Fishing Report, August 23rd

Greetings Compleat Anglers!  Here is your fishing report for August 23rd.

In the Catskills, first the good news!  The weather for the next ten days shows air temperatures to be in the 50s at night and in the 70s during the day, with partial cloud cover, no rain in the forecast and light winds. Water temperatures should drop nicely as this unfolds signaling some potentially good hatching and great fishing! Kind've an "early fall" gift.....

The Catskills had thunderstorms overnight which brought up river flows, but rivers are already dropping and should be back to normal by tomorrow. Streamers should be effective in the Upper West and East Branches until this excess water runs off. With the cooler water temperatures, there have been hatches of Olives (#18), Sulphurs (#16-20), and Isos (#12-14) in both the Upper West Branch and Upper East Branch. As well, there have been Cahills (#14), Tricos (#20-26), and Caddis (#16-18) (both tan and green). During the daytime, small nymphs (#16-22) have been effective in the riffles and deeper glides. Try small Pheasant Tails, Copper Johns, Flashbacks, Zebras, and other small soft hackle and wet patterns, as well as some bigger Stoneflies (#6-12).  Check water temperatures on the Lower East Branch and Upper Main Stem before committing to those sections of river. (Both the Lower East Branch and the Mainstem have been in the high 60s for morning temperatures but should be fishable over the next ten days with the cooler weather). Best dry fly fishing is morning and evenings, but on the upper sections of the river branches, these may be some afternoon activity with the cooler water conditions. 

Catskill Water Flows are as follows:

Delaware West Branch at Stilesville:   526cfs@ 48 degrees;

Delaware West Branch at Hale Eddy:  1230cfs @ 62 degrees;

Delaware East Branch at Harvard:  379cfs @ 61 degrees;

Delaware East Branch at Fish's Eddy: 672cfs @ 67 degrees;

Mainstem Delaware at Lordville:  1720cfs @ 66 degrees;

Beaverkill at Cooks Falls:   407cfs @ 66 degrees;

In Connecticut,the Farmington River has been fishing pretty well. Water temperature is in the low 60s - so the trout are comfortable. There have been hatches of Tricos (#22-26), Summer & Winter Caddis (#18-24), Isos (#10-14), BWO (#22-26), Cahills (#14), and a few Sulphurs ONLY in the Riverton area (#18).  Also, its the time of year when ants, beetles and hoppers have been very effective as well. There have been some swarms of flying ants (#22-24) on the warmer, more humid days. Best dry fly times are evenings and early mornings. During the day, try drifting small nymphs (#18-22) in the riffles and deeper runs. Best nymph bets are Caddis Pupa, Pheasant Tails, Zebras, Copper Johns, Flashbacks, and Princes.

On the Housatonic, Smallmouth Bass Fishing has been fair-to-good. Water temperatures have been in the high 60s (or higher) so probably best to give the trout a rest until cooler weather and temperatures prevail. There have been good hatches of White Flies, and for Smallmouth, as afternoon comes on, small poppers along with streamers such as Zonkers, Conehead Muddlers, and Wooly Buggers are very effective.

Connecticut Stream Flows are as follows:

West Branch Farmington at Riverton:  229cfs in the low 60s;

Still River at Robertsville:   62cfs

West Branch Farmington through the TMA:  291cfs in the mid-60s

In Long Island Sound, Captain Roger Gendron of Connecticut Island Outfitters info@ctislandoutfitters.com (203-216-0991) reports that there have been good schools of Harbor Blues feeding on Peanut Bunker and that his clients have been having lots of fun! Capt. Roger also makes note that there have been some schoolie bass around (with a few decent sized bass in-between) but to get them you need to be on the water before daylight! And as fall comes on, keep your eyes peeled for Albies!

As usual, be sure to drop by to check out our amazing inventory and all the new fall products from the best manufacturers worldwide!  And be sure to peruse our huge selection of flies - both for trout and salmon and saltwater. (Remember, its approaching Albie time and we have a great selection of killer Albie flies!)  Check out our selection of rods, reels, lines, waders, boots, accessories, clothing, fly-tying equipment (hooks, feathers, vices, etc.) - so much to buy and so little time!  

Until next week, Tight Lines!