Hello Compleat Angler Friends! The nor'easter that blew through last week shook things up across fresh and saltwater fishing, but thankfully, its effects are starting to calm. Water levels in our local rivers are back down to fishable levels, however, the storm severely disrupted things in the Sound, and bass have been difficult to locate. Hard tails, which were abundant out East and starting to move into the Western Sound, are seemingly gone for the moment. There is a chance that albies and bonito have a resurgence in a week or two depending on the weather, but for now, I would wait for the saltwater bite to pick back up for striper and blues.
Read on for more…
Connecticut
Local Rivers
Flows on the Saugatuck have picked up to 115 CFS, which is a comfortable flow for this time of year. The Saugatuck, Mianus, and Lower Mill, should be stocked hopefully in the next few weeks, so keep an eye out on the DEEP! Hatches are primarily BWO's and Caddis. Terrestrials should be a good offering as well with the recent rain.
The Naugatuck is now at 272 CFS. Keep an eye on the calendar and the DEEP website as stocking for both trout and salmon should start soon. Again, BWO's Caddis, and Terrestrials will be effective.
Farmington River
Brown trout are in pre-spawn mode, and the bulk of the spawn will take place later this month and well into November. Some of the browns are already starting to color up, especially the hook-jawed males. Still plenty of rising trout at moments, match the bugs you see. When they aren't rising, fish streamers and nymphs. Other than Isonychia & Stoneflies, mostly you want to nymph with smaller patterns in the #18-22 range, which imitates the sizes of the most common natural nymphs this time of year. Streamers appeal to the aggression of trout (due to the impending spawn). Often some yellow in a streamer will trigger October trout- can be all yellow, or olive and yellow, brown and yellow, etc. This is also a time of year you can play with bigger streamers in the 4-6" range. You won't catch as many trout, but it ups your odds of landing a true trophy. 3-4" can be a sweet spot- big enough to interest a larger fish, but small enough that a 12-14" fish will still try to eat it.
The total flow in the Permanent TMA/Catch & Release (C&R) is medium at 239 CFS. Riverton USGS gauge is reading 187 CFS two miles below the dam, and the Still River is adding 52 CFS just below that. River water temp is 61 degrees in Riverton this morning. The entire river is back in play now, so don't limit yourself. Unionville USGS gauge is reading 351 CFS, a very normal/typical reading for early October. We are in that time of year when due to cooler air temps, shorter days, longer nights, and lower sun angle, water temps are typically cooler as you move away from the dam most days.
As mentioned above, big streamers can be a very good fall fly choice, but smaller streamers and Wooly Buggers will bring a lot of trout to the net in the coming weeks as well. If you favor quantity over just chasing big trout, smaller offerings will produce more fish overall and still catch the monsters, but to a lesser degree.
When fishing streamers its important to cover lots of water and get your offering in front of as many trout as possible. Use heavy tippet for this method such as 0x-2x - the trout are looking at your fly, not at the tippet you use and you want to be able to set the hook HARD, using a hybrid of a strip-set and an angled sideways lift.
Large Stonefly nymphs #8-10 are still working well, especially in the mornings, but they can pull above average fish later in the day too. Trico Spinners #22-26 are still on the water, but have moved to late morning following the cold overnights we have had recently. Isonychia #12-14, have been out in the afternoon all week, with the trout eating them well in some areas. Blue Winged Olives (BWO's) #18-24 & Hebe's/Yellow Quills #16-18 are hatching in the late afternoon & evening. Tan/brown Caddis #16-18 and big October Caddis are increasing in numbers and are producing trout throughout the day, particularly on fast water. Still seeing some big #12-14 Summer Steno's/Light Cahills in the eves, along with #14-16 Yellow Sallies. Typically the dominant hatches in October are tan/brown Caddis, Iso's, and small BWO's.
Nymphing remains a consistent producer when trout aren't rising. A lot of the best fishing currently is in riffly water with a bit of current and some chop to it, whether you are fishing nymphs or dry flies. Many bugs live and hatch in faster water, and the evening egg-laying/spinner falls occurs where the riffles are. Smaller, heavy jig streamers fished slow & deep are a great fly to fish after you are done nymphing a run, often producing a bonus fish or two or three. Junk Flies (Mops, Eggs, Worms) are also good "clean up batter" flies.
The Housatonic River at Falls Village is reading 345 CFS. The section below Bull's Bridge has just been stocked, as well as above the covered bridge in Cornwall. Browns are starting to flood the river as the temps drop, and they are taking a variety of offerings from large streamers to dry flies and nymphs. Reports from customers have been very positive, with browns being the major catch. Early mornings and evenings have been best, and locating deeper holes during high points of the day can lead to some nice fish. With the cooler temperatures and increased stocking, things are looking good for fall fishing on the housy!
The current dam release is 185 CFS. The CFS at the Pineville gauge is currently 220 CFS as of 9:15 AM. Water temperature this morning was 63 degrees Fahrenheit at 9 AM.
UPPER SECTION
Angling success was described as “moderate” in the bottom and middle parts of this section, and “quiet” in the uppermost part (no anglers were present there). The fish species reported were Chinook (King) and Coho Salmon in the lower and middle parts, with Kings only in the uppermost part. Steelhead showed up in the lower part of this section. The fish present were holding in pools within the lower part, actively moving upriver and holding in pools within the middle part, and moving upriver within the uppermost part. Angler density in this section was described as “moderate" in the lower part, “high” in the middle part, and “none” in the upper part.
MIDDLE SECTION
Angling success was described as “good” in the lower part, and “moderate” in the middle and upper parts. The fish species reported were both Chinook (King) and Coho Salmon throughout the section, Steelhead were present in the lower and middle parts. The fish were both actively moving upriver and also holding in pools. Angler density in this section was described as “moderate” throughout this section.
LOWER SECTION
Angling success was described as “slow” in the estuary, and “moderate” just upriver. Chinook (King) and Coho Salmon, as well as Steelhead, were reported present throughout this section. The fish present were both actively moving upriver and holding in pools. Angler density in this section was “low” in the estuary and “moderate” just upriver.
Catskills
The release from Cannonsville is 286 cfs. The release from Cannonsville has been cut back again. Check the Stilesville gauge link below for the most up to date information. We should have cloud cover with a little more wind today. The rainfall will be negligible. Streamers and nymphs early with some dry fly action later in the day. Small olives have made up most of the hatch but there are some Cahills, hebes, and sporadic Isonychias out there. We’ve seen more Isonychia spinners than duns in the last week. The West Branch has a greenish tint to it that is likely the reservoir turning. The fish and bugs don’t mind it and its actually better for streamer fishing.
Things are definitely more challenging after the recent nor'easter, but there are still fish around if you are diligent and put in the time. Albies and Bonito are very scarce at the moment, and it will be a waiting game to see if they make a comeback later in the fall. The good news is there is plenty of bait in the water and good weather on the horizon. As the effects of the storm start to dwindle, we should see fall fishing return to normal. This weekend is looking slightly soupy on Saturday evening into sunday, but after that, next week looks cool, crisp, and bright. After a week of good, warm southwest wind, bass should return to their normal patterns, and then put on the feedbag as the temps drop. A variety of flies will be effective this time of year, and we recently put out a list of our Top 5 Striped Bass Flies for the fall run, so check it out on our instagram!
