CURRENT HATCHES Click on the insect images below for details.
Blue-Winged Olive Terrestrials: beetles, ants, hoppers, etc. Isonychia Flying Ant Photos by Thomas Ames, Jr. © Copyrighted images - Used by permission.
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Housatonic River Conditions Cornwall Bridge, Connecticut
Torrey on the roof checking weather conditions for the River Reports
Water Level
Water Temperature
Water Clarity
Release Schedule
Current Hatches
DRIES: SMALLMOUTH BASS:
The CT Saltwater Fishing License was signed into existence on July 1st, we can issue you one on our licensing machine, the cost for Residents is $10, not sure of the Non-Resident cost. Make sure you have one if you are a SW fishermen, or you will not be legal! check out our new ebay store - http://stores.ebay.com/newandusedfishingtackle_W0QQssPageNameZl2QQtZkm
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-Reddington Wayfarer Breathable Wader- This is a new addition for us, we did not carry a breathable wader in the under $200 category, and at $149, the general consensus of those in the 'biz is that this is the best performing & most durable one at that price point. So if you don't want to pony up $300-400 for a pair of Simms waders, now you have another viable option. Also make a great pair of back-up waders without breaking the bank. 4-layer breathable fabric construction with a 2nd 4-layer facing on the legs to reinforce the high wear areas. Ergonomically designed left & right neoprene feet, belt loops, flip-out pocket, and built-in gravel guards. A lot of wader for not a lot of money. -Simms Headwaters Chest/Hip & Sling Packs- New for 2009, these vest alternatives are crafted & designed with the usual Simms attention to detail. Both hold more than you would think, and there are all sorts of well placed & designed pockets. Ballistic fabric is used for durability in high-wear areas. The Sling Pack flips around behind you, out of your way (I really like that), and the Chest/Hip Pack can be used as a chest or fanny pack ("bum bag" as they say in the UK & Australia). And at $59.95 for the Sling & $79.95 for the Chest/Hip, they are uncharacteristically affordable for Simms, Lol. Very nicely executed, check 'em out. -Big Eye Sunglasses- Looking for some stylish polarized eyewear for under $30? You found it, we are now stocked with these good-looking, very affordable sunglasses, offering you eye protection & polarization at a price you can afford. Use as an inexpensiver primary pair, or as a back-up to keep in your car. Good polarized eyewear is an important & sometimes neglected piece of fishing equipment, for eye protection & seeing underwater- you can see the river bottom to wader better, and also see the fish (sometimes!) & the structure they may be holding near. I never fish in daylight without a pair of polarized glasses on. -New Lamson Guru & Velocity fly reels- the latest & greatest from them in the moderate to medium price categories. Both utilize a signature arm-style element on the frame combined with open spokes to minimize weight & maximize stuctural strength. At under $200, the Guru replaces the Radius, and in my opinion is a much better reel- good looking, lightweight, true large arbor, great drag, and with a clear type 2 finish. In the mid $200 range, move up to the new 2009 Velocity with a total redesign (now a true large arbor) & beautiful type 3 "Hard Alox" anodization (the aluminum surface is actually converted into aluminum oxide, making the most durable finish of any reel made). Both these series of reels share the unbelievable drag that Waterworks-Lamson is famous for, the same one that is in their top of the line $400 plus models. I LOVE these reels & personally own a bunch. -Hardy Marksman Drifter 11' #5 rod- Myself & guide Aaron both got to fish a prototype of this rod last August thru October, & we loved it. Finally available to the general public, this is one cool rod. Light in the hand, you would think you have a much shorter rod. Great action, just right- not to stiff, but not to soft. Davy Wotton recently got his hands on one of these (he just might be the best wet fly fisherman alive in the world), and he said it might be the nicest wet fly rod he's ever fished. This rod would be superb for nymphing, both Euro style & also with indicators, as well as make a fantastic wet fly rod. Come in the store and check it out, I think you will be impressed. This is going to be the next rod I personally purchase, I love it. -Ross Vexsis Reels- Ross's latest high tech introduction, this is one sweet reel, and it's made in the good 'ol USA. It uses a drag derived from the saltwater Momentum series, and then they added in ceramic for its compression/heat resistance- the result is an unbelievable drag system that performs flawlessly. It has a superb range from light to heavy and a smooth, linear progression as you increase the drag setting. Add to that a cosmetically beautiful design, a magnetic spool release (very cool), and the ability to change retrieve direction from left hand to right hand in about 1 second. I'm really impressed by this reel, the trout sizes retail in the mid $200 range, and all are machined. -Ross Airius Fly Reels- Another new Ross entry, trout sizes in this good-looking machined reel run around $200 mark. Features include a super smooth, multilevel disc delrin/teflon drag system, handsome spoked frame, sturdy/stable stainless spindle support shaft similar to the classic Gunnison, quick change left hand/right hand retrieve, and it's machined out of 6061-T6 aluminum alloy. For about $200, it's an excellent value in a high performance, lightweight, good looking reel. -10 foot Rods for Czech Nymphing by Greys- Check out (pun intended) the Streamflex series from Greys (a division of Hardy) in the 10' length- these $300 rods are perfect for Czech style nymphing. You don't have to spend $700 to get a nice 10' rod, the Streamflex are good looking with quality hardware, light in the hand, 4 pieces, come with a tube & an unconditional warrantee. Powerful butt sections with moderate tips make them the perfect action for Czech/Euro style nymphing- plenty of power to set the hook & play the fish, but enough cushion to protect your tippet and keep the hook from popping out. The 10 footers come in #3, #4, and #5 to a suit almost all nymphing needs, from light tippets/long leaders/small nymphs in shallow riffles up to pitching 2-3 heavy flies in fast pocket water. They also make superb rods for indicator nymphing, the extra length is great for casting, hook-setting, playing fish, mending & keeping fly line off the water.
-Climax Tippet Rings- Available & back in stock again, these are the bomb for rigging your leaders- gives you a quick & strong connection between your tippet & the leader. Connecting flouro to mono is no problem, nor is attaching radically dissimilar diameter lines. Putting new tippets on won't eat up your leader, so they last longer, and its quicker & easier to tie it on, saving you time, aggravation and keeps you fishing more and rigging less. Also these are fantastic for creating droppers, epecially on Czech nymphing and wet fly leaders- ask Torrey & he will show you how. Tippet rings are small enough to use on dry fly leaders(won't sink it), and are 20# test. Don't know how I lived without them all these years! Two thumbs up.
New Books: -Nymphs for Streams & Stillwaters, by Dave Hughes- I swear this guy never stops writing. Author of multiple books & editor of Fly Fishing & Fly Tying Journal, Dave has written a killer book of over 370 pages filled with effective nymphs & tying instructions. Well organized and with a plethora of great pictures, this is one truly beautiful book. Quite thorough, with the main 3 categories being searching nymphs for moving water, imitative nymphs for moving water, and nymphs for stillwaters. Within those categories it is subdivided into many more such as by different tying materials (fur, herl, wire, rubber legs, etc.), insect types, Czech nymphs, etc. Buried throughout the text are little pearls of wisdom involving both tying tips as well as fishing tips. He even has some sage advice on logically setting up your fly boxes to cover most of the bases. This is a really, really nice book that anyone who ties nymphs would benefit from having in their collection. -Caddisflies, a Guide to Eastern Species by Tom Ames- Wow! Tom did a superb job on this book, it's over an inch thick and 300+ pages. With his profession as a pro photographer, it is no surprise that the many photos are of the absolute highest quality, with tons of shots of the actual bugs as well as a lot of patterns to imitate them. He covers angling tradition, biology, habitat, presentation (both tackle & techniques), methods, the different types of Caddis, pattern recipes, hatch charts for the East, a table with habitat & behavior (by Caddis family), and other topics. Truly an exhaustive, thorough book that should take the mystery out of fishing Caddis patterns, helping you with the when, where, why & how. Should be in everyone's library, 5 stars. -Trout Flies for the 21st Century, by Dick Talleur- How many damn books is this guy gonna write? One of the most published authors on fly tying and regular columnist for American Angler & Fly Tyer magazines, he is a true expert & authority on the subject, and as an acquantance of his for 20+ years, I can personally vouch for his ability. This is a nicely photographed collection of over 200 flies that he feels represents the best of old & new. In many cases he has tweaked patterns to improve their effectiveness, durability or ease of tying. Spiral bound for use on the tying bench. I really like this book, 2 thumbs up. -Flyfishing Knots & Leader Systems- Author Dave Chermanski has over 50 flyfishing IGFA line class records and 450+ species landed on flies of his own design, so I guess you could say he knows something about leaders and knots, Lol. With his technical backround working as a scientist/engineer for Boeing and Rockwell International on the Space Shuttle program, he has the best the best discussion about monofilament & fluorocarbon that I have ever seen, truly interesting & informative. Very good knot tying pictures & instructions with all the info you need to select the appropriate ones for the task at hand. If you appreciate a technical approach to this area of fly fishing, you will like this book a lot, it is thorough and well done. -Flies, Ties, & Techniques, by Charles Jardine- Famous in the UK (he's their Lefty Kreh) and fairly well known in the USA, Jardine did a really nice job presenting some deadly looking flies in this book- some I guarantee you've never seen before, and some you have. The one nice piece that many other books of this nature miss is how, when & where to fish them, and this is all discussed in the book. Nice photos with pattern dressings, how to tie instructions/pictures, tactics to fish/present/rig the pattern, and finally the behavior of the natural(s) it imitates. 50 flies are presented, including lots of cool patterns of European origin including Czech & Polish style nymphs. He gives you a list of his 10 favorite & dealiest flies, and there is coverage of both river & stillwater patterns. A very interesting & cool book, I highly recommend it. -LaFontaine's Legacy-As some of you may know, I'm a huge Gary LaFontaine fan. He grew up in CT and eventually migrated to MT, as the trout obsessed tend to do. ALS/Lou Gehrig's Disease brought about his untimely demise in '02, but his collection of classic books & unusual flies lives on. This is a collection of patterns and information about them with pictures and tying instructions, the last batch of flies he didn't get a chance to write about before his death. Al & Gretchen Beatty were working with him at the end and they wrote the book he would of if he was still alive. If you like LaFontaine & his innovative, out-of-the-box approach to fly design, you have to add this book to your collection. Lots of great anecdotes and stories of success about the patterns presented in this volume. I consider this and all of his books to be must-haves, period. Not more of the same old, same, as many other books are. With patterns names such as a streamer called the "Drunken Sailor", how could you not get this book?? -A Fisherman's Bible for the Farmington River- Once again available after being sold out for a few months, many of you have been asking for this publication. Author Pete Chadziewicz is a CT native who has fished the Farmington since he was a kid. This all color book covers over 100 different spots, giving you access info (including GPS coordinates), rates fishing pressure & wadeability, shows deep spots/shallow spots, and has pictures of the spots with reference to the location & angle it was shot from. Several hatch/fly charts are included, as well as a fishing tip on almost every page. If you want to expand your knowledge of the river and places to fish, this is an excellent resource. -Czech Nymph- There's been an explosion of American interest in this short line nymphing technique that the Europeans (Czechs & Poles esp.) have been using to kick everyones' butts in International Fly Fishing Competition. This is the 1st book translated into English, and it covers all facets you need to know, and includes about 150 nymph patterns, tackle, tying the special flies/choosing hooks, leader construction (quite different than what we are used to), fishing techniques, strike detection, etc. If you wanna know all about Czech nymphing, this is THE book, period.
-Fly-Fishing Guide to Upper Delaware River, by Paul Weamer- This is the most thorough, well done and comprehensive book I've seen on the Delaware. Weamer is a former managing partner of Border Waters Outfitters fly shop on the river, and has also had articles in Fly Fisherman and other publications. He is a fly designer for Montana Fly Company, and best known for his Truform series of hatch matching patterns. This book covers the entire fishery- the Main Stem, East and West Branches. Access (difficult if you don't know it), hatches and fly patterns, seasons, places to stay and eat, fly shops and guide services, shuttle and river flow info, nymph/dry fly/wet fly/streamer/night fishing strategies, equipment, etc., it's all in there. It would be relatively easy to plan a successful trip using this book as a resource, and if you haven't been there the pictures will make you want to go! Excellent book.
Favorite Books: Bestsellers: -Drift- this highly acclaimed DVD was sponsored by Simms, Gore-Tex and others. It is a visually stunning production takes you around the globe to fish for all sorts of freshwater & saltwater species in beautiful, exotic locations. From trout on the Green, Frying Pan and Big Horn, to Spey casting for Steelhead on the Deschutes, exploring the rivers of Kashmir, India, to fishing the flats of the Bahamas and Belize. Shot on film and mastered in High Def, this is a unique DVD. Veteran Warren Miller cinematographer Chris Patterson's handiwork is evident in this film. I've personally heard nothing but good stuff about it from everyone who has viewed it. Come see what all the fuss is about. ************************************ *********************************** FRIDAY RIVER REPORT:
Please be respectful of private property below the catch & release area on the Housatonic just South of the fly shop. Between the cement bridge & the Appalachian Trail (the first 1.5 miles below the cement Rt 7/Rt 4 bridge), there are only 3 public access points in that section on the West side of the river, the rest is all private property in between them, whether or not it's posted. The 3 spots are: 1. immediately below the Cement Bridge, 2. immediately on the upstream side of Guinea Brook, and 3. the Appalachian Trail/Swift's Bridge parking area. Once you get in the river, you can walk up & down wherever you want, as long as you stay below the "normal" high water mark. DO NOT park on the grass & walk in, even if there are not any "No Trespassing" signs, as it is all private property, and some of the landowners are getting pretty unhappy with people parking on & trodding on their land. On the East side, you can walk along the railroad tracks. Above the Covered Bridge, in the upper part of the TMA, the best access is from the East side of the river. On Rt. 7, the only access is at the Elms- above that it is all private property, and the only road going down to the water is all private property.
If you like catching the rainbow trout we privately put in the Housy over the past 3 seasons - please come to the store and buy a raffle ticket or make a donation to support the stocking for 2009, it's expensive. And we put an additional 500 more in this Spring on 4/9/09 on top of our usual 1,000 (for a total of 1,500), so we will need even more funding than normal. Donations of any size are greatly appreciated, and will only help to improve the fishing & catching. We stocked $9,000 worth of fish this April- so we need your financial help. And who knows, if you purchase a raffle ticket you just might win a Sage rod, guided fishing trip, or a $1,000 store gift certificate.
Please keep your eyes out for poachers & fishermen engaging in illegal activity (spin fishing in "Fly Fishing Only" area, keeping trout in TMA, over limit outside of it, no license, etc.). It is important that you you call it in to the CT DEP at 1-800-842-HELP(4357). All calls are logged & recorded, and even if they cannot respond to it, they tally all the calls at the end of the year when deciding where to target or increase enforcement. Please call the violations in from YOUR cell phone, because if we call it in for you, they see yet another phone call from us & it looks like we are trying to stack the deck to get more CO's up here. The unfortunate reality is that there is a growing problem everywhere with people keeping anything & everything they catch- regardless of species, limits, seasons, C&R regulations, etc. The message needs to be sent to them that this is unacceptable & will not be tolerated. The CT Saltwater Fishing License was signed into existence on July 1st, we can issue you one on our licensing machine, the cost for Residents is $10, not sure of the Non-Resident cost. Make sure you have one if you are a SW fishermen, or you will not be legal!
Friday Fishing Report: We now have Hardy Uniqua reels in now, limited quantities in 3/4 & 5/6 sizes- we got a great deal on them & will be passing it on to you by running a sale on them at 50% off normal retail until we sell out. Call to reserve one. This reel is basically the old Orvis CFO with a disc drag, it's a proven & classic piece of timeless fishing equipment, with a traditional look to it & a standard arbor. After being sold out for a while, the Greys Streamflex 10' #3 rods are in, it's first come, first serve, so call the store if you want to reserve one, I expect them to sell out pretty fast. As we get fishable again, a lot of the trout will be tucked in near the banks, sometime within feet of the shoreline- look for the edges where the slow water meets the current & drift those seams with nymphs & streamers. Remember too that area small streams are all very fishable at the moment, and are a great Housy alternative. With the current long range forecast, it looks like we will be fishing for Housy trout well into July, and that's a nice bonus- that will help to make up for the recent weeks of fishing we lost to all the rain. Conditions for floating will be excellent as the water levels drop, and we have availability for those of you who are interested in doing a guided float with us, just give a call at 860-672-1010 to set a trip up, it should be really good. In fact the Housy fishes quite well when the Alder/Zebra Caddis are hatching and flows are up- the trout are on the banks & so are the Alders, so you can actually fish dries even though the flow is up. After this long break in fishing pressure (due to high/dirty water), as the water visibility increases (but still isn't overly clear), the trout will be feeding HEAVILY & very opportunistically as the flow becomes more reasonable, and the somewhat reduced visibility will allow you to approach the fish more closely & fish bigger flies/heavier tippets. Other than Alder/Zebra Caddis dries, think medium to large streamers & nymphs as the water drops, the good fishing may surprise you. Local tribs you should be fishing right now include the Blackberry River in Canaan/Norfolk, Shepaug River in Washington/Washington Depot/Roxbury, Furnace Brook in Cornwall Bridge and Macedonia Brook in Kent - these smaller streams and rivers fish best when they have a good flow of water in them - the fish are more opportunistic and less wary - they are all open to the public. Another great Summer fishing option that is immune to high or low water conditions would be hitting the local ponds or lakes for bass and the various other species in them, rain or no rain they fish just fine either way.
Overall this Spring, fishing was good to excellent for most anglers since about mid April, and some big browns & rainbows were caught and lost. Seems like all the fishermen were smiling this Spring- great hatches & great fishing, reminiscent of the 80's. There were plenty of rising trout, especially in the evenings- overall, this was one of the best Springs of fishing I've seen in my 24 years on the Housy. Evening hatches may include Cahills, Isonychia, Olives, Midges, and ALL varieties & sizes of Caddis. Look also for spinners on the water at dusk. Caddis often hatch mid/late mornings, and egg-lay in the evenings, Iso's- late afternoon until dusk, and Cahills in the evenings.
The DEP gave us permission to let a bunch of our rainbows go in the TMA - so hopefully this will protect them from the poachers that take so many of these trout ouside of the C&R area. It is a shame that these illegal fishermen are harming the potential of the fishery we have created below the TMA - but until DEP has the funds to get agents up here consistently - they will continue to abuse this resource. It is also unfortunate that some individuals who were against the stocking of the rainbows - placed comments on spin fishing sites telling individuals to come up and take these rainbows out of the Housatonic where we stocked them. But every cloud has a silver lining - because of this issue - I am now allowed to put more fish in the upper TMA to insure their survival.
We now have all the materials available to tie the infamous "Vladi Worm" for sale in the store (pink "latex" & pre-bent Daiichi 1870 hooks). Caught my 1st Housy trout of 2009 in February, a nice fat 17" Rainbow with beautiful color & perfect translucent fins.
We are trying to get the DEP to extend the TMA to include the section of the Housy from the Rt 7/Rt 4 Cornwall bridge down to at least North Kent, if not all the way down to the center of Kent. It's going to take a lot of angler support to accomplish this, the DEP has had mixed feeling about this in the past, but they seem to be starting to warm up to the idea. There is a trememdous amount of ideal trout water in that section, and it would be awesome to see it managed to it's potential.
Poachers have been active the past few seasons, both in & out of the TMA. They have been keeping fish in the TMA (esp. in Horse Hole) & spin fishing in the Fly Fishing Only section (esp. in Cellar Hole & the Park), as well as fishing down below the TMA without licenses and keeping more than their limit of fish. We need all of you to be proactive and call in violations, the DEP needs to receive calls from people other than us calling all the time from the shop. The TIPS (Turn in Poacher) hotline # is 1-800-842-4357, the last 4 digits spell out the word "HELP" in case you forget the number. And for the record, all calls made to the hotline are logged and they look at the data each year to see where they need to beef up enforcement. While they are way underfunded & understaffed in terms of Conservation Officers, they will make every effort to dispatch one if at all possible. Get as much info as possible- number of people, general description, vehicle & plate #. Take a pic of them & their car if possible with a digital camera or even cell phone. If we get some more of them nailed, the word will get out that you don't want to poach on the Housy. This is a problem we can all help to improve with a simple phone call.
A note on etiquette. In recent seasons, we are seeing more and more fishermen who crowd others and do not seem to be aware of proper etiquette. Nobody likes it when they have a big chunk of water to themselves and somebody steps in 20-30 feet away, and starts casting to the fish they are working on. When you approach a piece of water that another fisherman is occupying, ask yourself how far you would want someone to stay away if you were there first- try to stay at least a cast and a half away if possible. And DO NOT EVER throw to the same fish or water that another person is fishing, even if you can reach it. That is a HUGE no-no, do not be surprised if you get yelled at or get your ass kicked if you do that to someone- I'll have no sympathy for you. The Housy is a big river, and there is plenty of water for people to fish, even on a popular weekend. If the spot you want to fish is occupied, don't crowd that person, just go elsewhere. Believe me, there are TONS of fish (and big ones) all over the upper and lower TMA's, and outside of them also. Don't fish Corner Hole, Sand Hole, Cellar Hole, etc. on a busy Saturday at prime time and expect to have solitude- the easy access spots almost always hold the most fishermen. The Upper TMA is somewhere in the vicinity of 10 miles or so, and the lower one is about 2.5 miles, giving us all plenty of water to spread the pressure out in. Just make sure to practice courtesy and common sense, and treat other fishermen as you would like to be treated, and it will be a better experience for everyone. Housatonic River Outfitters- Donates more than 1% of Gross Sales to Environmental Causes, Youth Organizations,Women's Groups, Local Charities and other Non-profit agencies
Housatonic River Outfitters
E-Mail:hflyshop@aol.com
Orders/Info (860) 672-1010
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