April 24, 2018 5 min read

Greetings Compleat Anglers!  Here is your fishing report for April 24th.

UPDATE APRIL 26th:  The Farmington River TMA, The Housatonic River TMA and the Mill River (not including the TMA) has recently been stocked. The Housatonic stocking was 9000 trout. We don't yet have numbers on the Farmington and Mill.  But with the great weather outlook over the next ten days we hope to see you out on the water!  (And check out some of our great Blue Quill, Olive, Quill Gordon and Hendrickson patterns available in the shop - you'll be needing them!) 

In Connecticut, the Catskills and Westchester as well, many rivers are just getting back into wadeable condition and good clarity. Even with the high water of this past week there have been some great fish taken - mostly on nymphs and streamers. Those fishermen who braved the high, cold water were rewarded with tight lines and good action, although you had to work for most fish. All over, dry fly action was limited due to the cold water temperatures. Most fish were taken on nymphs fished slow and deep. Streamer action was decent as well. Last week Sal Renzuella from Riverkeeper Guide Service  srenzuella@gmail.com (203-722-8901) floated the Delaware West Branch and reported a couple of nice fish on streamers, but a greater number of misses and follows due to the cold water.

In Connecticut, the Farmington River this week has had some big browns and rainbows come to the net - almost all on nymphs. There are not many rising fish - current flies on the water are Winter Caddis, a few Early Black Stoneflies, midges and BWO's but with water temperatures in the low-mid 40s the fish aren't quite looking up as of yet. Key nymphs have been Olive Mayflies (#16-#18)(most likely because of the BWO's spotted hatching), Pheasant Tails (#12-#14), Mops (#12-#18), Caddis Larve, egg patterns, and Stoneflies (#8-#10) in brown, black and gold. As the water has been cold, fish them slow and deep. Flow today was being cut back on the Colebrook Reservoir so let's keep an eye on the flow gauge to see if/when overall flow is reduced. As of now, flows at Riverton are 453cfs. Flows on the Still river at Robertsville is 189cfs giving a total flow through the TMA C&R area of 642cfs. Water temperatures have been in the low-mid 40s.

The Housatonic River is flowing 1750cfs at Falls Village. Still too high to wade in many places, but great for floating. Most of the action is currently on streamers (Wooly Buggers, Zonkers, Muddlers and others) with a number of fish also being taken on nymphs. But overall action is still on the slow side. With the upcoming warm warm weather that should change nicely. Like most other rivers, the Housatonic is still awaiting the arrival of the Hendricksons. There have been BWO's, Little Black Stones, Winter Caddis and midges but mostly the fish are not on them. Key nymphs have been Pheasant Tails, Olive Mayfly nymphs, BH Prince, BH Hare's Ear, Zebra, Mops, egg patterns, scuds and San Juan Worms.

I drove past the Saugatuck River along Ford's Road in Westport. The flow was 225cfs - still a healthy amount of water, but nicely wadeable. Fishermen dotted the landscape and I saw some tight lines along the way. Again, most of the action was on nymphs and streamers. A good bet right now would also be the Norwalk River with a flow in Wilton of 92cfs. There is still a good push to the current with lovely clarity. The river is well-stocked and looked beautiful to wade. It should be great fishing from Wilton (and above) all the way down into Norwalk. As well, don't forget the lovely Mill River (71cfs in Hamden). A good number of our customers have reported really active days with good numbers of fish caught - interestingly, many of them on dry flies (midges, Little Black Stoneflies, and small Caddis Patterns.)

In the Catskills, Guide Ben Rinker from East Branch Outfittersinfo@eastbranchoutfitters.com  (267-221-4383) reports that the streamer bite has still been slow - especially on the Delaware East Branch and Main Stem. On the Delaware West Branch, the Cannonsville Dam is still spilling, so there is still a decent streamer bite on the West Branch. But the spilling has stopped on the Pepacton Dam on the East Branch. Ben reports some sparse hatching activity on the Upper East Branch (Quill Gordons, Blue Quills, a few Black Stoneflies along with Baetis and Caddis as well. For those driving along the Delaware West Branch, take note that the Winterdale Road going up to Balls Eddy will be closing just past the Methodist Camp up to the corner of the Delaware River Club sometime in the very near future - so you'll have to dive down to Balls Eddy from above. Also, keep in mind that the famed "One Bug" tournament is this coming weekend - so there will be as flotilla of boats out on all Delaware River branches!

Both the Beaverkill and Willowemoc are clear and wadeable and flowing in the mid-40s. Fly activity has been Quill Gordons (#12-#18), Paraleps and Blue Quills (#16), Little Black Stoneflies (#14-#18), Midges and Olives (#18).

Like in Connecticut, all Catskill rivers are eagerly awaiting the appearance of the Hendricksons!

Flows and water temperatures on Catskill streams are as follows:

Delaware East Branch at Fishs Eddy:  1750cfs at 45 degrees;

Delaware East Branch at Harvard:  895cfs at 40 degrees;

Delaware West Branch at Hale's Eddy:  1990cfs at 40 degrees;

Delaware Main Stem at Lordville:  4240cfs at 43 degrees;

Beaverkill at Cook's Falls:  725cfs at 42 degrees;

In Long Island Sound, water temperatures are still cold and in the low 40s. The Schoolie Striper migration has progressed slowly northward (Striper fishing along New Jersey beaches has been pretty active although still inconsistent.) Here is the latest map from "On The Water" magazine highlighting the Striper migration progress:

Here in Connecticut, the river mouths (and points upstream) are still the best bet for resident and schoolie Bass, but there have been a few occasional incoming fish being taken off the beaches from Greenwich to Westport. Over the next week or two, the warm weather should help to warm the Sound, and things should begin to pick up.

One other thing to keep in mind: As we're all out on the water and as reports come in from our guides and customers almost daily, I'll be updating this report on a daily basis - so for the latest info check in frequently!

As always, stop by the shop to check out our amazing inventory of every fishing goodie you ever dreamed of!  And check out the new display of flyrods in the front of the shop - all the major rod brands and models are there including Scott, Sage, Winston, Hardy, Reddington, Echo, Loomis, and more. Come in and throw one! Also, its that time of year to check your waders and boots - we just received a huge shipment of boots and waders from Simms, Korkers, and Reddington sure to make your trip more comfortable and enjoyable. And of course, our fly bins and fly-tying equipment and accessories are stuffed to the gills!

'Till next week, Tight Lines!