Hello Compleat Angler Friends! This non-stop northeast breeze has made the bite in the sound a bit tough. Striped bass are still around and willing to eat, but a weather pattern change would help shake things up for the better. We still have a solid 4/5 weeks of fall fishing in the Western Sound before things begin to taper off, so get out and make something happen!
Trout fishing across the state has been great. Local rivers have been stocked, BWO hatches are keeping them up top on days with little wind, and larger trout are taking streamers and nymphs in rivers like the Housatonic and the Farmington.
Read on for more…
Connecticut
Local Rivers
Flows on the Mianus, Saugatuck, and Mill rivers have been low this week thanks to the persistent blue sky and sunshine. The recent stocking has meant new action for anglers looking to stay close to home, and the fish are still willing to take a variety of options, from dries to nymphs to streamers. Mid day BWO hatches have been fun, but sizing down your offering has made the biggest difference.
The Naugatuck is now at 192 CFS, which is an improvement from last week. Effective flies right now are anything that would work on larger rivers, again, streamers, nymphs, and dries. The entirety of the river has been stocked, including the trophy trout areas. For hatches, think BWO's Caddis, and Terrestrials.
Farmington River
Total flow below the Still River in the Permanent TMA/Catch & Release (C&R) is normal for this time of year at a medium-low 188cfs. Riverton below the dam is 145cfs, and the Still River is adding in 43cfs a little below that. Morning water temp below the dam is 57 degrees today, and cooler than that as you move downstream away from the dam. Unionville is 241cfs. The entire river from Riverton to Unionville and even below that is all in play and fishing well. Collinsville/Unionville and down was stocked in early October.
Blue Winged Olives (BWO's) #20-24 and Tan/Brown Caddis #16-18 are the two most common bugs out there right now. Iso's have been a very light hatch in October, they are usually much heavier, and they were great in September. You will also see some Winter/Summer Caddis in the early to mid mornings, and the occasional Giant October Caddis in the afternoon/evening. When they are not rising (a frequent occurence), nymphing has been a reliable producer. Smaller nymphs #18-22 and Junk Flies such as Eggs & Mops have all been producing at moments. Bigger Stonefly nymphs #8-10 can also be a good choice, especially in the mornings, but they can pull fish later in the day too. Also an excellent choice after a flow bump. Big Stoneflies also appeal to bigger trout- many of the absolute biggest wild browns I've caught have been on large Stoneflies in the #6-10 range.
Yellow in a streamer will often trigger fall trout- can be all yellow, or olive & yellow, brown & yellow, etc. Other good colors to try include olive, tan, white, and brown. Play with retrieves- start with a fast, aggressive presentation and then adjust depending upon the trout's reaction. This is a time of year to play with big streamers in the 4-6" range. You won't catch as many trout, but it ups your odds of landing a true trophy. For catching greater numbers of trout, 3-4" can be a sweet spot- big enough to interest a larger fish, but small enough that the 12-14" fish will still try to eat it. Smaller streamers and Wooly Buggers will bring a lot of trout to the net in the coming weeks. 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. Big trout consider them less of a threat and put up less of a chase.
The gauge at Falls Village is 456 CFS. The fishing on most of the Housy is fantastic right now, with big, aggressive, browns taking streamers and dries. Afternoons with low wind between 1-4 have seen great BWO hatches, with fish rising almost every 10 seconds in certain sections. Stocked trout are in the river as well, mostly rainbows. We spent the afternoon on Wednesday fishing a few spots below the covered bridge, and found a good mix of fish. If you are looking to make a trip and want the inside scoop, hit up Bob Strassel Jr. of Right On The Fly.
The current dam release is 185 CFS. The CFS at the Pineville gauge is currently 248 CFS as of 9:15 AM. Water temperature is 54 degrees Fahrenheit as of 9:15 AM.
UPPER SECTION
Angling success was described as “moderate” in the lower part, “slow” in the middle part, and “quiet” in the upper part of this section. The fish species reported were Chinook (King) Salmon in the lower and middle parts, and Steelhead within the lower and upper parts of this section. The fish were holding in pools within the lower and upper parts and were moving upriver in the middle part. The volume of anglers in the lower part was “moderate”, with the middle and upper parts described as “low”.
MIDDLE SECTION
Angling success was described as “quiet” in the lower and middle parts, and “slow” in the upper part of this section. The fish species reported were Brown Trout in the lower and middle parts, and Steelhead throughout this section. The fish were holding in pools throughout this section. Angler density in this section was described as “low” in the lower and middle parts, and “moderate” in the upper part of this section.
LOWER SECTION
Angling success was described as “slow” in the estuary and “moderate” just upriver in this section. The fish species reported were Chinook (King) Salmon and Steelhead throughout this section. The fish present were moving upriver throughout this section as well as holding in pools. Angler density in this section was “low”.
Catskills
The water levels have remained very steady lately with the upper West at 459 CFS and 51 degrees and down at Hale Eddy we have 689 CFS and 54 degrees.
The mainstem is in good shape and temps are safe, hopefully for the rest of the fall with 1730 CFS and 60 degrees at Lordville this morning. The lower half of the West and main have been fishing pretty well lately, as the upper West has quite a bit of algae this time of year.
We are seeing #18-24 Blue Winged Olives in the afternoons into dark as well as their small rusty spinners. There are some scattered #12 Isonychia and #14-16 summer Cahills too that are good to drum up some fish. Winged ants in #18-24 are good flies for fussy fish this time of year.
Dry-dropper fishing and nymphing is hard to beat for the majority of the day until you can hopefully find some bugs and fish working. The West has a pretty decent fall stain which will stick around for a few months and can be good for streamer fishing. Early mornings are a good time to run some streamers before the sun gets too high. It looks like mild temps this week with a bit of scattered rain but nothing to raise the rivers much.
CT Saltwater
The continued weather pattern has bass in a slight funk. They are around and still feeding, but just a bit tired of the blue sky, bright sun, north wind combo. A weather or big tide shake up should help fire them up, and thankfully, we have a full moon this weekend. Fall staples are still around, with peanut bunker, adult bunker, and silversides make up the majority of the bait. The Norwalk Islands and the river mouths from Greenwich to New Haven have all been relatively productive, as bass are intercepting moving bait balls. Keep moving and get out while you can, it will be winter before you know it.
