CT Freshwater Report as of 7/3/2026

CT Freshwater Report as of 7/3/2026

The Farmington

Happy fourth weekend! The river got a bump and with the West Branch Farmington in Riverton is at 213 cfs with the Still at 16 cfs for a combined flow of 229 cfs. This weeked will be a hot one with afternoon thunderstorms. Have a thermometer on you when fishing. With the water is so low the lower river could warm up a bit too much downstream. Temps in New Hartford peaked at 69 yesterday. With the upcoming hot weather just be mindful when downstream. Here is the link to the hobo unit behind upcountry to check water temps as well: LI-COR Cloud

 

The sulphur hatch pretty much all upstream now, campground and up (#16-20). Have some in various shades of yellow (pale yellow, lime green, etc.). Iso’s have been hatching sporadically but pretty active in the afternoon/evenings and they’re nymph is fishing well too (#10-14). Try adding a little movement to the fly in the drift. Also, a few smaller BWO’s and their spinners have been in the mix especially on the cloudier rainy days (#18-24). The smaller the better. For nymphs think sulphur imitations (#18-20), and iso’s (#12-14). Lots of spinners in the evening (BWO and Sulphurs). Larger stones in the morning is also a productive bug right now.

The best fishing right now is the morning and the evening. With the low water and hot temps, mid day has not been great. Fish are currently in the faster water, as long as you have some relative depth you will find fish. Lots of takes on either a swung fly or as it is lifting out of the water. Try either one of those or both at the end of your drifts. Fish have moved into pretty summery water so start fishing the faster lies and runs. Morning stonefly bite is good as of late. Prospecting with Iso’s is a good thing to try all day. Terrestrials is a good option to blind fish right now. Lighten up your nymphs too, we have low flows.

Around CT

Please be mindful of water temps on small streams. Now is the time when they start to warm up so have a thermometer on you. With that being said, bugs off the Farmington are about the same. I’ve seen lots of sulphurs on my local rivers. On smaller freestone rivers there aren’t as many bugs (typically) 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. Dry dropper has been a great technique for the small stream as of late. Saty stealthy and try your best to approach from behind the fish.

Warm Water

Small mouth are in full swing. They are on frogs pretty good right now, fish them slower for smallmouth, they eat a lot better on a slow delicate retrieve. Mix in the “wigglies” which are just the insect like imitation’s, fish them slow with light movements. They will eat those pretty well. They are tight to structure so look for log jams or big rocky areas. Try to get your fly as close to structure as you can. We have some big flies from hooksetters in the shop.

Carp are also a hot fish right now to target. We have a good selection of some carpy flies as well as the materials you need to tie some up for yourself!

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: 37 Greenwoods Rd, New Hartford, CT

Number: (203) 343-0775

Hours:

Monday - Thursday                    8AM – 6PM

Friday – Saturday                        6:30AM – 6PM

Sunday                                            6:30AM – 5PM