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Northeast Fishing Report 1/30/26
Hello Compleat Angler friends! We hope you’ve been able to stay warm this week. Temperatures have been brutal, but thankfully the cold weather hasn’t slowed down our intrepid presenters. The gents from African Waters and Alphonse Fishing Company put on a fantastic event this past Monday, and on Saturday, we have a tying event with Rhody on the Fly (Brandon Gomez) who will be walking through some jaw-dropping Hollow and Beast Fly demonstrations. Check out our calendar for more info!
With the thermometer where it is, the fishing has been hard to come by. Matt and Pat from the shop hit the water in Easton yesterday in search of native brookies and struck out, but besides their willingness to brave the cold, we haven’t heard much from our regulars. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times. Low and slow is the name of the game. We are looking down the barrel of some upsettingly low temperatures, so if getting in the river doesn’t sound appealing, maybe now is the time to focus on tying some flies for spring.
Read on for more…
Connecticut
Local Rivers
Flows remain low, clear, and cold on our local Connecticut freestones. The Saugatuck River is at 23.9 CFS, a shade lower than where it was this time last week. We recommend using Nymphs or heavier streamers to target pools where trout might be hiding. Consider white, purple, olive, black, and brown. Basically any color that will help stand out. Jigging streamers is effective when trying to tempt larger, lethargic trout to bite. I am in the camp that believes larger fish will make a calculated risk for a calorically richer meal than smaller fare, but that’s just me. A dry/dropper rig is also an effective searching technique when fishing low water events. 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
Due to ice build up on the Naugatuck, CFS data isn’t available this week, but the river is currently reading at 1.77 ft at Beacon falls. Per usual, the deeper pools will hold more fish, but it might be wise to stay off the river until those ice floes clear up. 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 your 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
MDC made a small decrease in the dam release Monday, the Riverton USGS flow went from 174cfs to 157cfs (medium-l0w), which puts the total flow in the mid/upper 200cfs range (medium). The Still River gauge is ice affected and reading super-high and incorrectly- it's reading 498cfs, but in reality it's more like 100-120cfs. Water temperatures at Riverton are in the mid-30s. Potential for ice floes and slush are still there, so be cautious. 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.
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 again, with the Falls Village Gauge reading 717 CFS. Readings have been disrupted by ice over the last week, so bear that in mind if you head out. 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 current dam release is at 350 CFS and was listed to remain at that flow through midnight on the 29th. The gauge at Pineville is currently at 544 cfs. Steelhead entering the system ahs likely slowed, but there may be a few stragglers in deeper pools and runs. With cold temperatures, swinging flies won’t be as successful as in the 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. 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.