2010 July | JWFlyfishing

Summertime on the Farmington River.

Date: 7/20/10

Water Flow: 220 CFS

Visibility: clear

Water Temp: 60F a.m.

Water Condition: low-water

Access Point: upper TMA

Hatches (in order of importance): winter/summer caddis 20-22 a.m., Needhami duns 22-24 midmorning, Isonychia 10-14 p.m., midges 22-20 a.m.

Comments: The winter summer caddis hatch continues to be a spectacle during the a.m. hours. Many fish line up on soft water seams rising to take these tiny Pupae as they row along in the meniscus to the shoreline to finish their emergence on the rocks and logs near the edge of the river. I had one of my best days on the river this past weekend when this hatch came on at 6a.m. and started winding down at 11a.m., we caught trout on everything from foam pupae patterns to french nymphing small winter/summer caddis larvae patterns.

Needhami Duns are rolling off the water midmorning, their small spinners can drive fisherman nuts. Their small sizes make them very difficult to see on the water. The Duns however can be recognized flying in the air by their long sweeping tails.

Isonychia have been filling the skies in the evening hours. Trout like these tasty morsels and will move greater distances from their feeding lanes to swipe at this super sized evening hatcher. When these insects start coming off the water in good numbers I prefer to fish a CDC Iso emerger pattern then as darkness sets in I switch off to a larger Iso parachute pattern, which doubles as a big spinner pattern and I fish this into the darkness.

If you are fishing mid day I would suggest using terrestrials such as small ants, beetles, crickets, and hoppers. For all those fishing nymphs you can’t be beat fishing green caddis larvae 14-18 and Isonychia nymphs 10-14, with golden stone flies 6-12 rounding out the mix. Fishing on the Farmington River has gotten tougher forcing fishermen to take their tippet down to 7 or 8X when fishing smaller hatches such as winter summer caddis pupae and Needhami Spinners. Good luck on the river. Remember, if you’re fishing into the afternoon hours, bring plenty of water it has been scorching out there on the river after 10a.m.

Farmington Needhami, Breakfast of Champions!

: Needhami Dun

Date: 7/5/10

Water Flow: 250 CFS

Visibility: clear

Water Temp: 58F

Water Condition: good

Access Point: upper TMA

Hatches (in order of importance): a.m. Needhami Spinners size 22-24, winter/summer caddis size 18-22, p.m.Sulphurs size 16-20, Isonychia size 10-14, Cream Cahills 14-16, Rusty spinners 12-20.

Comments: Like clockwork the trout continue feeding on winter summer caddis in the mornings, with foam pupae patterns performing the best,and many trout coming to the net on small pupae patterns while nymphing. When the Needhami spinners hit the water in mid morning, trout boil to take them. You must look at the water closely to see these tiny spinners. The long tails are a dead giveaway. The key after recognizing these insects is to lighten your tippet size and accurately cast to feeding fish making sure your drifts are drag-free.

The evening Sulphur Hatch remains good with lots of Duns coming off the water and good numbers of fish feeding on them. I am having good luck fishing a Sulphur emerger as a dropper off of my dry fly. There are also Isonychia mixed in, with plenty of fish willing to strike at these big meaty flies. Gently tickling or twitching Isonychia patterns replicates their struggles to emerge. Trout will travel great distances and strike hard and fast at the commotion caused by these insects.

There have been some Cream Cahills sneaking into the mix of insects. I have observed several fish whom at first glance appeared to be taking Sulphurs, upon further investigation they were actually taking Cream Cahill spinners exclusively.

Spinners can reliably be seen overhead in the late evening sky. Their dark fluttering silhouettes drift by in the soon to be darkness in a vast array of sizes. Rusty spinners right before dark and before daybreak are still accounting for our bigger trout.

Happy Hunting!