It was brisk this morning at the Farmington.
As the sun crept up above the horizon, this grizzled rainbow said hello.
I think this is a brown trout parr? It sure had a great deal of energy for a little guy.
It was a double-digit day. Maybe a dozen or so? This 16″ brown was the best fish of all. Tremendous power.
Eggs are definitely in the water. I stomach-pumped one brown, and this is what came up.
Best flies: Walt’s and Sexy Walt’s variants. Also good, but not as much: a Caddis Emerger, a small Squirmy Wormy, and a small egg pattern about 1/4″ in diameter.
Hope everyone is having a good weekend.
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That is a salmon par. Look at the jaw length. It does not pass the eye. And as a side note, you really should not be stomach pumping trout in the Farmington right now. It's stressful enough for them in normal conditions, doing it now is just adding to their bad situation.
Duly noted. I try to be judicious. In this case:
– Water was 48 °F. Flow was higher than the past few months, with the Still River up
– Fish was 12"+ and very healthy looking
– I didn't empty its gut of food
Speaking of eggs, Its amazing to see the Rainbows at the Swift attack the spawning brookies nests. They were really hitting egg patterns hard yesterday.
Mike
Great G2, Mike!
I'm heading to the quaboag river for the first time tomorrow. Any recommendations on flies or location?
-Rich
Hi Rich, unfortunately, I personally don't know that river. Some things I would do if I hit a new river that is stocked:
– Look at Google Maps and look for bridges. Those are usual stocking points. Look also for signs of parking along those areas. That's a tell-tale sign that people are parking near spots that hold fish. They're usually dirt patches near the roads.
– Take the water temp. or check USGS gauges for nearby rivers: I'm guessing the water will be around 45 °F, meaning that the water is warm enough for actively feeding fish. Once the water gets really cold, the trout will shut down and move to very deep and slow water to conserve energy.
– Given that water temp. assumption, target first the riffles: areas around big rocks, bubble lines, etc. These areas are best done via tightline nymphing but you can use an indicator, too
– Really work that water thoroughly. Use the tried and true flies for this time of year: small eggs, PTs, HEs, SJWs. For the PTs and HEs, buy/tie them as small as you can, size 20 would be ideal, but size 18 could be fine. Midge larvae can also be good. In faster water, the fish will need to react quickly, and that's in your favor.
– If nothing, I may then wonder if there's not enough biomass in the water and fish then really are deep. Could be the tail out areas of pools. Then, I'd look for dark water that shows deep areas. Put on an indicator, ideally something sensitive like a NZ yarn one, and drift something very deep.
Good luck!
All great information! What is a SJW, and is a HE a Hendrickson?
Thank You very much!
Sorry! San Juan Worm, Hare's Ear. PT is a Pheasant's Tail.