Farmington River Hatches
Fall. Fall brings on the tiny (#24-28) Blue-winged Olives. One local pattern partly developed by Dave Goulet at the Classic and Custom Fly Shop in New Hartford is called the Unicorn. Tie the Unicorn on a small hook (#22-28) with a thread body and thread tail. Attach a small cylinder (1/32 inch) of white foam at the wing position in a wide V.
The Unicorn floats on the wing with the back end of the fly submerged to give the appearance of an emerger. The Unicorn works best at the beginning of the hatch. As the hatch progresses, the trout will start to key in on the duns (imitated by a small BWO Parachute). Water levels are at their lowest in the fall and the fish will be shy. Careless presentations will send the trout to the bottom.
Winter. Caddis hatches are not as prolific on the Farmington as they are on some of the other rivers in Connecticut, probably due to the river’s colder water temperatures. However, the Farmington River’s trout clearly relish caddisflies when they can get them, and sometimes they are the only item available.
For example, the #18-20 black winter caddis Dolophilodes distinctus keeps the trout looking to the surface December through March. During those periods of the winter when open water exists, otherwise sane people outfitted in many layers of fleece and wearing thick neoprenes will cast to the super-selective sipping trout in the pools.
A popular local pattern for the winter caddis is tied on a curved hook with a foam wing, a turn of dun hackle, and a small dubbed head.
Another version of the winter caddis is amber and is in the #16-20 range. These wintertime caddis tend to wiggle across the surface—probably because it is too cold to do anything else. Fish your caddis patterns to imitate the behavior of the naturals, if your fingers will cooperate.
Midges hatch every month of the year, but are particularly important November through April. Griffith’s Gnats in #20-28 work well, as do various midge pupae patterns fished in the film. The most effective patterns are usually nothing more than thread and a bit of dubbing at the head.
Stonefly nymphs are always effective searching patterns on the Farmington. Size 10 Golden Stonefly Nymphs and large #6 black stonefly imitations fished on the bottom in the pocketwater stretches are always good strategies. These larger stones hatch at night, so the dry-fly opportunities are limited. However, the smaller Yellow Sallies can provide some summertime stonefly dry-fly fishing, as will the early black stoneflies that appear before the Hendricksons.
Strategies and Equipment
With 28 miles of outstanding trout water on the Farmington, the toughest decision of the day may be where to fish. If you enjoy the challenge of technical fishing to super-selective feeders, then head to the upper TMA and its large pools. If you seek less crowded conditions coupled with fantastic scenery, go to the sections above and below Riverton.
Below New Hartford to the town of Farmington, the river provides miles of lightly fished trout water (after the first few weeks of the season) with trout eager to rise to flies. There is something here for everyone, including solitude, if you seek it out. There is excellent access along the entire upper river. Stop in the fly shops for information about what spots might be hot at the moment. Explore and have fun.
Pocketwater. Look for trout feeding in the eddies next to the fast water. The slicks behind rocks and the seams next to fast water hold feeding fish. I have had great fishing in the pocketwater above and below the popular pools. Due to pressure, many of the holdover fish will move out of the pools and seek refuge in what normally would be less desirable lies. The best time to find these spots is during a good hatch, such as the Hendricksons—the fish will show themselves to you. Keep moving and keep looking.
Pools. If the siren call of the constantly rising trout in the pools of the upper TMA is too much to resist, remember one word—presentation. Slack-line casts are necessary to fool these catch-and-release trout. I have found the down-and-across presentation critical to fishing success on the flat-water sections.
The Farmington is a large river, so in most cases, if you walk slowly and carefully, you can approach a fish from above. Stay above and to the side or even directly across from a feeding fish. Using a reach cast, feed the fly before the leader down to a trout in his feeding lane. If the fly passes the trout, allow the fly to float well past the fish and then slowly retrieve it to avoid disturbing the trout. Never false-cast over the fish. I cast well above the fish and keep the casts low to the water. Long tippets of three to four feet may be necessary to get drag-free floats; shorten the tippet if it gets windy.
Tackle. For most of the Farmington River, an 81/2- to 9-foot rod for an 4- or 5-weight line is fine. However, the upper TMA demands finer equipment. As the season progresses, the water levels drop, the flies get smaller, and the trout become smarter. These trout will often feed on infinitesimal items in the film.
It’s at this time that a 2-weight rod fished with 7X to 8X tippets can make a real difference. The trout in these hard-fished areas become leader shy and even a 4-weight line will produce too much line splash. Flies must be correspondingly small, so lighten up as much as possible.
Jeff Passante is author of The Housatonic River Fly Fishing Guide. He lives in Haddam, CT.
The Farmington River Anglers Association (FRAA) maintains a hotline at (860) 738-7227 that provides hatch information and stream conditions. FRAA also produces an excellent guide to fishing the Farmington, detailing access points and maps of most of the popular pools up and down the river. Contact the fly shops below for a copy ($9.95) or leave a message on the hotline.
• Classic and Custom Fly Shop
New Hartford, CT
Dave Goulet
(860) 738-3597
www.classicandcustomflyshop.com
• UpCountry Sportfishing
New Hartford, CT
Gradey Allen
(860) 379-1952
www.farmingtonriver.com
• Quiet Sports
Collinsville, CT
John Marona
(860) 693-2214
The picturesque Austin Hawes State Campground (860) 379-0922) is on the west side of the river between Riverton and Pleasant Valley. Excellent fishing can be had within walking distance of your campsite.
Numerous motels can be found along Route 44 from Hartford to New Hartford. If you are looking for something a little bit more upscale, The Riverton Inn (860) 379-8678 in Riverton and the Avon Old Farms Hotel (860) 677-1651 in Avon both have excellent lodging and food.
Copyright © 2012 Intermedia Outdoors
Comments