Your Cart is Empty
Northeast Fishing Report 1/23/26
Hello Compleat Angler friends! Are you prepared for SNOWMAGEDDON? Things are shaping up to be quite nasty on Sunday, with some snowfall totals topping out at 16 inches in areas across the tristate. To add insult to injury, it is going to be bitterly cold, so if you are hitting the river on Saturday, pack an extra pair of long johns. Above all else, be safe! We are hosting an event that is sure to warm the blood on Monday, 1/26, at 7pm with some great folks at Alphonse Fishing Company and African Waters, so feel free to swing by once you’ve dug out the car.
On the fishing front, there hasn’t been much change since last week’s report. As we love to say this time of year, low and slow is the name of the game. Some anglers are still finding stocked Tiger Trout in the Mianus, which are taking nymphs and streamers bounced along the bottom. Again, on a warmer day you may see some Caddis and Midges hatching from late morning into the afternoon, but don’t hold your breath with the upcoming forecast. Both the Housatonic and Farmington Rivers are still at clear and wadable levels for the time being, but that could change with the weather on Sunday.
Read on for more…
Connecticut
Local Rivers
Flows remain low, clear, and cold on our local Connecticut freestones. The Saugatuck River is reading at a paltry 30.9 CFS, but stocked trout are still in the mix. Nymphing has been working best, as fish are eating smaller, more natural nymphs as they enter their winter behavior. Squirmies, mops, or eggs are still fooling the odd trout, so having them on hand is never a bad idea. You can expect minimal hatches with cold and wet conditions, but you may see a few Midges during the afternoon. Most of the fishing will be best subsurface with trout hunkered down, although streamers may still tease out an aggressive fish or two. Consider white, purple, olive, black, and brown. Jigged streamers or a slow enticing retrieve will work for enticing more lethargic trout. A dry/dropper rig is also an effective searching technique when fishing low water events. Now that water temperatures are colder, trout metabolism has slowed. Having a double nymph rig will give trout options in size and pattern, as well as improve your sink rate when using nymphs with bead heads.
Dry Fly Hatches:
Nymphs:
General Mayfly Attractor 14-18
Streamers:
Krystal Bugger (Black, Chartreuse, Brown, Olive, White, Burnt Orange) 6-12
Naugatuck River
Flows on the Naugatuck River have also dropped, with a latest reading of 274 CFS at the Beacon Falls Gauge. As you may imagine, the deeper pools will be holding more fish. Atlantic Salmon can prove difficult to find but are still in the river. A variety of streamers will work, from Woolly Buggers to more traditional Atlantic Salmon Flies. Try swinging your fly through the pools, and sometimes varying your presentation, such as stripping you fly, will entice a grab. You may also find some trout, and similar bug activity to our local rivers and streams report. Nymphing will be effective when there is no hatch activity. The Shetucket River was also stocked with Atlantic Salmon and Trout this Fall.
Farmington River
As expected, MDC made a modest flow bump at the dam, which is a good thing as it will help keep the river from forming slush and shelf ice (in the Winter, water from the dam is slightly warmer than water from the tributaries). Riverton went from 134cfs up to 177cfs, a 43cfs increase. This brings the total flow in the Permanent TMA/C&R up to 280cfs, a nice level for fishing & wading. Water temperatures at Riverton are in the mid-30s. Potential for ice floes and slush will increase with the snow, so be cautious if you choose to brave the snow on Sunday. Hatches have been diminished with cold temperatures; however, you may find some small Midges and Caddis in the late morning to afternoon with the warmer days continuing. The insects will be small this time of year, so you will want to bring small dries and an assortment of small nymphs, especially during average and below-average flows. Nymphing will be best for most of the day, but bites have been extremely subtle. With temperatures being cold in the early morning, look to start fishing when water temperature warms. During winter fishing there will be a narrow bite window throughout the day, usually when water temperatures are at their warmest, so look for an increase in trout activity during the afternoon. Trout are mostly hunkered down in the deeper pools now as water temperatures are cold, so it is worth fishing the deeper pools methodically with nymphs. During the late morning hours streamer fishing can also be an effective technique, both stripped slowly and jigged, especially for the more recently stocked trout that are most aggressive, and post-spawn Brown Trout. For dry fly fishing with smaller flies, we recommend a 9-12’ leader in 6x. As a reminder, while the majority of Brown Trout have finished spawning, and you will still want to be mindful to avoid stepping on Redds. As a result, egg flies are still working well this time of year.
Dry Fly Hatches:
Nymphs:
General Mayfly Attractor 14-18
Streamers:
Krystal Bugger (Black, Brown, Olive, White, Burnt Orange) 6-12
Larger Articulated Streamers on a sinking/sink tip line
Housatonic River
Flows on the Housatonic River have decreased, with the Falls Village Gauge reading 766 CFS, which means the river will be clear and wadable. Trout have been stocked on two occasions this Fall and are now acclimated and keyed in on the natural forage. Since water temperatures have cooled, they will be more lethargic and holding in the deeper and slower sections. Mop Flies, Squirmy Worms, egg flies, and a variety of streamers will be effective; however, you will want to bring smaller and more imitative nymphs as well. More educated and larger holdover trout that have been in the system longer are keying in these smaller insects.
Dry Fly Hatches:
Nymphs:
General Mayfly Attractor 14-18
Streamers:
Krystal Bugger (Black, Brown, Olive, White, Burnt Orange) 6-12
Larger Articulated Streamers on a sinking/sink tip line
New York
Salmon River
The Salmon River has seen a decrease in flows, with the current reading at the Pineville Gauge holding around 1030 CFS. There will still be a few Steelhead entering the system combined with those that are staged in the deeper pools and runs. With cold temperatures swinging flies won’t be as successful as Fall, but you may find one fish aggressive enough to chase flies. There is still a chance of catching a few Brown Trout. With colder air temperatures, water temperatures will stay low for this weekend, so you will want to fish slowly and methodically. Most anglers are finding a few Steelhead each day. For Steelhead, we recommend using a 9’ 3x tapered leader with split shot rigged above a micro swivel to avoid having your split shot slide down to your fly. For flies, more aggressive fish in the lower sections will grab different colored intruders such as Pink, Blue, Black, Purple, and Chartreuse swung on single and two-hand rods. Egg sucking leeches, Woolly Buggers, Glo Bugs, Squirmy Worms, Stoneflies, and Estaz Eggs in a variety of colors will work well throughout the whole river. Steelhead and some nice Brown Trout have moved into the smaller tributaries as well.