Hello Compleat Angler Friends! The most significant change this week is a reduction in flows on all of our rivers and streams, and areas that have not been fishable (namely the Housatonic) are now accessible for wading. As the remainder of our snow melts, this will keep water temperatures low. However, you may encounter Midges, Winter Caddis, and small Black Stoneflies when you’re on the water this upcoming week. The good news is that air temperatures will be warming into the low 50s during the afternoon. Hopefully that will have a few fish looking up and rising. Otherwise, your most productive method will be nymphing followed by streamer fishing. During these slightly below average flows, sticking with more natural colors of nymphs in sizes 16-24 will be your best bet. Winter fishing can prove tough at times, though many days there will be a narrow bite window during the afternoon when fishing will pick up. When nymphing, pay attention and expect subtle hits, and fish your flies close to the bottom, as fish are more lethargic and less willing to move out of their way for flies. Anglers that have been putting in their time have been finding quality rather than quantity. Read on for more…

Connecticut

Local Rivers

Local flows for our rivers and streams have dropped back down after the snowmelt. For instance, the  Saugatuck is flowing at 81.2 CFS. At the moment the water clarity is good, and wading will be easy since the flows are below average. Look for fish podding up in the deeper and slower pools, which is typical of their winter holding lies. As the remainder of the snow melts, this will keep the water temperatures cold. Having an assortment of smaller nymphs in sizes 18-24 will now fool fish besides the larger and gaudier nymphs that work well on higher flows. Considerations should be: Pheasant Tails, Caddis Larvae, natural colored Perdigones, Hare’s Ears, Zebra Mides, etc., in sizes 14-24. Strikes will be more subtle this time of year so pay extra attention to your indicator/sighter. You may encounter some Midges and Stoneflies, however hatches and surface activity will be diminished this time of year. Your most effective methods will be subsurface, nymphing and streamer fishing. Some streamer patterns to consider are conehead Woolly Buggers fished on a floating line and larger articulated patterns paired with a sinking or sink tip line. One of our favorite streamer lines for this technique is theAirflo Streamer Max Short,as well as theScientific Anglers Sonar Trout. The Short head loads rods well for our smaller rivers especially when targeting the opposite bank and sinking the fly quickly into the strike zone.A double nymph rig is a good way to cover multiple columns of the water or offer multiple options; fishing a larger fly as your point fly will help get your dropper down to an appropriate depth without the use of split shot.When nymphing and dry fly fishing in our smaller rivers and streams we like having a shorter leader, such as theRio Powerflex in 7.5ft. Both 5x and 6x will have you covered for most dry fly and nymphing scenarios. In addition, at the end of your dead-drift let your nymphs swing to the bank as this will imitate an emerging insect. Trout will be spread out during these flows, so covering different water types and holding lies will improve your chances. Areas to consider include the Saugatuck, Mianus, Mill, and Aspetuck Rivers. There are still some fish to be had from Spring holdovers and Fall stockings. Our anglers are reporting the Saugatuck and Mianus have slowed a bit this week, but there are still trout to be had.

Naugatuck River

Flows have also decreased a little below average to 410 CFS at Beacon Falls, which has both ideal clarity and wading. Look to fish similar offerings we are using on our local streams: Caddis, Blue Winged Olives, and Midges. With respect to other insects, having a range of sizes from 12-24 in nymphs/dries will have you covered, and egg patterns are still working. Overall, fishing will be most productive with streamers and nymphs. Fishing drab colored Woolly Buggers and streamers 3-5” will be working for the more aggressive fish. The Naugatuck is a good alternative for areas with more crowds/pressure. When targeting Salmon, your traditional Atlantic Flies and hairwing streamers will work: Grey Ghosts, Blue Charms and Mickey Finns. Don’t be afraid to throw some larger intruders and flashy streamers in Pink, Black, Blue, and Purple, especially after they’ve just finished stocking. Try swinging these streamers slowly as you first fish the pool, and if you don’t get any takes, switch to a faster retrieve/swing. The fish will let you know what they prefer. Salmon were last stocked early this month on the Shetucket and Naugatuck, which is fairly late in comparison to previous seasons due to high flows.

Farmington River

West Branch flows are currently 198 CFS in Riverton with the Still adding 135 CFS downstream of the confluence. Conditions are average with ideal clarity and flows for wading. Trout will now start to concentrate in the deeper pools, so it will pay off to fish slowly and methodically. Temperatures near the Riverton gauge are fluctuating in the mid to high 30s with colder temperatures downriver of the Still. The main hatches to look out for this time of year will be Winter Caddis in sizes 18-20 during the morning hours, and Midges in sizes 18-24 during the afternoons when temperatures are at their peak. Again, subsurface will be the most effective technique. For streamer fishing try using jigged streamers under a tight line system, weighted flies (cone head Woolly Buggers, Sculpin Helmets) under a floating line, or neutrally buoyant articulated streamers with a sinking line or sink tip. Vary retrieve speed to gauge their activity level. Now is a good time for our Trout Spey anglers to break out theSkagit Heads andT Tips which will turn over larger intruders and streamers. Fishing a wet fly swung on aless aggressive sinking tip can pull additional fish during the afternoon when insects will be emerging. For nymphing, junk flies (Mops and Squirmies) will still work on some fish in addition to Stoneflies in sizes 8-12. One technique is to use these larger flies as your point nymph paired with a smaller dropper nymph: Pheasant Tails in sizes 12-20, Caddis Larva 14-18, Perdigones 12-20, Hare’s Ears 14-18, and Zebra Midges in 18-24. These nymphs are all safe bets as they imitate most of a trout’s Winter diet, and nymphing will be the most productive method. Eggs will still be working too (namely Cheese, Yellow, and Pink). Most of your smaller more natural looking nymphs will be more productive this time of year, especially with these average flows. Low and slow will be the name of the game in terms of nymphing, as trout will be less willing to move from their holding lies. Winter fishing can prove tough, and sometimes the fishing can be spotty with short lived bite windows. Anglers fishing this time of year are encountering quality over quantity. In terms of rigging, look to use 5x-6xFluorocarbon when nymphing. As water temperatures continue to become colder, strikes will be more subtle to detect. Remember to not high or low hole anyone. Let’s be respectful to other anglers. Good luck! Keep in mind:Please report any suspicious activity and poaching to DEEP by calling 800-842-4357.

Housatonic River

The Housatonic River finally has the green light to fish, as flows have dropped below 1000 CFS and are reading 892 CFS at Falls Village. Flows are now comfortable for wading in most sections. For hatches you may encounter some Midges in sizes 18-24 and Small Black Stoneflies in sizes 14-18, however the dry fly action will be slow this time of year. Streamer fishing and nymphing are going to be the most productive technique. Anglers that have been streamer fishing are swinging flies on a floating or sink tip line with either single handers or trout spey rods. If you are fishing articulated neutrally buoyant streamers (Mini Dungeons, Drunk and Disorderly, Circus Peanuts, etc), you will want to pair these with asinking line and a short 5’ leader tapered from20lb to 10lb. For our floating line Streamer Anglers, consider drab colored Conehead Woolly Buggers paired with a 9ft 2x leader. Now is also a good time for our Trout Spey anglers to consider throwing larger patterns during the afternoon in combination with swinging soft hackles in the mornings and evenings. Trout Spey is a good way to cover and search water, especially in the wider stretches. During the mornings nymphing still remains the most effective method. For nymphing with an indicator (we’ve had great feedback on theOros Stike Indicators), a 9ft taperedfluorocarbon leader in 5x-6x is recommended. Nymphs to consider bringing include Pheasant Tails, Caddis Larvae, Prince Nymphs, Hare’s Ears, Waltz Worms, Perdigones, and Yellow/Golden Stoneflies in sizes 12-18. For smaller nymphs, Zebra Midges in 18-24, will fool fish all throughout Winter. While the spawning season is over, egg flies are continuing to produce, and consider more washed-out colors like Tan, Light Pink, and Cheese.

New York

Salmon River

Flows on the Salmon River are currently 644 CFS in Pineville after recent flow cuts. Generally, Steelhead are comfortable with stability in flows, so the fishing should improve a couple days after any significant water event once fish acclimate. All sections of the river are holding Steelhead, and there are still some fresh fish pushing into the lower sections with a few nice Brown Trout in the mix. Most of the concentration, however, is towards the upper section of the river from Altmar to Pineville. Anglers fishing lower in the system have found a fish or two each day. While swinging flies will still attract the most aggressive fish, the most productive method in the cold weather will be nymphing. Low and slow is the name of the game, as fish will be less willing to expend energy, and often the strikes will be subtle. Focusing on the deeper and slower pools will be a good start as these sections are typical Steelhead Winter holding areas. However, during high water events don’t overlook the faster water as Steelhead will feel more comfortable in travel lanes and moving upriver. Estaz Eggs, Glo Bugs, Squirmy Worms, Stoneflies, Steelhead Slammers, and Sucker Spawn will all take fish. Having a variety of colors and sizes, as well as switching flies often, will help you determine what they are keying in on. It will be worth bringing some smaller trout sized Stonefly patterns too. The surrounding tributaries will also hold Brown Trout and Steelhead.Beads in different colors will also work well (such as Chartreuse and Mottled Tangerine), so switching up flies/colors and techniques will be the key to success. As a bonus, these flies will also work on Brown Trout. Having amicro barrel swivel incorporated into your leader will help avoid splitshot sliding down your leader, as well as aid in quicker rerigging during breakoffs and snags. For our two handed anglers, Skagit has been the most productive method, and we like Rio’sSkagit Max Power head combined with either amono orcoated running line. Having a variety ofMOW Tips so you can fine tune the depth of your fly based on flows and current speed, will aid in your success. For tippet, we like usingMaxima Ultragreen in 10lb when swinging flies. Having a variety of colors to rotate between is the name of the game: Brown, Olive, Black, Blue, Purple, and Pink are all good considerations. Now that the weather is cold, it will be beneficial to bring a goodlayering system as well as a pair of warmfingerless gloves. Air temperatures will be in the high 30s to low 40s for the weekend, with a slight improvement at the start of the upcoming week. Keep an eye on the forecast as a wintery mix may be expected.