for trade ins than anywhere else. Call ahead for an appointment.

Steve Culton's brand new book "Fly Fishing the Farmington River" is out now, and it is fantastic. The book contains detailed information on the river, from the Hogback Dam in Riverton down to Tariffville Gorge. There is an updated hatch chart, new fishing locations, specific techniques and strategies for the Farmington, suggested fly patterns, plus detailed info from guides & river regulars. We have of plenty of  in stock available in the shop and in our online store here: Book

UpCountry will be holding a special "Hardy / Greys Demo Day" on Saturday, October 24th from 11am to 3pm. This will be your first chance to play with the new Hardy Tactus Rods, the new Hardy Firecrest fast action series rods, the new Greys Compflex , the the completely redesigned Greys Streamflex and more. Meet Earl Evans, our regional sales representitive, enjoy some food and refreshments, and see all the good things UpCountry has been up to inside our store.

For more fish photos, store announcements and river news visit our Facebook page.

River Report:

A customer found a knife that was lost in the Boneyard area recently, if you think it might be yours contact us at 860-379-1952.

The sun is back out after some welcome and needed rain Sunday (1.6"), total flow is about medium in the Permanent TMA/Catch & Release (C&R)- in the low 400cfs range and dropping as I write this Monday morning. The extra water is coming mainly from the Still River, which both rises & drops very quickly when we get a good amount of rain. Today should be a really good streamer day with the bump in water level and the stained water, and with the predicted cloud cover Tuesday should be good for streamers too. Conditions like this are prime for throwning some truly large streamers in the 4-6" range in search of a trophy trout. Some bigger streamers worth trying include: Strolis Ice Pick, Gamechanger Brown Trout, Schmidt's Viking Midge, Rio's Precious Metal, Rio's Flashdance, and the Dolly Llama. These are also good conditions to fish Junk Flies (Mops, Eggs, Squirmy/San Juan Worms) and bigger nymphs (Stones, Princes, etc.). Flows should drop & clear significantly by Tuesday morning. We had a great summer season here, and this fall should be good too. Looks like some nice weather for the next several days, highs in the 60's to low 70's with no rain.  

Foliage continues to improve on a daily basis- we are literally days from the absolute peak, which typically is about the 15th through the 20th, with the upcoming weekend being the peak weekend. The browns are coloring up for the spawn and look absolutely stunning, especially the larger males. Spawning on the Farmington River usually takes place between the latter part of Ocotober and goes through mid November, with a few outliers spawning early and a few in December. Keep your eyes out for redds, the oval light colored patches in the gravel where trout spawn and deposit their eggs. Redds are typically located in the gravelly tails of pools and side channels, sometime pool heads too if the gravel is suitable. Don't walk on redds, and don't step on the first 10-15 feet of water below them as many eggs wash a little downstream. Please do not fish to fish sitting or spawning on redds- it's unsporting, and you want to let the browns make more future wild browns without being disrupted. There are more wild browns in the river than most anglers realize. Be careful handling female brown trout right now, they are full of eggs. Try to keep them in the water if possible, and do not squeeze them.

Brown trout get more aggressive before & during the spawn, which can make streamers a good fall choice. Small nymphs #18-22 continue to be consistent producers, and dry flies are working well during hatches. The main October bugs are tan/brown Caddis #16-18, Blue Winged Olives #20-24, and Isonychia #12-14, with several other bugs in the mix too. I've been seeing trout eat Yellow Sally Stoneflies on the surface at dusk every time I've been out, they typically run #14-16, but can range from #12-20. 

Yellow in a streamer will often trigger fall trout- can be all yellow, or olive & yellow, brown & yellow, etc. Other good colors to try include olive, tan, white, and brown.  Play with retrieves- start with a fast, aggressive presentation and then adjust depending upon the trout's reaction. This is a time of year to play with big streamers in the 4-6" range. You won't catch as many trout, but it ups your odds of landing a true trophy. For catching greater numbers of trout, 3-4" can be a sweet spot- big enough to interest a larger fish, but small enough that the 12-14" fish will still try to eat it. 

The total flow in the Permanent TMA/Catch & Release (C&R) is 429cfs & dropping. Riverton USGS gauge is reading 180cfs two miles below the dam, and the Still River is adding 249cfs & dropping just below that. River water temp is 59 degrees in Riverton this morning. The entire river from Riverton to Unionville has been fishing well, so don't limit yourself. Its now the time of year when due to cooler air temps, shorter days, and longer nights, water temps are usually warmest near the dam and cool down as you move downriver.  

As mentioned above, big streamers can be a very good fall fly choice, but smaller streamers and Wooly Buggers will bring a lot of trout to the net in the coming weeks as well. If you favor quantity over just chasing big trout, smaller offerings will produce more fish overall and still catch the monsters, but to a lesser degree. Big trout consider them less of a threat and put up less of a chase.

One technique for catching trout on streamers is to work upstream, making long casts to the bank, followed by a rapid stripping retrieve. Look for current breaks such as rocks, and features that protect trout from birds like overhanging branches, big rocks, undercut banks, and logs to cast around. Keep moving slowly upstream on foot, making just enough casts to cover an area thoroughly. Most of your strikes will come on the first couple of presentations, so don't spend too much time in one spot. Use polarized glasses to help see your streamer underwater and to see any trout chasing them down. If a trout chases but doesn't commit, immediately follow up with another cast. If that doesn't work and the fish is big enough, consider changing your streamer to get another chance.

When fishing streamers its important to cover lots of water and get your offering in front of as many trout as possible. Use heavy tippet for this method such as 0x-2x (depending upon fly size) - the trout are looking at your fly, not at the tippet you use and you want to be able to set the hook HARD, using a hybrid of a strip-set and an angled sideways lift. 

Bigger Stonefly nymphs #8-10 can be a good choice, especially in the mornings, but they can pull above average fish later in the day too. Also an excellent choice after a flow bump like this. Trico Spinners #22-26 are still on the water, but have moved to late morning following the cold overnights we have had recently. Isonychia #12-14, have been out in the afternoons, with the trout eating them well in some areas. Blue Winged Olives (BWO's) #18-24 & Hebe's/Yellow Quills #16-18 are hatching in the afternoon & evening. Tan/brown Caddis #16-18 & big October Caddis are increasing in numbers and are producing trout throughout the day, particularly in fast water. Still seeing some big #12-14 Summer Steno's/Light Cahills in the eves, along with #14-16 Yellow Sallies. 

Nymphing remains a consistent producer when the trout aren't rising. A lot of the best fishing currently is in riffly water with a bit of current and some chop to it, whether you are fishing nymphs or dry flies- water temps are still mainly in the upper 50's to low 60's. Many bugs live and hatch in faster water, and the evening egg-laying/spinner falls occurs where the riffles are. Smaller, heavy jig streamers fished slow & deep are a great fly to fish after you are done nymphing a run, often producing a bonus fish or two or three. Junk Flies (Mops, Eggs, Worms) are also good "clean up batter" flies. Don't be afraid to try some gaudy flies in October, due to the impending spawn trout often react well to funky colors. Could be a bright hot-spot, a fluorescent tag/tail, or a colorful bead. 

Fall often means using smaller nymphs in the #18-22 range, especially in low to medium flows- this can be the difference between a very slow outing and a banner day. Most nymphs are small this time of year. A good strategy at our current flows is to use a weighted #14-18 nymph at the bottom of your rig to get your flies down, and a smaller lighter pattern on a dropper 18-24" above. On your top dropper, you can even use an unweighted fly, a brass bead nymph, or a soft hackle/wet fly if your anchor fly on point is heavy enough to get your rig down.

Hatches: 

Dries: 

- Tan/Brown Caddis #16-18, Very visible on the river right now, typically seen flying upstream in mating flights.

- Black & Gray Caddis #18-22, A Fall staple, often overlooked because of its dark color

- Giant October Caddis #8-12, Fish our BMAR October Caddis or an Orange Stimulator

- Isonychia #10-14: Fast water bug, usually hatches mid-afternoon to dark. Even if you don't see any hatching and no trout are rising, you can successfully blind-fish these in riffly water that you would normally nymph.

- Blue Winged Olives/BWO’s #18-24: afternoon hatch on cloudy days and later in the day when the sun goes off the water on days with blue skies. Usually here with us until Christmas.

- Yellow Sally #12-18: A smaller Stonefly that lives in fast water, looks like a miniature Golden Stone. Trout have been consistently eating them on the surface at dusk.

- Hebe #16-18 (Little Yellow Quill): a dull yellow Sulfur-type mayfly we see in late summer/early fall in the late afternoon & evenings. Near the end.

- Light Cahill/Summer Steno #12-14: evenings, a few, but trout are eating them.

- Summer/Winter Caddis #18-24: hatch is typically early to mid morning. Trout focus on the pupa first, and then as the morning progresses they normally switch to the winged adults when they return to egg-lay. Try both twitching & dead-drifting your fly, trout often key on movement with this bug. Hatches all year, peaking in both the summer & winter.

- Midges #20-28: 365 days a year, underrated and overlooked by many anglers. 

Nymphs:

- Caddis Pupa #16-18 (tan, olive, green)

- Caddis Larva (olive, green, tan, cream) #14-16: tons of these in the river, good all year

- Pheasant Tails/Frenchies #12-22: imitates a wide range of Mayflies including Hebe's (Yellow Quill), Baetis/Blue Winged Olives, Isonychia, and small Stoneflies.

- Walt's Worm #14-20: great general purpose nymph that suggests many different bugs, especially Caddis on this river. 

- Isonychia Nymph #12-14: dead-drift, swing, twitch, and even strip them in. They are great swimmers, and some days trout prefer different presentations- you won't know until you experiment. Use true Isonychia nymphs, large Prince nymphs & Pheasant Tails to represent them. 

- Baetis/BWO Nymphs #16-22

- Yellow Sally #14-18: small Stonefly that looks like a miniature Golden Stone. Lives under rocks in fast water. Active & hatching. Dries are good in fast water near dusk.

- Junk Flies (Eggs, Mops, Squirmy/San Juan Worms, Green Weenies): Often work when standard nymphs fail, especially when there aren’t many hatches.

 - Large Stonefly Nymphs #8-10: golden/yellow, brown, black, Stoneflies are a mouthful that can be hard for trout to pass up, and there are a surprising amount of them in the river. Good choice when flows are up. Some days when trout won’t move for a small nymph, it takes a bigger bite of food to get an eat. Often catches larger than average fish. Best in early morning during summer. Look for the empty shucks on top of rocks where they crawl out to emerge in fast water.

 - Midges #18-22 (black, olive, red): Zebra Midge, Flash Midge, Red Iris Midge, etc.

Streamers:

-Fall is Prime Time to fish medium to large streamers and take advantage of the trout's seasonal aggression. Streamers that incorporate yellow can be particularly good in the fall. Periods of higher/dirty water are a great time to fish big streamers and target big trout. Also early & late in the day during periods of low light. They are a good clean-up fly to try before right before you leave a spot. 

-Woolly Bugger #4-12: assorted colors expecially yellow, white and tan

-Zonker / Rabbit Strip tied streamers #4-8: In white, natural, olive, and Fall colors

-Zuddler #4-6: olive, brown, white, black, yellow

-BMAR Yellow Matuka #6 - deadly fly! 

-Articulated Streamers 4-6" long: various patterns to target the biggest trout in the river, a good choice in the fall to catch fewer but bigger fish

___________________

If you like our fishing report, please consider buying your gear from us. We generally ship the same day, for free anywhere in the country for orders over $70. We ship small orders via mail or UPS for a small cost. Our shop can only exist with your patronage.

UpCountry Sportfishing is always looking for good used fly fishing gear for cash and trade. This is how we get those great items listed on our website and you see on our racks. We buy fly rods, fly reels, quality classic bamboo, and fly tying equipment etc. Bring in your old items and we can help turn them into something new. We give more for trade ins than anywhere else. Call ahead for an appointment.

Monday-Friday 8AM-5PM, Saturday & Sunday 8AM-5PM

News:

Simms has done an extremely limited one time release of $300 waders using their highest end breathable material previously used only on G3, dubbed the "Second Wind Wader". They have just arrived and are selling fast - Our shop scored about 1/4 of the available pairs in the country but once they are gone, they are gone. The uppers sport a highly breathable 3 layer construction, while the lowers use an even more durable 5 layer fabric to combat the brambles. USA made in Bozeman, Montana using the functional design of previous Simms wader models including built-in gravel guards, interior pocket and belt. These waders represent a tremendous value, and would typically retail for double the price. Available sizes in, Large, XL & XXL.

Just arrived, the brand new highly anticipated Hardy Tactus fly rods designed by world champion Howard Croston for Euro nymphing & technical dry fly fishing. The nymphing rods include a 10' 8" #0/2, 10' 2" #2, 11' 2" #2, and 10' 8" #3. They have a powerful butt section for fighting bigger fish, and a include two tips: one standard tubular/hollow for a traditional feel and more power, and a nano carbon solid tip for lighter work with micro leaders, light flies, and better bite detection. The new series is lighter in hand and has a noticeably crisper recovery. The dry fly rods are either 9' 2" or 9' 9", both lengths offered in #3 and #4 The shorter length has a lower swing weight and is slightly better for accuracy, while the 9' 9" models give offer extra reach and better mending capabilities. While optimised for dry fly fishing, the 9' 9" lengths also function quite well as hybrid nymphing and wet fly rods.

UpCountry is looking for good used fly rods & fly reels for cash and trade. This is how we get those great items listed on our Used Gear/Specials page. Bring in your old items and we can turn them into something new. We give more for trade ins than anywhere else. Call ahead for an appointment.

Steve Culton's brand new book "Fly Fishing the Farmington River" is out now, and it is fantastic. The book contains detailed information on the river, from the Hogback Dam in Riverton down to Tariffville Gorge. There is an updated hatch chart, new fishing locations, specific techniques and strategies for the Farmington, suggested fly patterns, plus detailed info from guides & river regulars. We have of plenty of  in stock available in the shop and in our online store here: Book

UpCountry will be holding a special "Hardy / Greys Demo Day" on Saturday, October 24th from 11am to 3pm. This will be your first chance to play with the new Hardy Tactus Rods, the new Hardy Firecrest fast action series rods, the new Greys Compflex , the the completely redesigned Greys Streamflex and more. Meet Earl Evans, our regional sales representitive, enjoy some food and refreshments, and see all the good things UpCountry has been up to inside our store.

For more fish photos, store announcements and river news visit our Facebook page.

River Report:

A customer found a knife that was lost in the Boneyard area over the past weekend, if you think it might be yours contact us at 860-379-1952.

Just another day in paradise. Foliage gets prettier and more colorful every day, we are about a week from the peak of peak foliage. The next couple weekends or should be very colorful. The browns are coloring up for the spawn and look absolutely stunning, especially the larger males. Spawning on the Farmington River usually takes place between the latter part of Ocotober and goes through mid November, with a few outliers spawning early and others in December. Keep your eyes out for redds, the oval light colored patches in the gravel where trout spawn and deposit their eggs. Redds are typically located in the gravelly tails of pools and side channels, sometime pool heads too if the gravel is suitable. Don't walk on redds, and don't step on the first 10-15 feet of water below them as many eggs wash a little downstream. Please do not fish to fish sitting or spawning on redds- it's unsporting, and you want to let the browns make more future wild browns without being disrupted. There are more wild browns in the river than most anglers realize. 

Be careful handling female brown trout right now, they are full of eggs. Try to keep them in the water if possible, and do not squeeze them. Brown trout get more aggressive before & during the spawn, which can make streamers a good choice. Small nymphs #18-22 continue to be consistent producers, and dry fly are working well during hatches. The main October bugs are tan/brown Caddis #16-18, Blue Winged Olives #20-24, and Isonychia #12-14, with several other bugs in the mix too. I've been seeing trout eat Yellow Sally Stoneflies on the surface at dusk every time I've been out, they typically run #14-16, but can range from #12-20. 

Yellow in a streamer will often trigger October trout- can be all yellow, or olive & yellow, brown & yellow, etc. Other good colors to try include olive, tan, white, and brown. Play with retrieves- start with a fast, aggressive presentation and then adjust depending upon the trout's reaction. This is a time of year to play with big streamers in the 4-6" range. You won't catch as many trout, but it ups your odds of landing a true trophy. For catching greater numbers of trout, 3-4" can be a sweet spot- big enough to interest a larger fish, but small enough that the 12-14" fish will still try to eat it. 

The total flow in the Permanent TMA/Catch & Release (C&R) is normal for today's date at 164cfs. Riverton USGS gauge is reading 157cfs two miles below the dam, and the Still River is adding 17cfs just below that. River water temp is 60.5 degrees in Riverton this morning, and it peaked yesterday afternoon at just over 63 degrees. The entire river from Riverton to Unionville is fishing well, so don't limit yourself. Its now the time of year when due to cooler air temps, shorter days, and longer nights, water temps are usually warmest near the dam and cool off as you move downriver..  

As mentioned above, big streamers can be a very good fall fly choice, but smaller streamers and Wooly Buggers will bring a lot of trout to the net in the coming weeks as well. If you favor quantity over just chasing big trout, smaller offerings will produce more fish overall and still catch the monsters, but to a lesser degree. Big trout consider them less of a threat and put up less of a chase.

One technique for catching trout on streamers is to work upstream, making long casts to the bank, followed by a rapid stripping retrieve. Look for current breaks such as rocks, and features that protect trout from birds like overhanging branches, big rocks, undercut banks, and logs to cast around. Keep moving slowly upstream on foot, making just enough casts to cover an area thoroughly. Most of your strikes will come on the first couple of presentations, so don't spend too much time in one spot. Use polarized glasses to help see your streamer underwater and to see any trout chasing them down. If a trout chases but doesn't commit, immediately follow up with another cast. If that doesn't work and the fish is big enough, consider changing your streamer to get another chance.

When fishing streamers its important to cover lots of water and get your offering in front of as many trout as possible. Use heavy tippet for this method such as 0x-2x (depending upon fly size) - the trout are looking at your fly, not at the tippet you use and you want to be able to set the hook HARD, using a hybrid of a strip-set and an angled sideways lift. 

Bigger Stonefly nymphs #8-10 can be a good choice, especially in the mornings, but they can pull above average fish later in the day too. Trico Spinners #22-26 are still on the water, but have moved to late morning following the cold overnights we have had recently. Isonychia #12-14, have been out in the afternoons, with the trout eating them well in some areas. Blue Winged Olives (BWO's) #18-24 & Hebe's/Yellow Quills #16-18 are hatching in the afternoon & evening. Tan/brown Caddis #16-18 & big October Caddis are increasing in numbers and are producing trout throughout the day, particularly in fast water. Still seeing some big #12-14 Summer Steno's/Light Cahills in the eves, along with #14-16 Yellow Sallies. 

Nymphing remains a consistent producer when the trout aren't rising. A lot of the best fishing currently is in riffly water with a bit of current and some chop to it, whether you are fishing nymphs or dry flies- water temps are still mainly in the upper 50's to low 60's. Many bugs live and hatch in faster water, and the evening egg-laying/spinner falls occurs where the riffles are. Smaller, heavy jig streamers fished slow & deep are a great fly to fish after you are done nymphing a run, often producing a bonus fish or two or three. Junk Flies (Mops, Eggs, Worms) are also good "clean up batter" flies. Don't be afraid to try some gaudy flies in October, due to the impending spawn trout often react well to funky colors. Could be a bright hot-spot, a fluorescent tag/tail, or a colorful bead. 

Fall often means using smaller nymphs in the #18-22 range, especially in low to medium flows- this can be the difference between a very slow outing and a banner day. Most nymphs are small this time of year. A good strategy at our current flows is to use a weighted #14-18 nymph at the bottom of your rig to get your flies down, and a smaller lighter pattern on a dropper 18-24" above. On your top dropper, you can even use an unweighted fly, a brass bead nymph, or a soft hackle/wet fly if your anchor fly on point is heavy enough to get your rig down.

Hatches: 

Dries: 

- Tan/Brown Caddis #16-18, Very visible on the river right now, typically seen flying upstream in mating flights.

- Black & Gray Caddis #18-22, A Fall staple, often overlooked because of its dark color

- Giant October Caddis #8-12, Fish our BMAR October Caddis or an Orange Stimulator

- Isonychia #10-14: Fast water bug, usually hatches mid-afternoon to dark. Even if you don't see any hatching and no trout are rising, you can successfully blind-fish these in riffly water that you would normally nymph.

- Blue Winged Olives/BWO’s #18-24: afternoon hatch on cloudy days and later in the day when the sun goes off the water on days with blue skies. Usually here with us until Christmas.

- Yellow Sally #12-18: A smaller Stonefly that lives in fast water, looks like a miniature Golden Stone. Trout have been consistently eating them on the surface at dusk.

- Hebe #16-18 (Little Yellow Quill): a dull yellow Sulfur-type mayfly we see in late summer/early fall in the late afternoon & evenings. Near the end.

- Light Cahill/Summer Steno #12-14: evenings, a few, but trout are eating them.

- Summer/Winter Caddis #18-24: hatch is typically early to mid morning. Trout focus on the pupa first, and then as the morning progresses they normally switch to the winged adults when they return to egg-lay. Try both twitching & dead-drifting your fly, trout often key on movement with this bug. Hatches all year, peaking in both the summer & winter.

- Midges #20-28: 365 days a year, underrated and overlooked by many anglers. 

Nymphs:

- Caddis Pupa #16-18 (tan, olive, green)

- Caddis Larva (olive, green, tan, cream) #14-16: tons of these in the river, good all year

- Pheasant Tails/Frenchies #12-22: imitates a wide range of Mayflies including Hebe's (Yellow Quill), Baetis/Blue Winged Olives, Isonychia, and small Stoneflies.

- Walt's Worm #14-20: great general purpose nymph that suggests many different bugs, especially Caddis on this river. 

- Isonychia Nymph #12-14: dead-drift, swing, twitch, and even strip them in. They are great swimmers, and some days trout prefer different presentations- you won't know until you experiment. Use true Isonychia nymphs, large Prince nymphs & Pheasant Tails to represent them. 

- Baetis/BWO Nymphs #16-22

- Yellow Sally #14-18: small Stonefly that looks like a miniature Golden Stone. Lives under rocks in fast water. Active & hatching. Dries are good in fast water near dusk.

- Junk Flies (Eggs, Mops, Squirmy/San Juan Worms, Green Weenies): Often work when standard nymphs fail, especially when there aren’t many hatches.

 - Large Stonefly Nymphs #8-10: golden/yellow, brown, black, Stoneflies are a mouthful that can be hard for trout to pass up, and there are a surprising amount of them in the river. Good choice when flows are up. Some days when trout won’t move for a small nymph, it takes a bigger bite of food to get an eat. Often catches larger than average fish. Best in early morning during summer. Look for the empty shucks on top of rocks where they crawl out to emerge in fast water.

 - Midges #18-22 (black, olive, red): Zebra Midge, Flash Midge, Red Iris Midge, etc.

Streamers:

-Fall is Prime Time to fish medium to large streamers and take advantage of the trout's seasonal aggression. Streamers that incorporate yellow can be particularly good in the fall. Periods of higher/dirty water are a great time to fish big streamers and target big trout. Also early & late in the day during periods of low light. They are a good clean-up fly to try before right before you leave a spot. 

-Woolly Bugger #4-12: assorted colors expecially yellow, white and tan

-Zonker / Rabbit Strip tied streamers #4-8: In white, natural, olive, and Fall colors

-Zuddler #4-6: olive, brown, white, black, yellow

-BMAR Yellow Matuka #6 - deadly fly! 

-Articulated Streamers 4-6" long: various patterns to target the biggest trout in the river, a good choice in the fall to catch fewer but bigger fish

___________________

If you like our fishing report, please consider buying your gear from us. We generally ship the same day, for free anywhere in the country for orders over $70. We ship small orders via mail or UPS for a small cost. Our shop can only exist with your patronage.

UpCountry Sportfishing is always looking for good used fly fishing gear for cash and trade. This is how we get those great items listed on our website and you see on our racks. We buy fly rods, fly reels, quality classic bamboo, and fly tying equipment etc. Bring in your old items and we can help turn them into something new. We give more for trade ins than anywhere else. Call ahead for an appointment.

Monday-Friday 8AM-5PM, Saturday & Sunday 8AM-5PM

News:

Simms has done an extremely limited one time release of $300 waders using their highest end breathable material previously used only on G3. dubbed the "Second Wind Wader". They have just arrived and are selling fast - Our shop scored about 1/4 of the available pairs in the country but once they are gone, they are gone. The uppers sport a highly breathable 3 layer construction, while the lowers use an even more durable 5 layer fabric to combat the brambles. USA made in Bozeman, Montana using the functional design of previous Simms wader models including built-in gravel guards, interior pocket and belt. These waders represent a tremendous value, and would typically retail for double the price. Available sizes in Large, XL & XXL.

Just arrived, the brand new highly anticipated Hardy Tactus fly rods designed by world champion Howard Croston for Euro nymphing & technical dry fly fishing. The nymphing rods include a 10' 8" #0/2, 10' 2" #2, 11' 2" #2, and 10' 8" #3. They have a powerful butt section for fighting bigger fish, and a include two tips: one standard tubular/hollow for a traditional feel and more power, and a nano carbon solid tip for lighter work with micro leaders, light flies, and better bite detection. The new series is lighter in hand and has a noticeably crisper recovery. The dry fly rods are either 9' 2" or 9' 9", both lengths offered in #3 and #4 The shorter length has a lower swing weight and is slightly better for accuracy, while the 9' 9" models give offer extra reach and better mending capabilities. While optimised for dry fly fishing, the 9' 9" lengths also function quite well as hybrid nymphing and wet fly rods.

UpCountry is looking for good used fly rods & fly reels for cash and trade. This is how we get those great items listed on our Used Gear/Specials page. Bring in your old items and we can turn them into something new. We give more for trade ins than anywhere else. Call ahead for an appointment.

Steve Culton's brand new book "Fly Fishing the Farmington River" is out now, and it is fantastic. The book contains detailed information on the river, from the Hogback Dam in Riverton down to Tariffville Gorge. There is an updated hatch chart, new fishing locations, specific techniques and strategies for the Farmington, suggested fly patterns, plus detailed info from guides & river regulars. We have of plenty of  in stock available in the shop and in our online store here: Book

UpCountry will be holding a special "Hardy / Greys Demo Day" on Saturday, October 24th from 11am to 3pm. This will be your first chance to play with the new Hardy Tactus Rods, the new Hardy Firecrest fast action series rods, the new Greys Compflex , the the completely redesigned Greys Streamflex and more. Meet Earl Evans, our regional sales representitive, enjoy some food and refreshments, and see all the good things UpCountry has been up to inside our store.

For more fish photos, store announcements and river news visit our Facebook page.

River Report:

A customer found a knife that was lost in the Boneyard area over the past weekend, if you think it might be yours contact us at 860-379-1952.

I think it's safe to say that foliage season has begun, and it's only going to get more colorful. Cool nights in the forecast will accelerate this. Looks like beautfiul weather for the week, dry and mostly sunny with highs averaging in the 60's, and nights mostly in the 40's. Nothing quite like trout fishing in the stunning backdrop of New England autumn colors. When the leaves change, it also signals the time of year when brown & brook trout spawn. Typically on the Farmington River the bulk of that takes place between about October 20th and mid November, which is earlier than a lot of other rivers. FYI be careful handling female brown trout right now, they are full of eggs. Try to keep them in the water if possible, and do not squeeze them. Brown trout get more aggressive before & during the spawn, which can make streamers a good choice. Small nymphs #18-22 continue to be consistent producers, and dry fly are working well during hatches. The main October bugs are tan/brown Caddis #16-18, Blue Winged Olives #20-24, and Isonychia #12-14, with several other bugs in the mix too. I've been seeing trout eat Yellow Sally Stoneflies on the surface at dusk every time I've been out, they typically run #14-16, but can range from #12-20. Walking the dog last night near the river, I saw good numbers of both Yellow Sallies, & tan/brown Caddis flying upstream to egg-lay in the evening. 

Yellow in a streamer will often trigger October trout- can be all yellow, or olive & yellow, brown & yellow, etc. Other good colors to try include olive, tan, white, and brown. Play with retrieves- start with a fast, aggressive presentation and then adjust depending upon the trout's reaction. This is a time of year to play with big streamers in the 4-6" range. You won't catch as many trout, but it ups your odds of landing a true trophy. For catching greater numbers of trout, 3-4" can be a sweet spot- big enough to interest a larger fish, but small enough that the 12-14" fish will still try to eat it. 

The total flow in the Permanent TMA/Catch & Release (C&R) is normal and medium-low at 199cfs. Riverton USGS gauge is reading 177cfs two miles below the dam, and the Still River is adding 22cfs just below that. We are in good shape for early October. River water temp is 61 degrees in Riverton this morning. The entire river from Riverton to Unionville is fishing well, so don't limit yourself. Its now the time of year when due to cooler air temps, shorter days, and longer nights, water temps are colder as you move away from the dam on most days.  

As mentioned above, big streamers can be a very good fall fly choice, but smaller streamers and Wooly Buggers will bring a lot of trout to the net in the coming weeks as well. If you favor quantity over just chasing big trout, smaller offerings will produce more fish overall and still catch the monsters, but to a lesser degree. The big daddies and big mamas of the river consider them less of a threat and put up less of a chase.

Grady's favorite technique for catching trout on streamers is to work upstream, making long casts to the bank, followed by a rapid stripping retrieve. Look for current breaks such as rocks, and features that protect trout from birds like overhanging branches, big rocks, undercut banks, and logs to cast around. Keep moving slowly upstream on foot, making just enough casts to cover an area thoroughly. Most of your strikes will come on the first couple of presentations, so don't spend too much time in one spot. Use polarized glasses to help see your streamer underwater and to see any trout chasing them down. If a trout chases but doesn't commit, immediately follow up with another cast. If that doesn't work and the fish is big enough, consider changing your streamer to get another chance.

When fishing streamers its important to cover lots of water and get your offering in front of as many trout as possible. Use heavy tippet for this method such as 0x-2x (depending upon fly size) - the trout are looking at your fly, not at the tippet you use and you want to be able to set the hook HARD, using a hybrid of a strip-set and an angled sideways lift. 

Bigger Stonefly nymphs #8-10 are still working well, especially in the mornings, but they can pull above average fish later in the day too. Trico Spinners #22-26 are still on the water, but have moved to late morning following the cold overnights we have had recently. Isonychia #12-14, have been out in the afternoons, with the trout eating them well in some areas. Blue Winged Olives (BWO's) #18-24 & Hebe's/Yellow Quills #16-18 are hatching in the afternoon & evening. Tan/brown Caddis #16-18 & big October Caddis are increasing in numbers and are producing trout throughout the day, particularly in fast water. Still seeing some big #12-14 Summer Steno's/Light Cahills in the eves, along with #14-16 Yellow Sallies.

Nymphing remains a consistent producer when the trout aren't rising. A lot of the best fishing currently is in riffly water with a bit of current and some chop to it, whether you are fishing nymphs or dry flies. Many bugs live and hatch in faster water, and the evening egg-laying/spinner falls occurs where the riffles are. Smaller, heavy jig streamers fished slow & deep are a great fly to fish after you are done nymphing a run, often producing a bonus fish or two or three. Junk Flies (Mops, Eggs, Worms) are also good "clean up batter" flies. Don't be afraid to try some gaudy flies in October, due to the impending spawn trout often react well to funky colors. Could be a bright hot-spot, a fluorescent tag/tail, or a colorful bead. 

Fall often means using smaller nymphs in the #18-22 range, especially in low to medium flows- this can be the difference between a very slow outing and a banner day. Most nymphs are small this time of year. A good strategy at our current flows is to use a weighted #14-18 nymph at the bottom of your rig to get your flies down, and a smaller lighter pattern on a dropper 18-24" above. On your top dropper, you can even use an unweighted fly, a brass bead nymph, or a soft hackle/wet fly if your anchor fly on point is heavy enough to get your rig down.

Hatches: 

Dries: 

- Isonychia #10-14: Fast water bug, usually hatches mid-afternoon to dark. Even if you don't see any hatching and no trout are rising, you can successfully blind-fish these in riffly water that you would normally nymph. Hatch usually goes at least into early November on our river, but the bugs get smaller over time.

- Blue Winged Olives/BWO’s #18-24: afternoon hatch on cloudy days and later in the day when the sun goes off the water on days with blue skies.

- Hebe #16-18 (Little Yellow Quill): a dull yellow Sulfur-type mayfly we see in late summer/early fall in the late afternoon & evenings. 

- Assorted Caddis (tan #16-18, black & gray #20-22) 

- Tricos #22-26: the main event for this morning hatch is the spinner fall, which normally happens when the air temps hit 68 degrees. Mostly upriver and near the end of the hatch now.

- Hoppers, Crickets, Beetles & Ants #12-20: great option from late morning to late afternoon.

- Yellow Sally #12-18: A smaller Stonefly that lives in fast water, looks like a miniature Golden Stone. Trout have been eating them on the surface at dusk.

- Light Cahill/Summer Steno #12-14: evenings

- Summer/Winter Caddis #18-24: hatch is typically early to mid morning. Trout focus on the pupa first, and then as the morning progresses they normally switch to the winged adults when they return to egg-lay. Try both twitching & dead-drifting your fly, trout often key on movement with this bug. Hatches all year, peaking in both the summer & winter.

- Midges #20-28: 365 days a year, underrated and overlooked by many anglers. 

Nymphs:

- Caddis Pupa #16-18 (tan, olive, green)

- Caddis Larva (olive, green, tan, cream) #14-16: tons of these in the river, good all year

- Pheasant Tails/Frenchies #12-22: imitates a wide range of Mayflies including Hebe's (Yellow Quill), Baetis/Blue Winged Olives, Isonychia, and small Stoneflies.

- Walt's Worm #14-20: great general purpose nymph that suggests many different bugs, especially Caddis on this river. 

- Isonychia Nymph #12-14: dead-drift, swing, twitch, and even strip them in. They are great swimmers, and some days trout prefer different presentations- you won't know until you experiment. Use true Isonychia nymphs, large Prince nymphs & Pheasant Tails to represent them. 

- Baetis/BWO Nymphs #16-22

- Yellow Sally #14-18: small Stonefly that looks like a miniature Golden Stone. Lives under rocks in fast water. Active & hatching. Dries are good in fast water near dusk.

- Junk Flies (Eggs, Mops, Squirmy/San Juan Worms, Green Weenies): Often work when standard nymphs fail, especially when there aren’t many hatches.

 - Large Stonefly Nymphs #8-10: golden/yellow, brown, black, Stoneflies are a mouthful that can be hard for trout to pass up, and there are a surprising amount of them in the river. Good choice when flows are up. Some days when trout won’t move for a small nymph, it takes a bigger bite of food to get an eat. Often catches larger than average fish. Best in early morning during summer. Look for the empty shucks on top of rocks where they crawl out to emerge in fast water.

 - Midges #18-22 (black, olive, red): Zebra Midge, Flash Midge, Red Iris Midge, etc.

Streamers:

-Fall is Prime Time to fish medium to large streamers and take advantage of the trout's seasonal aggression. Streamers that incorporate yellow can be particularly good in the fall. Periods of higher/dirty water are a great time to fish big streamers and target big trout. Also early & late in the day during periods of low light. They are a good clean-up fly to try before right before you leave a spot. 

-Woolly Bugger #4-12: assorted colors expecially yellow, white and tan

-Zonker / Rabbit Strip tied streamers #4-8: In white, natural, olive, and Fall colors

-Zuddler #4-6: olive, brown, white, black, yellow

-BMAR Yellow Matuka #6 - deadly fly! 

-Articulated Streamers 4-6" long: various patterns to target the biggest trout in the river, a good choice in the fall to catch fewer but bigger fish

___________________

If you like our fishing report, please consider buying your gear from us. We generally ship the same day, for free anywhere in the country for orders over $70. We ship small orders via mail or UPS for a small cost. Our shop can only exist with your patronage.

UpCountry Sportfishing is always looking for good used fly fishing gear for cash and trade. This is how we get those great items listed on our website and you see on our racks. We buy fly rods, fly reels, quality classic bamboo, and fly tying equipment etc. Bring in your old items and we can help turn them into something new. We give more for trade ins than anywhere else. Call ahead for an appointment.

Derrick's (CT Fish Guides) client Shanna with one of several large trout from the past weekend while working on her tight-lining, this one is a holdover (look at the dorsal fin). 

New Fall Hours:

Monday-Friday 8AM-5PM, Saturday & Sunday 8AM-5PM

News:

Just arrived, the brand new highly anticipated Hardy Tactus fly rods designed by world champion Howard Croston for Euro nymphing & technical dry fly fishing. The nymphing rods include a 10' 8" #0/2, 10' 2" #2, 11' 2" #2, and 10' 8" #3. They have a powerful butt section for fighting bigger fish, and a include two tips: one standard tubular/hollow for a traditional feel and more power, and a nano carbon solid tip for lighter work with micro leaders, light flies, and better bite detection. The new series is lighter in hand and has a noticeably crisper recovery. The dry fly rods are either 9' 2" or 9' 9", both lengths offered in #3 and #4 The shorter length has a lower swing weight and is slightly better for accuracy, while the 9' 9" models give offer extra reach and better mending capabilities. While optimised for dry fly fishing, the 9' 9" lengths also function as hybrid nymphing and wet fly rods.

UpCountry is looking for good used fly rods & fly reels for cash and trade. This is how we get those great items listed on our Used Gear/Specials page. Bring in your old items and we can turn them into something new. We give more for trade ins than anywhere else. Call ahead for an appointment.

Steve Culton's brand new book "Fly Fishing the Farmington River" is out now, and it is fantastic. The book contains detailed information on the river, from the Hogback Dam in Riverton down to Tariffville Gorge. There is an updated hatch chart, new fishing locations, specific techniques and strategies for the Farmington, suggested fly patterns, plus detailed info from guides & river regulars. We have of plenty of  in stock available in the shop and in our online store here: Book

UpCountry will be holding a special "Hardy / Greys Demo Day" on Saturday, October 24th from 11am to 3pm. This will be your first chance to play with the new Hardy Tactus Rods, the new Hardy Firecrest fast action series rods, the new Greys Compflex and more. Meet Earl Evans, our regional sales representitive, enjoy some food and refreshments, and see all the good things UpCountry has been up to inside our store.

For more fish photos, store announcements and river news visit our Facebook page.

River Report:
October has arrived, and we are in great shape! Foliage color has noticeably increased over this week, it's getting extra pretty out there. Not peak yet, that will probably be about October 10th through 25th, with color lingering well beyond that. Brown trout are in pre-spawn mode, and the bulk of the spawn will take place later this month and well into November. Some of the browns are already starting to color up, especially the hook-jawed males. Still plenty of rising trout at moments, match the bugs you see. When they aren't rising, fish streamers & nymphs. Other than Isonychia & Stoneflies, mostly you want to nymph with smaller patterns in the #18-22 range, which imitates the sizes of the most common natural nymphs this time of year. Streamers appeal to the aggression of trout (due to the impending spawn). Often some yellow in a streamer will trigger October trout- can be all yellow, or olive & yellow, brown & yellow, etc. Play with retrieves- I normally start with a fast, aggressive presentation and then adjust depending upon the trout's reaction. This is also a time of year you can play with bigger streamers in the 4-6" range. You won't catch as many trout, but it ups your odds of landing a true trophy. 3-4" can be a sweet spot- big enough to interest a larger fish, but small enough that a 12-14" fish will still try to eat it. 

The total flow in the Permanent TMA/Catch & Release (C&R) is medium at 239cfs. Riverton USGS gauge is reading 187cfs two miles below the dam, and the Still River is adding 52cfs just below that. We are in very good shape. River water temp is 61 degrees in Riverton this morning. The entire river is back in play now, so don't limit yourself. Unionville USGS gauge is reading 351cfs, a very normal/typical reading for early October. We are in that time of year when due to cooler air temps, shorter days, longer nights, and lower sun angle, water temps are typically cooler as you move away from the dam most days.  

As mentioned above, big streamers can be a very good fall fly choice, but smaller streamers and Wooly Buggers will bring a lot of trout to the net in the coming weeks as well. If you favor quantity over just chasing big trout, smaller offerings will produce more fish overall and still catch the monsters, but to a lesser degree. The big daddies and big mamas of the river consider them less of a threat and put up less of a chase.

Grady's favorite technique for catching trout on streamers is to work upstream, making long casts to the bank, followed by a rapid stripping retrieve. Look for current breaks such as rocks, and features that protect trout from birds like overhanging branches & logs to cast around. Keep moving slowly upstream on foot, making just enough casts to cover an area thoroughly. Most of your strikes will come on the first couple of casts so don't spend too much time in one spot. Use polarized glasses to help see your streamer underwater and to see any trout chasing them down. If a trout chases but doesn't commit, immediately follow up with another cast. If that doesn't work and the fish is big enough, consider changing your streamer to get another chance.

When fishing streamers its important to cover lots of water and get your offering in front of as many trout as possible. Use heavy tippet for this method such as 0x-2x - the trout are looking at your fly, not at the tippet you use and you want to be able to set the hook HARD, using a hybrid of a strip-set and an angled sideways lift. 

Large Stonefly nymphs #8-10 are still working well, especially in the mornings, but they can pull above average fish later in the day too. Trico Spinners #22-26 are still on the water, but have moved to late morning following the cold overnights we have had recently. Isonychia #12-14, have been out in the afternoon all week, with the trout eating them well in some areas. Blue Winged Olives (BWO's) #18-24 & Hebe's/Yellow Quills #16-18 are hatching in the late afternoon & evening. Tan/brown Caddis #16-18 & big October Caddis are increasing in numbers and are producing trout throughout the day, particularly on fast water. Still seeing some big #12-14 Summer Steno's/Light Cahills in the eves, along with #14-16 Yellow Sallies. Typically the dominant hatches in October are tan/brown Caddis, Iso's, and small BWO's. 

Nymphing remains a consistent producer when trout aren't rising. A lot of the best fishing currently is in riffly water with a bit of current and some chop to it, whether you are fishing nymphs or dry flies. Many bugs live and hatch in faster water, and the evening egg-laying/spinner falls occurs where the riffles are. Smaller, heavy jig streamers fished slow & deep are a great fly to fish after you are done nymphing a run, often producing a bonus fish or two or three. Junk Flies (Mops, Eggs, Worms) are also good "clean up batter" flies. 

Fall often means using smaller nymphs in the #18-22 range, especially in low to medium flows- this can be the difference between a very slow outing and a banner day. Most nymphs are small to very small in late summer/early fall. A good strategy at our current flows is to use a weighted #14-18 nymph at the bottom of your rig to get your flies down, and a smaller lighter pattern on a dropper 18-24" above. On your top dropper, you can even use an unweighted fly, a brass bead nymph, or a soft hackle/wet fly if your anchor fly on point is heavy enough to get your rig down.

Hatches: 

Dries: 

- Isonychia #10-14: Fast water bug, usually hatches mid-afternoon to dark. Even if you don't see any hatching and no trout are rising, you can successfully blind-fish these in riffly water that you would normally nymph. Hatch usually goes at least into November on our river, but the bugs get smaller over time.

- Blue Winged Olives/BWO’s #18-24: afternoon hatch on cloudy days and later in the day when the sun goes off the water on days with blue skies.

- Hebe #16-18 (Little Yellow Quill): a dull yellow Sulfur-type mayfly we see in August/September in the late afternoon & evenings. 

- Assorted Caddis (tan, olive/green #16-20, black, gray #18-22) 

- Tricos #22-26: the main event for this morning hatch is the spinner fall, which normally happens when the air temps hit 68 degrees. Mostly upriver and near the end of the hatch now.

- Hoppers, Crickets, Beetles & Ants #12-20: great option from late morning to late afternoon.

- Yellow Sally #12-18: A smaller Stonefly that lives in fast water, looks like a miniature Golden Stone. Trout have been eating them on the surface at dusk.

- Light Cahill/Summer Steno #12-14: evenings

- Summer/Winter Caddis #18-24: hatch is typically early to mid morning. Trout focus on the pupa first, and then as the morning progresses they normally switch to the winged adults when they return to egg-lay. Try both twitching & dead-drifting your fly, trout often key on movement with this bug. Hatches all year, peaking in both the summer & winter.

- Midges #20-28: 365 days a year, underrated and overlooked by many anglers. 

Nymphs:

- Caddis Pupa #16-18 (tan, olive, green)

- Caddis Larva (olive, green, tan, cream) #14-16: tons of these in the river, good all year

- Pheasant Tails/Frenchies #12-22: imitates a wide range of Mayflies including Hebe's (Yellow Quill), Baetis/Blue Winged Olives, Isonychia, and small Stoneflies.

- Walt's Worm #14-20: great general purpose nymph that suggests many different bugs, especially Caddis on this river. 

- Isonychia Nymph #10-14: dead-drift, swing, twitch, and even strip them in. They are great swimmers, and some days trout prefer different presentations- you won't know until you experiment. Use B-MAR Isonichia, large Prince Nymphs & Pheasant Tails to represent them. 

- Baetis/BWO Nymphs #16-22

- Yellow Sally #14-18: small Stonefly that looks like a miniature Golden Stone. Lives under rocks in fast water. Active & hatching in September here. Dries are good in fast water near dusk.

- Junk Flies (Eggs, Mops, Squirmy/San Juan Worms, Green Weenies): Often work when standard nymphs fail, especially when there aren’t many hatches.

 - Large Stonefly Nymphs #8-10: golden/yellow, brown, black, Stoneflies are a mouthful that can be hard for trout to pass up, and there are a surprising amount of them in the river. Good choice when flows are up. Some days when trout won’t move for a small nymph, it takes a bigger bite of food to get an eat. Often catches larger than average fish. Best in early morning during summer. Look for the empty shucks on top of rocks where they crawl out to emerge in fast water.

 - Midges #18-22 (black, olive, red): Zebra Midge, Flash Midge, Red Iris Midge, etc.

Streamers:

-Fall is Prime Time to fish medium to large streamers and take advantage of the trout's seasonal aggression. Streamers that incorporate yellow can be particularly good in the fall. Periods of higher/dirty water are a great time to fish big streamers and target big trout. Also early & late in the day during periods of low light. They are a good clean-up fly to try before right before you leave a spot. 

-Woolly Bugger #4-12: assorted colors, try also Don's Peach Bugger

-Zonker #4-6: a classic fish catcher! In white, natural

-BMAR Yellow Matuka #6: deadly fly! Also standard Matuka in olive, brown

-Zuddler #4-6: olive, brown, white, black, yellow

-Articulated Streamers 4-6" long: various patterns to target the biggest trout in the river, a good choice in the fall to catch fewer but bigger fish

-Muddler Minnow #6-10: and old classic that is still deadly and quite versatile. 

___________________

If you like our fishing report, please consider buying your gear from us. We generally ship the same day, for free anywhere in the country for orders over $70. We ship small orders via mail or UPS for a small cost. Our shop can only exist with your patronage.

UpCountry Sportfishing is always looking for good used fly fishing gear for cash and trade. This is how we get those great items listed on our website and you see on our racks. We buy fly rods, fly reels, quality classic bamboo, and fly tying equipment etc. Bring in your old items and we can help turn them into something new. We give more for trade ins than anywhere else. Call ahead for an appointment.

Terrence B. with a beautiful Farmington Brown caught on a #18 Adams this weekend while most of the usual angling crowd spent it indoors. Northwest Connecticut was largely spared by this storm, offering intrepid souls some good fishing.

New Fall Hours:

Monday-Friday 8AM-5PM, Saturday & Sunday 8AM-5PM

News:

Just arrived, the brand new highly anticipated Hardy Tactus fly rods designed by world champion Howard Croston for Euro nymphing & technical dry fly fishing. The nymphing rods include a 10' 8" #0/2, 10' 2" #2, 11' 2" #2, and 10' 8" #3. They have a powerful butt section for fighting bigger fish, and a include two tips: one standard tubular/hollow for a traditional feel and more power, and a nano carbon solid tip for lighter work with micro leaders, light flies, and better bite detection. The new series is lighter in hand and has a noticeably crisper recovery. The dry fly rods are either 9' 2" or 9' 9", both lengths offered in #3 and #4 The shorter length has a lower swing weight and is slightly better for accuracy, while the 9' 9" models give offer extra reach and better mending capabilities. While optimised for dry fly fishing, the 9' 9" lengths also function as hybrid nymphing and wet fly rods.

UpCountry is looking for good used fly rods & fly reels for cash and trade. This is how we get those great items listed on our Used Gear/Specials page. Bring in your old items and we can turn them into something new. We give more for trade ins than anywhere else. Call ahead for an appointment.

Steve Culton's brand new book "Fly Fishing the Farmington River" is out now, and it is fantastic. The book contains detailed information on the river, from the Hogback Dam in Riverton down to Tariffville Gorge. There is an updated hatch chart, new fishing locations, specific techniques and strategies for the Farmington, suggested fly patterns, plus detailed info from guides & river regulars. We have of plenty of  in stock available in the shop and in our online store here: Book

UpCountry will be holding a special "Hardy / Greys Demo Day" on Saturday, October 24th from 11am to 3pm. This will be your first chance to play with the new Hardy Tactus Rods, the new Hardy Firecrest fast action series rods, the new Greys Compflex and more. Meet Earl Evans, our regional sales representitive and enjoy some food and refreshments plus see all the good things UpCountry has been up to inside our store.

For more fish photos, store announcements and river news visit our Facebook page.

River Report:

Today is the last day of rain, with about another half inch plus forecasted. So far the Farmington River has received just over 2" since Saturday. The rain has come slow enough that it is soaking into the ground and being slowly filtered and released into the river system. The total flow in the Permanent TMA/Catch & Release (C&R) is a true medium at 244cfs. Riverton USGS gauge is reading 184cfs, 2 miles below the dam, and the Still River is adding 60cfs. Looks like we will have nice water levels to start October. River water temp is 59 degrees. This fall rain is helping to usher in the fall streamer season by bringing a modest flow bump, and a little color to the water. The next couple of days should bring primo streamer fishing with low light and elevated flows. These are also great nymphing conditions. Junk Flies often excel during flow bumps, pair them up with a standard nymph for the best two fly combo.

In September and October, the large brown trout in the Farmington begin to prepare for the spawn. Both the males and the females become territorially protective and will aggresively protect the area around where they intend to spawn from other trout and river denizens, making big streamers incredibly effective. Even though the bulk of the actual spawn tends to happen toward the last week of October/early November on the Farmington, the quality trout will chase and kill streamers for the next month and beyond, only slowing when water temperatures really dip in December. 

Smaller streamers and Wooly Buggers bring a lot of trout to the net in the coming weeks as well. If you favor quantity over just chasing big trout, smaller offerings will produce more fish overall and still catch the monsters, but to a lesser degree. The big daddies and big mamas of the river consider them less of a threat and put up less of a chase.

My favorite technique for catching trout on streamers is to work upstream, making long casts to the bank, followed by a rapid stripping retrieve. Look for current breaks such as rocks, and features that protect trout from birds like overhanging branches & logs to cast around. Keep moving slowly upstream on foot, making just enough casts to cover an area thoroughly. Most of your strikes will come on the first couple of casts so don't spend too much time in one spot. Use polarized glasses to help see your streamer underwater and to see any trout chasing them down. If a trout chases but doesn't commit, immediately follow up with another cast. If that doesn't work and the fish is big enough, consider changing your streamer to get another chance.

When fishing streamers its important to cover lots of water and get your offering in front of as many trout as possible. Use heavy tippet for this method such as 0x-2x - the trout are looking at your fly, not at the tippet you use and you want to be able to set the hook HARD, using a hybrid of a strip-set and an angled sideways lift. 

Large Stonefly nymphs #8-10 are still working well, especially in the mornings, but they can pull above average fish later in the day too. Trico Spinners #22-26 are still on the water, but have moved to late morning following the cold overnights we have had recently. Isonychia #12-14, have been out in the afternoon all week, with the trout eating them well in some areas. Blue Winged Olives #18-24 & Hebe's/Yellow Quills #16-18 are hatching in the late afternoon & evening. Tan Caddis & October Caddis are increasing in numbers and are producing trout throughout the day, particularly on fast water.

Nymphing remains a consistent producer when trout aren't rising. A lot of the best fishing currently is in riffly water with a bit of current and some chop to it, whether you are fishing nymphs or dry flies. Many bugs live and hatch in faster water, and the evening egg-laying/spinner falls occurs where the riffles are. Smaller, heavy jig streamers fished slow & deep are a great fly to fish after you are done nymphing a run, often producing a bonus fish or two or three. Junk Flies (Mops, Eggs, Worms) are also good "clean up batter" flies. 

September/October often means using smaller nymphs in the #18-22 range, especially in low to medium flows- this can be the difference between a very slow outing and a banner day. Most nymphs are small to very small in late summer/early fall. A good strategy at our current flows is to use a heavier #14-18 nymph at the bottom of your rig, and a smaller lighter pattern on a dropper 18-24" above. On your top dropper, you can even use an unweighted fly, a brass bead nymph, or a soft hackle/wet fly if your anchor fly on point is heavy enough to get your rig down.

Hatches: 

Dries: 

- Isonychia #10-14: Fast water bug, usually hatches mid-afternoon to dark. Even if you don't see any hatching and no trout are rising, you can successfully blind-fish these in riffly water that you would normally nymph. Hatch usually goes at least into November on our river, but the bugs get smaller over time.

- Blue Winged Olives/BWO’s #18-24: afternoon hatch on cloudy days and later in the day when the sun goes off the water on days with blue skies.

- Hebe #16-18 (Little Yellow Quill): a dull yellow Sulfur-type mayfly we see in August/September in the late afternoon & evenings. 

- Assorted Caddis (tan, olive/green #16-20, black, gray #18-22) 

- Tricos #22-26: the main event for this morning hatch is the spinner fall, which normally happens when the air temps hit 68 degrees. Mostly upriver and near the end of the hatch now.

- Hoppers, Crickets, Beetles & Ants #12-20: great option from late morning to late afternoon.

- Yellow Sally #12-18: A smaller Stonefly that lives in fast water, looks like a miniature Golden Stone. Trout have been eating them on the surface at dusk.

- Light Cahill/Summer Steno #12-14: evenings

- Summer/Winter Caddis #18-24: hatch is typically early to mid morning. Trout focus on the pupa first, and then as the morning progresses they normally switch to the winged adults when they return to egg-lay. Try both twitching & dead-drifting your fly, trout often key on movement with this bug. 

- Midges #20-28: 365 days a year, underrated and overlooked by many anglers. 

Nymphs:

- Caddis Pupa #16-18 (tan, olive, green)

- Caddis Larva (olive, green, tan cream) #14-16: tons of these in the river, good all year

- Pheasant Tails/Frenchies #12-22: imitates a wide range of Mayflies including Hebe's (Yellow Quill), Baetis/Blue Winged Olives, Isonychia, and small Stoneflies.

- Walt's Worm #14-20: great general purpose nymph that suggests many different bugs, especially Caddis on this river. 

- Isonychia Nymph #10-14: dead-drift, swing, twitch, and even strip them in. They are great swimmers, and some days trout prefer different presentations- you won't know until you experiment. Use B-MAR Isonichia, large Prince Nymphs & Pheasant Tails to represent them. 

- Baetis/BWO Nymphs #16-22

- Yellow Sally #14-18: small Stonefly that looks like a miniature Golden Stone. Lives under rocks in fast water. Active & hatching in September here. 

- Junk Flies (Eggs, Mops, Squirmy/San Juan Worms, Green Weenies): Often work when standard nymphs fail, especially when there aren’t many hatches.

 - Large Stonefly Nymphs #8-10: golden/yellow, brown, black, Stoneflies are a mouthful that can be hard for trout to pass up, and there are a surprising amount of them in the river. Good choice when flows are up. Some days when trout won’t move for a small nymph, it takes a bigger bite of food to get an eat. Often catches larger than average fish. Best in early morning during summer. Look for the empty shucks on top of rocks where they crawl out to emerge in fast water.

 - Midges #18-22 (black, olive, red): Zebra Midge, Flash Midge, Red Iris Midge, etc.

Streamers:

-Periods of higher/dirty water are a great time to fish big streamers and target big trout. Also early & late in the day during periods of low light. They are a good clean-up fly to try before right before you leave a spot. 

-Woolly Bugger #4-12: assorted colors, try also Don's Peach Bugger

-Zonker #4-6: a classic fish catcher! In white, natural

-BMAR Yellow Matuka #6: deadly fly! Also standard Matuka in olive, brown

-Zuddler #4-6: olive, brown, white, black, yellow-

-Articulated Streamers 4-6" long: various patterns to target the biggest trout in the river

-Muddler Minnow #6-10: and old classic that is still deadly

___________________

If you like our fishing report, please consider buying your gear from us. We generally ship the same day, for free anywhere in the country for orders over $70. We ship small orders via mail or UPS for a small cost. Our shop can only exist with your patronage.

UpCountry Sportfishing is always looking for good used fly fishing gear for cash and trade. This is how we get those great items listed on our website and you see on our racks. We buy fly rods, fly reels, quality classic bamboo, and fly tying equipment etc. Bring in your old items and we can help turn them into something new. We give more for trade ins than anywhere else. Call ahead for an appointment.

Monday-Friday 8AM-5PM, Saturday & Sunday 8AM-5PM

News:

Our Streamer bins are full and ready for the fall bite. 

Rainy Weekend Special: Fly tying materials, fly tying hooks and fly tying equipment 10% off - Saturday, Sunday & Monday. Come see all the new materials and stock up tying season. Recent arrivals have come from Fulling Mill, MFC, Hareline, Wapsi, Loon, Solarez, and others.

Just arrived, the brand new highly anticipated Hardy Tactus fly rods designed by world champion Howard Croston for Euro nymphing & technical dry fly fishing. The nymphing rods include a 10' 8" #0/2, 10' 2" #2, 11' 2" #2, and 10' 8" #3. They have a powerful butt section for fighting bigger fish, and a include two tips: one standard tubular/hollow for a traditional feel and more power, and a nano carbon solid tip for lighter work with micro leaders, light flies, and better bite detection. The new series is lighter in hand and has a noticeably crisper recovery. The dry fly rods are either 9' 2" or 9' 9", both lengths offered in #3 and #4 The shorter length has a lower swing weight and is slightly better for accuracy, while the 9' 9" models give offer extra reach and better mending capabilities. While optimised for dry fly fishing, the 9' 9" lengths also function as hybrid nymphing and wet fly rods.

Steve Culton's brand new book "Fly Fishing the Farmington River" is out now, and it is fantastic. The book contains detailed information on the river, from the Hogback Dam in Riverton down to Tariffville Gorge. There is an updated hatch chart, new fishing locations, specific techniques and strategies for the Farmington, suggested fly patterns, plus detailed info from guides & river regulars. We have of plenty of  in stock available in the shop and in our online store here: Book

For more fish photos, store announcements and river news visit our Facebook page.

River Report:

This weekend brings some unsettled weather. Heavy winds and rain predicted. The rain accumulation shouldn't be enough to change the river level significantly. Instead this should usher in the fall streamer season by bringing a little brown color to the water and a small bump in water temperature

In September and October, the large brown trout in the Farmington begin to prepare for the spawn. Both the males and the females become territorially protective and will aggresively protect the area around where they intend to spawn from other trout and river denizens, making big streamers incredibly effective. Even though the bulk of the actual spawn tends to happen toward the last week of October/early November on the Farmington, the quality trout will chase and kill streamers for the next month and beyond, only slowing when water temperatures really dip in December. 

Smaller streamers and Wooly Buggers bring a lot of trout to the net in the coming weeks as well. If you favor quantity over just chasing big trout, smaller offerings will produce more fish overall and still catch the monsters, but to a lesser degree. The big daddies and big mamas of the river consider them less of a threat and put up less of a chase.

My favorite technique for catching trout on streamers is to work upstream, making long casts to the bank, followed by a rapid stripping retrieve. Look for current breaks such as rocks, and features that protect trout from birds like overhanging branches & logs to cast around. Keep moving slowly upstream on foot, making just enough casts to cover an area thoroughly. Most of your strikes will come on the first couple of casts so don't spend too much time in one spot. Use polarized glasses to help see your streamer underwater and to see any trout chasing them down. If a trout chases but doesn't commit, immediately follow up with another cast. If that doesn't work and the fish is big enough, consider changing your streamer to get another chance.

When fishing streamers its important to cover lots of water and get your offering in front of as many trout as possible. Use heavy tippet for this method such as 0x-2x - the trout are looking at your fly, not at the tippet you use and you want to be able to set the hook HARD, using a hybrid of a strip-set and an angled sideways lift. 

Large Stonefly nymphs #8-10 are still working well in the first few hours of the day. Trico Spinners #22-26 are still on the water, but have moved to late morning following the cold overnights we have had recently. Isonychia #12-14, have been out in the afternoon all week, with the trout eating them well in some areas. Blue Winged Olives #18-24 & Hebe's/Yellow Quills #16-18 are hatching in the late afternoon & evening. Tan Caddis & October Caddis are increasing in numbers and are producing trout throughout the day, particularly on fast water.

Nymphing remains a consistent producer when trout aren't rising. A lot of the best fishing currently is in riffly water with a bit of current and some chop to it, whether you are fishing nymphs or dry flies. Many bugs live and hatch in faster water, and the evening egg-laying/spinner falls occurs where the riffles are. Smaller, heavy jig streamers fished slow & deep are a great fly to fish after you are done nymphing a run, often producing a bonus fish or two or three. Junk Flies (Mops, Eggs, Worms) are also good "clean up batter" flies. 

September often means using smaller nymphs in the #18-22 range- this can be the difference between a very slow outing and a banner day. Most nymphs are small to very small in late summer/early fall. A good strategy at our current flows is to use a heavier #16-18 nymph at the bottom of your rig, and a smaller lighter pattern on a dropper 18-24" above. On your top dropper, you can even use an unweighted fly, a brass bead nymph, or a soft hackle/wet fly if your anchor fly on point is heavy enough to get your rig down.

Hatches: 

Dries: 

- Isonychia #10-14: Fast water bug, usually hatches mid-afternoon to dark. Even if you don't see any hatching and no trout are rising, you can successfully blind-fish these in riffly water that you would normally nymph. Hatch usually goes at least into November on our river, but the bugs get smaller over time.

- Blue Winged Olives/BWO’s #18-24: afternoon hatch on cloudy days and later in the day when the sun goes off the water on days with blue skies.

- Hebe #16-18 (Little Yellow Quill): a dull yellow Sulfur-type mayfly we see in August/September in the late afternoon & evenings. 

- Assorted Caddis (tan, olive/green #16-20, black, gray #18-22) 

- Tricos #22-26: the main event for this morning hatch is the spinner fall, which normally happens when the air temps hit 68 degrees. Mostly upriver and near the end of the hatch now.

- Hoppers, Crickets, Beetles & Ants #12-20: great option from late morning to late afternoon.

- Yellow Sally #12-18: A smaller Stonefly that lives in fast water, looks like a miniature Golden Stone. Trout have been eating them on the surface at dusk.

- Light Cahill/Summer Steno #12-14: evenings

- Summer/Winter Caddis #18-24: hatch is typically early to mid morning. Trout focus on the pupa first, and then as the morning progresses they normally switch to the winged adults when they return to egg-lay. Try both twitching & dead-drifting your fly, trout often key on movement with this bug. 

- Midges #20-28: 365 days a year, underrated and overlooked by many anglers. 

Nymphs:

- Caddis Pupa #16-18 (tan, olive, green)

- Caddis Larva (olive, green, tan cream) #14-16: tons of these in the river, good all year

- Pheasant Tails/Frenchies #12-22: imitates a wide range of Mayflies including Hebe's (Yellow Quill), Baetis/Blue Winged Olives, Isonychia, and small Stoneflies.

- Walt's Worm #14-20: great general purpose nymph that suggests many different bugs, especially Caddis on this river. 

- Isonychia Nymph #10-14: dead-drift, swing, twitch, and even strip them in. They are great swimmers, and some days trout prefer different presentations- you won't know until you experiment. Use B-MAR Isonichia, large Prince Nymphs & Pheasant Tails to represent them. 

- Baetis/BWO Nymphs #16-22

- Yellow Sally #14-18: small Stonefly that looks like a miniature Golden Stone. Lives under rocks in fast water. Active & hatching in September here. 

- Junk Flies (Eggs, Mops, Squirmy/San Juan Worms, Green Weenies): Often work when standard nymphs fail, especially when there aren’t many hatches.

 - Large Stonefly Nymphs #8-10: golden/yellow, brown, black, Stoneflies are a mouthful that can be hard for trout to pass up, and there are a surprising amount of them in the river. Good choice when flows are up. Some days when trout won’t move for a small nymph, it takes a bigger bite of food to get an eat. Often catches larger than average fish. Best in early morning during summer. Look for the empty shucks on top of rocks where they crawl out to emerge in fast water.

 - Midges #18-22 (black, olive, red): Zebra Midge, Flash Midge, Red Iris Midge, etc.

Streamers:

-Periods of higher/dirty water are a great time to fish big streamers and target big trout. Also early & late in the day during periods of low light. They are a good clean-up fly to try before right before you leave a spot. 

-Woolly Bugger #4-12: assorted colors, try also Don's Peach Bugger

-Zonker #4-6: a classic fish catcher! In white, natural

-BMAR Yellow Matuka #6: deadly fly! Also standard Matuka in olive, brown

-Zuddler #4-6: olive, brown, white, black, yellow-

-Articulated Streamers 4-6" long: various patterns to target the biggest trout in the river

-Muddler Minnow #6-10: and old classic that is still deadly

___________________

If you like our fishing report, please consider buying your gear from us. We generally ship the same day, for free anywhere in the country for orders over $70. We ship small orders via mail or UPS for a small cost. Our shop can only exist with your patronage.

UpCountry Sportfishing is always looking for good used fly fishing gear for cash and trade. This is how we get those great items you list on our website and you see on our racks. We buy fly rods, fly reels, quality classic bamboo, and fly tying equipment etc. Bring in your old items and we can help turn them into something new. We give more for trade ins than anywhere else. Call ahead for an appointment.

Flying Ants have been everywhere over the last few weeks. Look for another "hatch" of them over the next couple of days as they will usually emerge from the ground on the first hot, humid evening after the rain. 

New Fall Hours:

Monday - Friday 8 AM - 5 PM, Saturday & Sunday 8AM - 5PM

News:

UpCountry is receiving daily shipments of fly tying supplies, getting ready for the Fall/Winter tying season. Recent arrivals have come from Fulling Mill, MFC, Hareline, Wapsi, Loon, Solarez, and others.

Just arrived, the brand new highly anticipated Hardy Tactus fly rods designed by world champion Howard Croston for Euro nymphing & technical dry fly fishing. The nymphing rods include a 10' 8" #0/2, 10' 2" #2, 11' 2" #2, and 10' 8" #3. They have a powerful butt section for fighting bigger fish, and a include two tips: one standard tubular/hollow for a traditional feel and more power, and a nano carbon solid tip for lighter work with micro leaders, light flies, and better bite detection. The new series is lighter in hand and has a noticeably crisper recovery. The dry fly rods are either 9' 2" or 9' 9", both lengths offered in #3 and #4 The shorter length has a lower swing weight and is slightly better for accuracy, while the 9' 9" models give offer extra reach and better mending capabilities. While optimised for dry fly fishing, the 9' 9" lengths also function as hybrid nymphing and wet fly rods.

This week we are taking an additional 10% off on all of our used & clearance rods. Valid 9/17 through 9/23. Offer is for in-store customers only and includes much more than we list on our website.

Look on our website and in our store for the brand new Guideline Fario premium fly reels. 

Steve Culton's brand new book "Fly Fishing the Farmington River" is out now, and it is fantastic. The book contains detailed information on the river, from the Hogback Dam in Riverton down to Tariffville Gorge. There is an updated hatch chart, new fishing locations, specific techniques and strategies for the Farmington, suggested fly patterns, plus detailed info from guides & river regulars. We have of plenty of  in stock available in the shop and in our online store here: Book

For more fish photos, store announcements and river news visit our Facebook page.

River Report:

Fishing this past Saturday was excellent.  Large Stoneflies #8-10 were working well in the first few hours of the day. Trico Spinners #22-26 were on the water from Campground to Riverton, though the trout are getting extremly picky about eating them with only perfect drifts and long leaders getting trout to the net. Isonychia #12-14, were out in the afternoon with the trout in the fast water eating the ones that drifted by, plus anglers reporting that blind fishing them was also effective.

Blue Winged Olives #18-24 & Hebe's/Yellow Quills #16-18, were working on the upper river from Peoples State Forest to Riverton in the mid to late afternoon. Late evning brought more Blue Wing Olives throughout the Farmington along with Summer Steno's/Light Cahills #12-14 at last light.

Sunday brought rain and along with it good action on streamers and nymphs.

We have received a little over half an inch of rain in the last 24 hours. Total flow in the Permanent TMA/Catch & Release is 225cfs this morning. The ground around the Farmington has been dry enough to absorb most of the rainwater so the river remains a normal medium/low level. Look for the water to be slightly off color today, completly clearing by Tuesday.

Water temps are ranging from the mid 50's in the morning in Riverton, to the low/mid 60's in the afternoon in Canton. Because we've maintained cold water temps, bug activity and fishing have both been well above average. Because the Farmington River is a cold tailwater, you will often see "evening hatches" in the mornings & afternoons. Bugs don't read hatch books lol.

Nymphing remains a consistent producer when trout aren't rising. A lot of the best fishing currently is in riffly water with a bit of current and some chop to it, whether you are fishing nymphs or dry flies. Many bugs live and hatch in faster water, and the evening egg-laying/spinner falls occurs where the riffles are. Smaller, heavy jig streamers fished slow & deep are a great fly to fish after you are done nymphing a run, often producing a bonus fish or two or three. Junk Flies (Mops, Eggs, Worms) are also good "clean up batter" flies. 

Make sure you have Flying Ants with you. There have been a mix of sizes from #16's to #24's. Typically a mid/late afternoon to evening deal. Match the size, or you may be highly frustrated. Trout love ants and will often key on them to exclusion of anything else. The ideal scenario for flying ants is a warm/humid day with a little rain the day before to get them to do a mating swarm.

September often means using smaller nymphs in the #18-22 range- this can be the difference between a very slow outing and a banner day. Most nymphs are small to very small in late summer/early fall. A good strategy at our current flows is to use a heavier #16-18 nymph at the bottom of your rig, and a smaller lighter pattern on a dropper 18-24" above. On your top dropper, you can even use an unweighted fly, a brass bead nymph, or a soft hackle/wet fly if your anchor fly on point is heavy enough to get your rig down.

Two nymphs that break the rules of smaller flies are Isonychia #12-14 in the afternoon & evening, and Stoneflies (black, brown or yellow) #8-10 in the mornings. Look for areas of faster current with rocks and structure, plus places where the water is slowing into the heads of pools. Focus on deeper slots, which you can locate by the darker looking water. Look for water shaded by trees and hills, keeping an eye on the angle of the sun on bright days. Position yourself so you are not throwing a shadow on the water you are fishing- the low sun angle in the fall throws long shadows that can spook trout if they go over a trout.

Euro style nymphing and high stick method is working well in faster water. Traditional indicator nymphing is better in slower water, when fishing at distance, or on really windy days.

Hatches: 

Dries: 

- Isonychia #10-14: Fast water bug, usually hatches mid-afternoon to dark. Even if you don't see any hatching and no trout are rising, you can successfully blind-fish these in riffly water that you would normally nymph. Hatch usually goes at least into November on our river, but the bugs get smaller over time.

- Blue Winged Olives/BWO’s #18-24: afternoon hatch on cloudy days and later in the day when the sun goes off the water on days with blue skies.

- Hebe #16-18 (Little Yellow Quill): a dull yellow Sulfur-type mayfly we see in August/September in the late afternoon & evenings. 

- Assorted Caddis (tan, olive/green #16-20, black, gray #18-22) 

- Tricos #22-26: the main event for this morning hatch is the spinner fall, which normally happens when the air temps hit 68 degrees. Mostly upriver and near the end of the hatch now.

- Hoppers, Crickets, Beetles & Ants #12-20: great option from late morning to late afternoon.

- Yellow Sally #12-18: A smaller Stonefly that lives in fast water, looks like a miniature Golden Stone. Trout have been eating them on the surface at dusk.

- Light Cahill/Summer Steno #12-14: evenings

- Summer/Winter Caddis #18-24: hatch is typically early to mid morning. Trout focus on the pupa first, and then as the morning progresses they normally switch to the winged adults when they return to egg-lay. Try both twitching & dead-drifting your fly, trout often key on movement with this bug. 

- Midges #20-28: 365 days a year, underrated and overlooked by many anglers. 

Nymphs:

- Caddis Pupa #16-18 (tan, olive, green)

- Caddis Larva (olive, green, tan cream) #14-16: tons of these in the river, good all year

- Pheasant Tails/Frenchies #12-22: imitates a wide range of Mayflies including Hebe's (Yellow Quill), Baetis/Blue Winged Olives, Isonychia, and small Stoneflies.

- Walt's Worm #14-20: great general purpose nymph that suggests many different bugs, especially Caddis on this river. 

- Isonychia Nymph #10-14: dead-drift, swing, twitch, and even strip them in. They are great swimmers, and some days trout prefer different presentations- you won't know until you experiment. Use B-MAR Isonichia, large Prince Nymphs & Pheasant Tails to represent them. 

- Baetis/BWO Nymphs #16-22

- Yellow Sally #14-18: small Stonefly that looks like a miniature Golden Stone. Lives under rocks in fast water. Active & hatching in September here. 

- Junk Flies (Eggs, Mops, Squirmy/San Juan Worms, Green Weenies): Often work when standard nymphs fail, especially when there aren’t many hatches.

 - Large Stonefly Nymphs #8-10: golden/yellow, brown, black, Stoneflies are a mouthful that can be hard for trout to pass up, and there are a surprising amount of them in the river. Good choice when flows are up. Some days when trout won’t move for a small nymph, it takes a bigger bite of food to get an eat. Often catches larger than average fish. Best in early morning during summer. Look for the empty shucks on top of rocks where they crawl out to emerge in fast water.

 - Midges #18-22 (black, olive, red): Zebra Midge, Flash Midge, Red Iris Midge, etc.

Streamers:

-Periods of higher/dirty water are a great time to fish big streamers and target big trout. Also early & late in the day during periods of low light. They are a good clean-up fly to try before right before you leave a spot. 

-Woolly Bugger #4-12: assorted colors, try also Don's Peach Bugger

-Zonker #4-6: a classic fish catcher! In white, natural

-BMAR Yellow Matuka #6: deadly fly! Also standard Matuka in olive, brown

-Zuddler #4-6: olive, brown, white, black, yellow-

-Articulated Streamers 4-6" long: various patterns to target the biggest trout in the river

-Muddler Minnow #6-10: and old classic that is still deadly

___________________

If you like our fishing report, please consider buying your gear from us. We generally ship the same day, for free anywhere in the country for orders over $70. We ship small orders via mail or UPS for a small cost. Our shop can only exist with your patronage.

UpCountry Sportfishing is always looking for good used fly fishing gear for cash and trade. This is how we get those great items you list on our website and you see on our racks. We buy fly rods, fly reels, quality classic bamboo, and fly tying equipment etc. Bring in your old items and we can help turn them into something new. We give more for trade ins than anywhere else. Call ahead for an appointment.

Pictured is yours truly (Torrey), the guy that writes these reports, with a colored up 19" wild brown I landed Tuesday evening on a #22 nymph. Minutes later I landed one only slightly smaller on a #14 nymph. There was a bite window for better fish from about 6:30pm to 7pm. Derrick was fishing downstream from me, and he landed an 18.5" wild brown on a nymph in the same time slot.  

Hours:

Starting Monday  9/21, we will be closing at 5pm on weekdays. Monday to Friday 8am-5pm. Saturday & Sunday 8am-5pm.

News:

UpCountry is receiving daily shipments of fly tying supplies, getting ready for the Fall/Winter tying season. Recent arrivals have come from Fulling Mill, MFC, Hareline, Wapsi, Loon, Solarez, and others.

Just arrived, the brand new highly anticipated Hardy Tactus fly rods designed by world champion Howard Croston for Euro nymphing & technical dry fly fishing. The nymphing rods include a 10' 8" #0/2, 10' 2" #2, 11' 2" #2, and 10' 8" #3. They have a powerful butt section for fighting bigger fish, and a include two tips: one standard tubular/hollow for a traditional feel and more power, and a nano carbon solid tip for lighter work with micro leaders, light flies, and better bite detection. The new series is lighter in hand and has a noticeably crisper recovery. The dry fly rods are either 9' 2" or 9' 9", both lengths offered in #3 and #4 The shorter length has a lower swing weight and is slightly better for accuracy, while the 9' 9" models give offer extra reach and better mending capabilities. While optimised for dry fly fishing, the 9' 9" lengths also function as hybrid nymphing and wet fly rods.

This week we are taking an additional 10% off on all of our used & clearance rods. Valid 9/17 through 9/23. Offer is for in-store customers only and includes much more than we list on our website.

Look on our website and in our store for the brand new Guideline Fario premium fly reels. 

Steve Culton's brand new book "Fly Fishing the Farmington River" is out now, and it is fantastic. The book contains detailed information on the river, from the Hogback Dam in Riverton down to Tariffville Gorge. There is an updated hatch chart, new fishing locations, specific techniques and strategies for the Farmington, suggested fly patterns, plus detailed info from guides & river regulars. We have of plenty of  in stock available in the shop and in our online store here: Book

UpCountry is busy improving our twice weekly fishing reports and expanding our online store. We will match most advertised deals and sales from other stores, local or on the internet. Don't hesitate to ask. As your local fly shop please come to us first if we can help. We do what we do because of our love of the Farmington River, spending countless hours in pursuit of its conservation, and genuinely regard our customers as friends. We hope to continue to earn your business with better service and an unending support of the future of our precious river.

We offer in store pickup if you are coming to the Farmington plus free, fast shipping on orders over $70 if you can't make it. We charge only the lowest possible shipping on smaller items. Our goal is to have more of our products online to buy so you can see what we have before coming out to the shop.

For more fish photos, store announcements and river news visit our Facebook page.

River Report:
Starting Monday 9/21 we will be closing at 5pm on weekdays, so 8am to 5pm will be the hours every day until April. 

The fishing has been good, and the hatches & dry fly fishing has been the best we have seen in years. I have been fishing the last couple of days and I've been seeing plenty of bugs. Hatches include Isonychia #10-14, Blue Winged Olives #18-24, assorted Caddis #16-24, Hebe's/Yellow Quills #16-18 (sort of a late season Sulfur), Summer Steno's/Light Cahills #12-14, Yellow Sally #12-16, Summer/Winter Caddis #18-24, Flying Ants #16-24, and plenty of tiny Midges. Still some Trico's #22-26 around, but mostly upriver and they are near the end. Yesterday morning I saw numerous large Stonefly nymph shucks on the rocks in/near fast water- they averaged #6-10 if you were using a 3xl hook. Don't sleep on big Stoneflies, especially if you like catching bigger fish.  

Total flow in the Permanent TMA/Catch & Release is 195cfs this morning, a normal, medium-low level, very nice for wading & fishing, especially dry fly fishing. The Riverton USGS flow gauge is reading 180cfs at the Rt 20 bridge, and the Still River is adding in 15cfs a little below that. Water temps have ranged from the mid 50's in the mornings in Riverton, to the mid 60's in the afternoons in New Hartford & Canton. Because we've maintained cold water temps, bug activity and fishing have both been well above average. Because the Farmington River is a cold tailwater, you will often see "evening hatches" in the mornings & afternoons. Bugs don't read hatch books lol.

Fishing has been good for me this week. Even got a 4" wild rainbow trout, an uncommon occurence on our river. Landed several wild browns in the 17-19" range, some 6-12" wild browns, some stocked and holdover browns, numerous fat rainbows (quite a few in the 15-17" class), salmon parr, and one very pretty brook trout. Those rainbows fight HARD, some of them were like small Steelhead and did multiple jumps and ripped line out. Fun stuff. While I did get some fish on larger nymphs (Iso's, Stoneflies, Hare's Ears), the lion's share (including my biggest fish) came on smaller ones in the #18-22 range. Small bugs are FAR more numerous than larger  ones currently. 

Nymphing remains a consistent producer when trout aren't rising. A lot of the best fishing currently is in riffly water with a bit of current and some chop to it, whether you are fishing nymphs or dry flies. Many bugs live and hatch in faster water, and the evening egg-laying/spinner falls occurs where the riffles are. Smaller, heavy jig streamers fished slow & deep are a great fly to fish after you are done nymphing a run, often producing a bonus fish or two or three. Junk Flies (Mops, Eggs, Worms) are also good "clean up batter" flies. 

Make sure you have Flying Ants with you. There have been a mix of sizes from #16's to #24's. Typically a mid/late afternoon to evening deal. Match the size, or you may be highly frustrated. Trout love ants and will often key on them to exclusion of anything else. The ideal scenario for flying ants is a warm/humid day with a little rain the day before to get them to do a mating swarm.

September often means using smaller nymphs in the #18-22 range- this can be the difference between a very slow outing and a banner day. Most nymphs are small to very small in late summer/early fall. A good strategy at our current flows is to use a heavier #16-18 nymph at the bottom of your rig, and a smaller lighter pattern on a dropper 18-24" above. On your top dropper, you can even use an unweighted fly, a brass bead nymph, or a soft hackle/wet fly if your anchor fly on point is heavy enough to get your rig down. Two nymphs that break the rules of smaller flies are Isonychia #12-14 in the afternoon & evening, and Stoneflies (black, brown or yellow) #8-10 in the mornings. Use 5x for the large nymphs, and 6x for the others. Look for areas of faster current with rocks and structure, plus places where the water is slowing into the heads of pools. Focus on deeper slots, which you can locate by the darker looking water. Look for water shaded by trees and hills, keeping an eye on the angle of the sun on bright days. Position yourself so you are not throwing a shadow on the water you are fishing- the low sun angle in the fall throws long shadows that can spook trout if they go over a trout. Euro nymphing is working well in fast water. Traditional indicator nymphing is better in slower water, when fishing at distance, or on really windy days. Dry/Dropper with a small weighted nymph 18-24" under a buoyant and visible dry fly is also effective and fun, especially in shallow water and also slower water. They normally eat the nymphs, but you do get some bonus dry fly eats.

Hatches: 

Dries: 

- Isonychia #10-14: Fast water bug, usually hatches mid-afternoon to dark. Even if you don't see any hatching and no trout are rising, you can successfully blind-fish these in riffly water that you would normally nymph. Hatch usually goes at least into November on our river, but the bugs get smaller over time.

- Blue Winged Olives/BWO’s #18-24: afternoon hatch on cloudy days and later in the day when the sun goes off the water on days with blue skies.

- Hebe #16-18 (Little Yellow Quill): a dull yellow Sulfur-type mayfly we see in August/September in the late afternoon & evenings. 

- Assorted Caddis (tan, olive/green #16-20, black, gray #18-22) 

- Tricos #22-26: the main event for this morning hatch is the spinner fall, which normally happens when the air temps hit 68 degrees. Mostly upriver and near the end of the hatch now.

- Hoppers, Crickets, Beetles & Ants #12-20: great option from late morning to late afternoon.

- Yellow Sally #12-18: A smaller Stonefly that lives in fast water, looks like a miniature Golden Stone. Trout have been eating them on the surface at dusk.

- Light Cahill/Summer Steno #12-14: evenings

- Summer/Winter Caddis #18-24: hatch is typically early to mid morning. Trout focus on the pupa first, and then as the morning progresses they normally switch to the winged adults when they return to egg-lay. Try both twitching & dead-drifting your fly, trout often key on movement with this bug. 

- Midges #20-28: 365 days a year, underrated and overlooked by many anglers. 

Nymphs:

- Caddis Pupa #16-18 (tan, olive, green)

- Caddis Larva (olive, green, tan cream) #14-16: tons of these in the river, good all year

- Pheasant Tails/Frenchies #12-22: imitates a wide range of Mayflies including Hebe's (Yellow Quill), Baetis/Blue Winged Olives, Isonychia, and small Stoneflies.

- Walt's Worm #14-20: great general purpose nymph that suggests many different bugs, especially Caddis on this river. 

- Isonychia Nymph #10-14: dead-drift, swing, twitch, and even strip them in. They are great swimmers, and some days trout prefer different presentations- you won't know until you experiment. Use B-MAR Isonichia, large Prince Nymphs & Pheasant Tails to represent them. 

- Baetis/BWO Nymphs #16-22

- Yellow Sally #14-18: small Stonefly that looks like a miniature Golden Stone. Lives under rocks in fast water. Active & hatching in September here. 

- Junk Flies (Eggs, Mops, Squirmy/San Juan Worms, Green Weenies): Often work when standard nymphs fail, especially when there aren’t many hatches.

 - Large Stonefly Nymphs #8-10: golden/yellow, brown, black, Stoneflies are a mouthful that can be hard for trout to pass up, and there are a surprising amount of them in the river. Good choice when flows are up. Some days when trout won’t move for a small nymph, it takes a bigger bite of food to get an eat. Often catches larger than average fish. Best in early morning during summer. Look for the empty shucks on top of rocks where they crawl out to emerge in fast water.

 - Midges #18-22 (black, olive, red): Zebra Midge, Flash Midge, Red Iris Midge, etc.

Streamers:

-Periods of higher/dirty water are a great time to fish big streamers and target big trout. Also early & late in the day during periods of low light. They are a good clean-up fly to try before right before you leave a spot. 

-Woolly Bugger #4-12: assorted colors, try also Don's Peach Bugger

-Zonker #4-6: a classic fish catcher! In white, natural

-BMAR Yellow Matuka #6: deadly fly! Also standard Matuka in olive, brown

-Zuddler #4-6: olive, brown, white, black, yellow-

-Articulated Streamers 4-6" long: various patterns to target the biggest trout in the river

-Muddler Minnow #6-10: and old classic that is still deadly

___________________

If you like our fishing report, please consider buying your gear from us. We generally ship the same day, for free anywhere in the country for orders over $70. We ship small orders via mail or UPS for a small cost. Our shop can only exist with your patronage.

UpCountry Sportfishing is always looking for good used fly fishing gear for cash and trade. This is how we get those great items you list on our website and you see on our racks. We buy fly rods, fly reels, quality classic bamboo, and fly tying equipment etc. Bring in your old items and we can help turn them into something new. We give more for trade ins than anywhere else. Call ahead for an appointment.

Pictured is local artist Jim DeCesare with yet another beautiful Farmington River brown trout. 

Hours:

Monday to Friday 8am-6pm. Saturday & Sunday 8am-5pm.
 

News:

The entire upper 21 miles from the dam in Riverton down to the Rt. 177 bridge in Unionville is Catch & Release now, from 9/1 through the 2nd Saturday in April 2027. 

Steve Culton's brand new book "Fly Fishing the Farmington River" is out now, and it is fantastic. The book contains detailed information on the river, from the Hogback Dam in Riverton down to Tariffville Gorge. There is an updated hatch chart, new fishing locations, specific techniques and strategies for the Farmington, suggested fly patterns, plus detailed info from guides & river regulars. We have of plenty of  in stock available in the shop and in our online store here: Book

UpCountry is busy improving our twice weekly fishing reports and expanding our online store. We will match most advertised deals and sales from other stores, local or on the internet. Don't hesitate to ask. As your local fly shop please come to us first if we can help. We do what we do because of our love of the Farmington River, spending countless hours in pursuit of its conservation, and genuinely regard our customers as friends. We hope to continue to earn your business with better service and an unending support of the future of our precious river.

We offer in store pickup if you are coming to the Farmington plus free, fast shipping on orders over $70 if you can't make it. We charge only the lowest possible shipping on smaller items. Our goal is to have more of our products online to buy so you can see what we have before coming out to the shop.

For more fish photos, store announcements and river news visit our Facebook page.

River Report:
Fishing and conditions have both been good. You will see a small flow cut at 9am this morning, from a 200cfs dam release down to 175cfs. Total flow in the Permanent TMA/Catch & Release is 243cfs as I write this, the flow cut will bring it down to about 218cfs- I'd call this a medium-low level, and nice for fishing & wading. The Riverton USGS flow gauge is reading 213cfs at the Rt 20 bridge, and the Still River is adding in 30cfs a little below that. Water temps have ranged from the low/mid 50's in Riverton to the mid 60's in New Hartford and Canton. Because we've maintianed cold water temps, bug activity and fishing have both been well above average for August & September. Current hatches include #10-14 Isonychia (Iso's), assorted Caddis averaging #16-20, #20-24 Blue Winged Olives (BWO's/Olives) #20-24, Flying Ants #16-24, Hebe's/Yellow Quills #16-18, Summer Stenos/Cahills #12-14, and Yellow Sally #14-16. The majority of these bugs are typically on the water from late afternoon through darkness, but with the Farmington being a cold tailwater they can also be out in the latter mornings and afternoons. Early to midmorning has been bringing Trico's #22-26 & Summer/Winter Caddis #18-24.

Nymphing remains a consistent producer when trout aren't rising. A lot of the best fishing currently is in riffly water with a bit of current and some chop to it, whether you are fishing nymphs or dry flies. Many bugs live and hatch in faster water, and the evening egg-laying/spinner falls occurs where the riffles are. Smaller, heavy jig streamers fished slow & deep are a great fly to fish after you are done nymphing a run, often producing a bonus fish or two or three. Junk Flies (Mops, Eggs, Worms) are also good "clean up batter" flies. 

Make sure you have Flying Ants with you. There have been a mix of sizes from #16's to #24's. Typically a mid/late afternoon to evening deal. Match the size, or you may be highly frustrated. Trout love ants and will often key on them to exclusion of anything else. The ideal scenario for flying ants is a warm/humid day with a little rain the day before to get them to do a mating swarm.

September often means using smaller nymphs in the #18-22 range- this can be the difference between a very slow outing and a banner day. Most nymphs are small to very small in late summer/early fall. A good strategy at our current flows is to use a heavier #16-18 nymph at the bottom of your rig, and a smaller lighter pattern on a dropper 18-24" above. Two nymphs that break the rules are Isonychia #12-14 in the afternoon & evening, and Stoneflies (black, brown or yellow) #8-10 from daybreak to 9-10am. Use 5x for the large nymphs, and 6x for the others. Look for areas of faster current with rocks and structure, plus places where the water is slowing into the heads of pools. A "pool" can be large, or just a deeper spot inside of larger runs. Look for water shaded by trees and hills, keeping an eye on the angle of the sun on bright days. Position yourself so you are not throwing a shadow on the water you are fishing. Euro nymphing is working well in fast water. Traditional indicator nymphing is better in slower water, when fishing at distance, or on really windy days. Dry/Dropper with a small weighted nymph 18-24" under a buoyant and visible dry fly is also effective and fun, especially in shallow water and also slower water. They normally eat the nymphs, but you do get some bonus dry fly eats.

Hatches: 

Dries: 

-Isonychia #10-14: Fast water bug, usually about 4pm to dark. Can also be on the water in the late mornings/early afternoons sometimes. Even if you don't see any hatching and no trout are rising, you can successfully blind-fish these in riffly water that you would normally nymph. Hatch usually goes at least into November on our river, but the bugs get smaller over time.

-Blue Winged Olives/BWO’s #20-24: afternoon hatch on cloudy days, also on the water later in the day when the sun goes off the water. Don’t sleep on #18-22 rusty spinners at dusk.

-Hebe #16-18 (Little Yellow Quill): a dull yellow Sulfur-type mayfly we see in August/September in the late afternoon & evenings. Standard Sulfur patterns will work for this hatch.

-Assorted Caddis (tan, olive/green #16-20, black, gray #18-22) 

-Tricos #22-26: the main event for this morning hatch is the spinner fall, which normally happens when the air temps hit 68 degrees.

-Beetles & Ants #12-20: great option from late morning to early evenings, especially when bug activity is light.

-Yellow Sally #14-20: A smaller Stonefly that lives in fast water, looks like a miniature Golden Stone. Trout have been eating them on the surface at dusk.

-Light Cahill/Summer Steno #12-14: evenings

-Summer/Winter Caddis #18-24: hatch is typically early to mid morning. Trout focus on the pupa first, and then as the morning progresses they normally switch to the winged adults when they return to egg-lay. Try both twitching & dead-drifting your fly, trout often key on movement with this bug. 

-Midges #20-28: 365 days a year, underrated bug by many anglers. 

Nymphs:

-Caddis Pupa #16-18 (tan, olive/green)

-Caddis Larva (olive to green) #14-16: tons of these in the river, good all year

-Pheasant Tails/Frenchies #12-22: imitates a wide range of Mayflies including Sulfurs, Vitreus, Hebe's (Yellow Quill), Baetis/Blue Winged Olives, Isonychia, small Stoneflies, Hendricksons, and more

-Walt's Worms #14-20: great general purpose nymph that suggests many different bugs, especially Caddis on this river. 

-Isonychia Nymph #10-14: dead-drift, swing, twitch, and even strip them in. They are great swimmers, and some days trout prefer different presentations- you won't know until you experiment. Use BMAR Iso, and also large Princes & Pheasant Tails. 

-Baetis/BWO Nymphs #16-22

-Yellow Sally #14-18: small Stonefly that looks like a miniature Golden Stone. Lives under rocks in fast water. Active & hatching in September here. 

-”Junk Flies” (Eggs, Mops, Squirmy/San Juan Worms, Green Weenies): Often work when standard nymphs fail, especially when there aren’t many hatches.

 -Stonefly Nymphs #8-10: golden/yellow, brown, black, Stoneflies are a mouthful that can be hard for trout to pass up, and there are a surprising amount of them in the river. Good choice when flows are up. Some days when trout won’t move for a small nymph, it takes a bigger bite of food to get an eat. Often catches larger than average fish. Best in early morning during summer. Look for the empty shucks on top of rocks where they crawl out to emerge in fast water.

 -Midges #18-22 (black, olive, red): Zebra Midge, Flash Midge, Red Iris Midge, etc.

Streamers:

-Periods of higher/dirty water are a great time to fish big streamers and target big trout. Also early & late in the day during periods of low light. They are a good clean-up fly to try before right before you leave a spot. 

-Woolly Bugger #4-12: assorted colors, try also Don's Peach Bugger

-Zonker #4-6: a classic fish catcher! In white, natural

-BMAR Yellow Matuka #6: deadly fly! Also standard Matuka in olive, brown

-Zuddler #4-6: olive, brown, white, black, yellow-

-Articulated Streamers 4-6" long: various patterns to target the biggest trout in the river

-Muddler Minnow #6-10: and old classic that is still deadly

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