CT Freshwater Report as of 3/14/2026

CT Freshwater Report as of 3/14/2026

The Farmington

Pictured here is Jim DeCesare with a nice high water brown. The West Branch Farmington in Riverton is 140 cfs with the Still thawed out and at 639 cfs for a combined flow of 779, a high but fishable flow. The river was blown out but it dropped fast. Temps this week are going to be in the mid 50’s with lows dipping to the 20s. Lots of rain as well so we will see another good bump of flows and most likely have any ice left knocked away. Keep in mind that the Farmington River from the dam to the Rt 177 bridge is now catch and release until April.

Capnia (small stones) hatching, trout love these. They are small (#14-16) and can be represented by thin black flies, trout love these. Some midges will hatch around the afternoon but for the most part it’s mayflies (#14-20). Bigger flies to use would be stoneflies or other junky type flies especially with the high flows. Streamers can still be productive this time of year but fish tend to slow down in the cold so you want to slow down your retrieves or even dead drift in some cases. Slowly jigging a fly with some movement can be a good technique. With that being said a larger faster presentation can still move fish

Trends this time of year typically last a little longer. Fly’s and water types can stay consistent week to week. So if you have something working keep doing it. Fish can be found in some slow deep runs. Look for the slower seams in medium-slow runs and pools. With fish looking for big meals don’t forget larger buggy flies like mops, squirmies, and flashy stuff. Bite windows are a real thing and don’t usually last for too long. Stay out there are fish hard until something happens.

Around CT

Bugs off the Farmington are about the same. On smaller freestone rivers there aren’t as many bugs as there are on the Farmington so fish feed more opportunistically. Don’t be afraid to go a little bigger in fly choice on the smaller rivers. With cold water, small stream fish tend to stack up in the deeper pools and at times can be tricky to find. Moving around the river is key to finding small stream fish in the winter. With all this rain and snow melt the streams are juiced with water and fish are moving around a bit.

Some of our smallmouth rivers are getting into the low 40’s and fishing will start to pick up in the coming weeks but will be slow until weather really warms up.

CT Stocking

The state has started its annual stocking! Some rivers stocked are the Pequabuck (RT 229 to 177), Mill River (Sleeping Giant SP), and Morgan Brook in Barkhamsted. Stocked trout are a great way to get into some fish and get some reps early in the season.

If you go out and have any questions, feel free to stop by the shop, we are more than happy to help you with whatever you need. As always, tight lines!

 

Location:139 Center St, Bristol CT, 06010

Number: (203) 343-0775

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