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Northeast Fishing Report 1/9/2026
Hello Compleat Angler friends! The good news for our winter anglers this weekend is warmer air temperatures will continue into the latter part of next week. On our freestones that were stocked during Fall, anglers are still finding a few trout each day, with some Tiger Trout mixed in. The fishing has been primarily sub-surface with small nymphs with jig streamers also working. During these warmer days, however, you may see some Caddis and Midges hatching from the late morning into the afternoon. Both the Housatonic and Farmington Rivers are at clear and wadable levels for this weekend. For the short-term, slush and shelf ice isn’t an issue thanks to the increase in air temperatures. On the Salmon River in New York, flows have increased from snow melting but are still fishable on all sections of the river. You will find Steelhead spread throughout the system, especially holding in the deeper and slower pools.
Read on for more…
Connecticut
Local Rivers
Flows remain low, clear, and cold on our local Connecticut freestones. For instance, the Saugatuck River is reading 48.4 CFS. The good news is that most options have been stocked for this Fall, and anglers are still finding a few trout each day. Nymphing has been working best, and fish eating smaller and more natural nymphs as they enter their winter behavior. It will also be worth bringing a few squirmies, mops, or eggs as they are still fooling a few trout. You can expect minimal hatches with cold temperatures, but you may see a few Midges during the afternoon. Most of the fishing will be best subsurface with trout hunkered down. It will be worth bringing streamers as you may still find 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. You will want to focus on the deeper pools, fishing low and slow, as trout will become less willing to expend energy. 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 are holding below average with a slight increase from snow melt and is reading 297 CFS at the Beacon Falls Gauge. The good news is that the state has stocked trout in both the lower and upper sections, and during current conditions the deeper pools will be holding more fish. In addition, more Atlantic Salmon were stocked, and have been in the system for a while so finding them can prove difficult. 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
Flows on the West Branch of the Farmington River were lowered this past week to 187 CFS at the Riverton Gauge, while the Still River is below average at 98 CFS. Water temperatures at Riverton are in the mid-30s. We will have clear flows with easy conditions for wading this weekend. 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, and with temperatures being cold in the early morning look to start fishing when water temperature warms a bit. 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 dropped back below average, with the Falls Village Gauge reading 848 CFS. Clarity and wading will be ideal for most sections this weekend, and trout fishing will be decent as the Housatonic was stocked for the fall. 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 an increase in flows recently due to snow melting with warmer temperatures. Currently, flows are above average reading 1530 CFS at the Pineville Gauge, and you can expect cold water temperatures due to runoff from snow melting. 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 cold air temperatures, water temperatures will stay cold for this weekend. As such, you will want to fish these likely areas slowly and methodically, especially with cold water temperatures. 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.