Hello Compleat Angler Friends! I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that we have a major nor'easter set to clobber much of the Sound this weekend. We are looking at sustained 25-35mph winds, with higher gusts possible, and more than a combined 3 inches of rain from Saturday into Sunday. Safe to say, it might be better to hunker down this weekend and tie some flies or prep for another trip. The good news is we believe this system should blow the fall fishing wide open. There is so much bait holding in our local waters that once this system moves through, striped bass will be fired up and will come in close to gorge themselves before making the long trip home.
Read on for more…
Connecticut
Local Rivers
Flows on the Saugatuck have dropped down to 63 CFS, which is lower than usual for this time of year. This weekend's rain should get flows back up, but obviously waiting until next week is a must. After a long, quiet summer, we've finally heard some reports of trout in the Saugatuck, mostly during the early mornings and late evenings. While water temps are improving, be conscious of targeting trout on warmer days. Hatches right now are Caddis and ISO's, as well as Sulfurs.
The Naugatuck is now at 116 CFS. Keep an eye on the calendar and the DEEP website as we approach October 1. Salmon will begin to be stocked in sections of the river. No reports lately of trout, but smallmouth and other species are being found in deeper water and on top during the evenings and early mornings.
Farmington River
This weekend brings some unsettled weather. Heavy winds and rain predicted. The rain accumulation shouldn't be enough to change the river level significantly. Instead this should usher in the fall streamer season by bringing a little brown color to the water and a small bump in water temperature
In September and October, the large brown trout in the Farmington begin to prepare for the spawn. Both the males and the females become territorially protective and will aggresively protect the area around where they intend to spawn from other trout and river denizens, making big streamers incredibly effective. Even though the bulk of the actual spawn tends to happen toward the last week of October/early November on the Farmington, the quality trout will chase and kill streamers for the next month and beyond, only slowing when water temperatures really dip in December.
Smaller streamers and Wooly Buggers 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. The big daddies and big mamas of the river consider them less of a threat and put up less of a chase.
One great technique for catching trout on streamers is to work upstream, making long casts to the bank, followed by a rapid stripping retrieve. Look for current breaks such as rocks, and features that protect trout from birds like overhanging branches & logs to cast around. Keep moving slowly upstream on foot, making just enough casts to cover an area thoroughly. Most of your strikes will come on the first couple of casts so don't spend too much time in one spot. Use polarized glasses to help see your streamer underwater and to see any trout chasing them down. If a trout chases but doesn't commit, immediately follow up with another cast. If that doesn't work and the fish is big enough, consider changing your streamer to get another chance.
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 in the first few hours of the day. 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 #18-24 & Hebe's/Yellow Quills #16-18 are hatching in the late afternoon & evening. Tan Caddis & October Caddis are increasing in numbers and are producing trout throughout the day, particularly on fast water.
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.
September often means using smaller nymphs in the #18-22 range- this can be the difference between a very slow outing and a banner day. Most nymphs are small to very small in late summer/early fall. A good strategy at our current flows is to use a heavier #16-18 nymph at the bottom of your rig, and a smaller lighter pattern on a dropper 18-24" above. On your top dropper, you can even use an unweighted fly, a brass bead nymph, or a soft hackle/wet fly if your anchor fly on point is heavy enough to get your rig down.
The Housatonic River at Falls Village is reading 309 CFS, which is slightly lower than where it has been. 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. This weather event shouldn't impact northern CT too much, so hopefully the fishing will improve from increased flows and a shake up of climate.
The CFS at the Pineville gauge is currently 220 CFS as of 8:15 AM this morning. Water temperature was 52 degrees Fahrenheit as of 6:00 AM In the Upper Section, angling success was described as “moderate” in the lower part, and “quiet” in the middle and upper parts. The fish species reported was Chinook (King) Salmon. The fish present were actively moving upriver throughout the section. Angler density in this section was described as “high” in the lower to middle parts, with no anglers present in the upper part.
In the Middle Section, angling success was described as “slow” in the lower and upper parts, and “moderate” in the middle part. The fish species reported was Chinook (King) Salmon. The fish present were holding in pools. Angler density in this section was described as “moderate”. In the Lower Section, angling success was described as “moderate” in the estuary and “good” just upriver. Fish species reported were Chinook (King) Salmon and Coho Salmon in the estuary, with Kings only just upriver. The fish present were actively moving upriver as well as holding in pools within the estuary, but hunkered down in pools just upriver. Angler density in this section was described as “low” in the estuary and “high” just upriver.
Catskills
The release from Cannonsville is 475 cfs. We’re coming off another cold night and the water temps are in great shape. All of the rivers in the system look good. Today looks sunny and we’ll have some wind to contend with. Small olive have made up most of the hatch but there are some Cahills 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.
Albies and Bonito are still being spotted out east, with some scattered reports of bonito further in the western sound, and a few albies in the mix as well. This coming storm will shut down the bite this weekend, and the hard winds run the risk of blowing all hard tails out to sea. There is a chance that it is early enough that if they do get scattered, they could come back later in the fall, or that the wind helps drive them further into the Western Sound. Still, prevailing sentiment suggests that your focus should turn to stripers and blues once this nor'easter passes. Again, bait is everywhere, and we believe this system should help charge up the bite. Next week looks clear, clean, and beautiful, so once things settled down, get ready for some action! We still have plenty of flies ready to go, so come in and stock up for the fall run!
