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Northeast Fishing Report 6/13/2025
Hello Compleat Angler Friends! Local rivers and streams are slightly above average this week and are gradually dropping. Overall fishing has been a little slower on our local rivers, however some anglers are finding a few fish willing to cooperate on dry flies. The Farmington River has high flows but is still fishable if you use caution when wading. There are plenty of fish in the system, including some larger holdover trout. The Housatonic will be at fishable levels for this weekend. For hatches in Connecticut, you can expect Sulphurs, Light Cahill, Blue Winged Olives, Caddis, and Midges. The Delaware river will be high for wading but ideal for floating, and towards the evening anglers are finding fish on March Browns, Sulpurs, Light Cahills, Caddis, and soon Isonychia. On the saltwater, Striper fishing has been great along the Connecticut shoreline with the primary bait being Sand Eels and Bunker. All areas are holding fish, and both boat and wade fishing have been producing. Morning tides along the beaches, coves, and deeper water ledges will all be producing, and anglers are finding nice Bluefish on topwater.
Read on for more…
Connecticut
Local Rivers
Flows are back up above average on our local rivers and streams and are currently dropping back towards average. For example, the Saugatuck River is flowing at 90.4 CFS and flows will still be clear and easy for wading. For the primary mayfly hatches you will encounter Sulphurs and Light Cahill, with some Blue Winged Olives, Midges, and Tan/Olive Caddis. Dry fly fishing will be at its peak during the afternoon and into the evenings. Ant patterns will also be working. With the flows above average, a variety of nymphs will be working from larger and flashier to smaller and more imitative. The same can be said for streamers, and the streamers fishing will tend to be best during the morning. Anglers are finding some good fishing thanks to additional Spring Stocking. For dry fly fishing and nymphing we recommend a 9’ 5x-6x leader, while a stouter and shorter leader will be beneficial for streamer fishing. Trout will be spread out into a variety of water types, so we recommend fishing faster riffles along with the deeper and slower pools.
Dry Fly Hatches:
Blue Winged Olives (Overcast Days) 18-24
Adams Parachute (Attractor) 16-20
Nymphs:
General Mayfly Attractor 14-18
Streamers:
Krystal Bugger (Black, Chartreuse, Brown, Olive, White, Burnt Orange) 6-12
Naugatuck River
The Naugatuck River is flowing slightly below average, with the Beacon Falls reading 352 CFS. The Naugatuck has been stocked a few times since this Spring, so you will find some decent fishing. You will encounter similar hatches that were outlined on our local rivers and streams Nymphing will also be effective when there is no hatch activity, and using patterns suggested in our local rivers and streams report will work well. The Naugatuck is a good alternative to beat crowds.
Farmington River
Flows are above average on all sections the Farmington River, with the West Branch reading 549 CFS at Riverton, and the Still adding 150 CFS. While flows are high, conditions are still fishable with safe wading in most sections. While flows are high, trout will be pushed closer to the bank on the inside of the faster seams. Hatches mainly consist of tan/olive Caddis and Sulphurs, mainly in the afternoons and evenings. Yor may also encounter some March Browns, Midges, and now terrestrials are working well (Ants, Beetles). The mornings have been better for nymphing and streamer fishing, with a variety of patterns and colors working. For dry fly leaders we prefer a 9-12’ 5x-6x, and for nymphing a 9’ 5x-6x. Streamer fishing depends on the line; for sinking lines a short 5’ section of 10-15lb will work well while floating lines will require a longer 7.5-9’ leader in 10lb. The Farmington has plenty of fish from stockings and holdover Trout, and they will be spread out in a variety of water types. The more recently stocked fish will take a variety of patterns, while the holdover fish you will have to work for and use more imitative and smaller patterns.
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
Currently the Housatonic River is too high for wading due to last week’s rain, the Beacon Falls Guage is reading 1490 CFS. Flows are on the drop and will take time to settle back to fishable levels for wade anglers. When levels are safe again for wading (below 1000 CFS), there should be some great dry fly activity from the afternoon to the evenings with Tan/Olive Caddis, Hendricksons, Light Cahill, and Blue Winged Olives. We can expect to see some Sulphurs soon. Nymphing and streamer fishing will work well, especially during the morning when there is infrequent hatch activity. An addition hoppers and ant patterns will be working.
Dry Fly Hatches:
Blue Winged Olives (overcast days) 18-24
Blue Winged Olive Emerger 18-20
Hendrickson 12-14 (Sparse Hatches Still)
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
Saltwater
Larger Stripers and more numbers have taken residence along the Connecticut coastline, with fish still migrating through into deeper water locations. Around the coves, islands, and harbors there are also pods of Bunker with Stripers chasing them around, as well as schoolies off the beaches and in the salt ponds. There are some large Stripers patrolling our shoreline, so you have a shot at finding fish 40” and over. Sand Eels are also showing up near shore, so if you’re fishing along the beaches or on the flats, we recommend bringing some for the morning hours. Mornings and evenings with tide movement are your best bets for Schoolie action on the beachfronts, and some anglers are finding some good night fishing. Some larger Bluefish have also started to show up in numbers, and most of them can be found further east along the coastline and towards Middle Ground. With fish migrating through, it helps to cover ground as every day has been changing. Notable areas include Penfield Reef, Compo Beach, and along the Norwalk Islands.
Hot Flies for Spring:
Custom Tied Baby Bunker (Super Realistic!)
Bob’s Banger (Stripers and Bluefish)
Good Fly Lines for Spring:
Rio Outbound Short (Good for big flies and big winds)
Rio Striper (Good all-rounder)
Leaders:
Please report any poaching to the DEEP by calling 1-860-424-3333.
Catskills
Flows on the Delaware River are still high, with the Mainstem reading 3770 CFS at Lordville, and the West is reading 1720 CFS at Hale Eddy while the East is 1370 CFS at Fishs Eddy. Water temperatures on the Mainstem are fluctuating in the low 60s. Wading will be too difficult during these flows so you may opt to drift the river. During the afternoon and into the evening you will find Sulphurs, Cahill, Caddis, and now Isonychia. Anglers are finding some large trout willing to hit dry flies. Bringing a variety of flies and switching often will aid in your success to determine what they’re hitting. In addition, anglers are finding March Browns on some of the sections. Both streamers and nymphing have been working well during the morning, and current water temperatures will trout spread out into a variety of different water types.
Dry Fly Hatches:
Blue Winged Olives (overcast days) 18-24
Blue Winged Olive Emerger 18-20
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 Saltwater
Fishing has really heated up along the Southern Long Island shoreline and into Montauk, with Stripers and Bluefish chasing a variety of bait on the surface. It would be wise to bring some Squid Patterns, Sand Eels, and Bunker patterns with you. Focus on rocky beachfronts and areas with rips that will stack baitfish on a moving tide. On the Northshore near Smithtown, Sand Eels have shown up in good numbers with Stripers feeding on them along the shoreline. There are large Stripers in the deeper water spots. Some days they are hunkered on the bottom while other days they are pushing bait to the surface. It would help to bring both full sinking lines as well as intermediate or floating lines. We’re also seeing a lot of smaller Bluefish along the Northshore feeding on Sand Eels. Overall, the topwater action has been great this week along both the North and South shores of Long Island.
Rhode Island Saltwater
Sand Eels and Adult Bunker are the primary forage along the Rhode Island shoreline and on the deeper ledge structures. Larger Stripers can be found under the Bunkers pods on the mouth of the Providence River, and there will be action all along the shoreline and up into the Cape. Newport Bay is seeing an increase in quantity and size as more bait concentrates around the shoreline. Block Island has also been seeing Stripers 30” and over on topwater. Both wade and boat anglers have a good chance of running into blitzes along the beachfronts as Stripers migrate throughout the coastline. Anglers are also finding big Bluefish in the mix and willing to hit topwater. When fishing deeper water rips, it will be a good idea to bring squid flies paired with full sinking lines.