CT Freshwater Report as of 10/01/2026

CT Freshwater Report as of 10/01/2026

Stephen Hogan's client Tomasz with a nice bow nymphed up recently. The fall colors on the Farmington are really starting to show! 

REMINDER: As of September 1st, the entire river from the Goodwin Dam in Riverton to the Rt. 177 bridge in Unionville is now catch and release only. 

The Farmington:

Fall has arrived with the colors on the trees as vibrant as ever, and the leaf hatch is in full swing. There has still been decent dry fly and nymph fishing for most anglers this week. Please be mindful when fishing this time of year of redds and spawning fish. I have already gotten reports of anglers spotting redds across the river. Do not walk on/below redds or target actively spawning trout. Flows remain at medium levels. The USGS gauge in Riverton reading 187 cfs, and the Still River USGS reads 51 cfs for a combined total flow around 238 cfs through the Permanent TMA. The HOBO unit in New Hartford is still currently under maintenance, meaning all readings are currently down until further notice. We will update as soon as this changes. 

Current Hatches:

Throughout the day you can see sporadic small caddis (#18-22) and Isonychia (#12-14). These become more prevalent into late afternoon/evening, along with Hebe's (#16-18) and Yellow Sally stones #14-18). Especially on days of cooler, cloudy weather, Blue Winged Olives (#22-26) have been on the menu as well. Small olives are a common bug hatching well into the late fall on the Farmington. October Caddis have also started to show up. These large, amber orange colored caddis are quite the sight to see (#8-12). For evening fishing, a great trick is to employ flies like a cream Usual, cream Spinner, or White Wulff in larger sizes (#8-14). They work well at fooling fish in those last few moments of daylight into darkness. Spinners in various sizes (#12-26) are important to have in your box, especially in the evening when various mayfly species return to mate and fall spent on the water. Don't leave too early, as some of the best dry fly fishing is right before full darkness. 

Below the Surface:

Nymphing has been slower, but still productive. In general, smaller nymphs are your best tools for success this time of year. An outlier to this is a large stonefly nymph (#8-12), which have been working well. Overall this is the time of year more generic patterns that cover lots of bases tend to be more successful than specific, hatch matching patterns. Just a handful of patterns can cover a wide subset of important bugs to imitate. Go-to's include Pheasant Tail/Frenchies #16-22, Walts Worms #16-22, and Perdigon style nymphs #18-22 in various body/bead colors. Higa's SOS in black or olive #18-20 is a current shop favorite small attractor nymph, along with #18-20 Egan's Rainbow Warrior's in pearl or black. Some whacky patterns with attractor elements can work very well when the bite window opens up. Junk flies are worth fishing, especially egg flies. Eggs will become very important to have on your rig through the next month or so. 

With trout in pre-spawn and showing aggression towards each other, streamers can also be productive. I suggest trying a large jig streamer or chucking articulated streamers in brighter, brown trout based colors such as yellows, tans, or whites. We are offering 15% off on all streamers in store only the rest of this week; come on by and stock up! 

Around CT

This is an excellent time of year for small streams and freestone rivers. Both native brook trout and wild browns in these rivers will mostly be in pre-spawn mode, as well as actively feeding on anything they can get their mouths on. Again, I have had anglers who prefer fishing these streams reporting sightings of redds. Do not walk on/below redds or target actively spawning trout. Fish in these systems not focused on the spawn will feed very opportunistically. Some streams may have some small hatches of various mayflies or caddis, but overall most will lack strong bug life. In these situations, prospecting with small streamer pattern can be very productive and a great way to approach these rivers. Junk flies, especially eggs, are worth fishing also. It is important to stay stealthy and try your best to approach each piece of water with a game plan so you spook less fish before you even make a cast. I strongly suggest if you're after the largest fish in the creek, focus on a small streamer pattern in various colors and cover as many likely pools as you can. I've caught some of the biggest trout in small river systems this time of year with this approach. 

Warm Water

October bass have put the feed bag on. Water temps are cooling, and the Smallmouth have shifted their focus on finding the best areas to concentrate baitfish and other prey. A variety of tactics work well in the fall. In general, I find baitfish are the main attraction. On cloudy days, poppers and gurgles work well. Overall though, streamer patterns fished on an intermediate or sinking line are the play. Try various sizes and colors, and mix up your retrieve styles. Areas with structure, such as log jams, boulders, transition lines, weed edges, and drop offs adjacent to cover, are high percentage holding spots. They are often tight to structure so getting your fly as close to structure as you can and keeping it there is important. Smallmouth love to hang in pods, so if you find one you may find a pile of them together. Smallmouth often regurgitate recently eaten prey when caught, which can help you clue in to their current feeding patterns and aid in your fly selection. 

If you're looking for a more technical, but very rewarding large fish to target this fall, carp are a great option. Carp have put the feed bag on as fall kicks into full gear. For many watersheds, the recent rains have raised water levels, allowing these fish to access feeding grounds not accessible since the spring. Sight fishing is the name of the game here, with success heavily relying on stealth and accurate presentations. You must have some sort of sight of the fish; at least enough to tell its positioning so you can accurately place your fly in front of it and "see" the take. The reward is encapsulated by a hard fought battle and a fish potentially in the 15-20lb range! We have a great selection of some specific carp flies, as well as great materials to tie some for yourself! 

Have further questions or need more advice/tips before your next outing? Please feel free to call or stop by the shop! We are more than happy to help you have success on your next fishing adventure! Tightlines! 

Location: 37 Greenwoods Rd, Unit 407, New Hartford, CT (4th Floor) 

Phone Number: (203) 343-0775

Fall Store Hours:

Monday - Sunday: 8AM - 5PM