stream conditions
05/17/2013
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Friday: Back to normal May weathe- weekend looks awesome- highs 65-70, no rain at all. Housy is a very wadeable & clear at 667cfs this morn, Caddis are still hatching well. Just starting to see a few March Browns, the nymphs have already been working well subsurface, and usually Sulfurs start up around the 20th or so. Our guide trips did well Thursday. Here is the deal with Housy Caddis hatches- think primarily subsurface with pupa during AM, and dries in eves when they come back to egg-lay. Some fat, colorful holdovers in the 18-20"+ range have mixed in with the 9,000 recently stocked 6-16" trout. Nymphing the faster water has been the most consistent tactic. We are still soliciting donations for our Spring HRO stocking of rainbows, we need about another $1,000- almost there! We DO NOT have a license machine, so purchase one online in advance. Please "Like" us on Facebook.05/16/2013
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Thursday: The cold weather is GONE, long range highs 60's-70's, night 40's-50's. Weekend looks awesome- highs 65-70, no rain at all. Housy is a very wadeable & clear at 750cfs this morn, Caddis are still hatching well. We should see March Browns any day, the nymphs have already been working well subsurface, and usually Sulfurs start up around the 20th or so. Many good fishing reports lately via a variety of methods & flies. Here is the deal with Housy Caddis hatches- think primarily subsurface with pupa during AM, and dries in eves when they come back to egg-lay. Some fat, colorful holdovers in the 18-20"+ range have mixed in with the 9,000 recently stocked 6-16" trout. Nymphing the faster water has been the most consistent tactic. We are still soliciting donations for our Spring HRO stocking of rainbows, we need about another $1,000- almost there! We DO NOT have a license machine, so purchase one online in advance. Please "Like" us on Facebook.05/15/2013
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Tuesday: Housy dropped & cleared fast, we are clear and low 800cfs this AM, a medium, wadeable flow. Caddis are still the dominant hatch, but we should see March Browns any day now, and a couple Sulfurs were spotted Sunday- they typically start up around the 20th. Joe Lamberti both landed & lost some nice trout on his float yesterday, they are going for pike today. Here is the deal with Housy Caddis hatches- think primarily subsurface with pupa during AM, and dries in eves when they come back to egg-lay. Some fat, colorful holdovers in the 18-20"+ range have mixed in with the 9,000 recently stocked 6-16" trout. Nymphing the faster water has been the most consistent tactic. We are still soliciting donations for our Spring HRO stocking of rainbows, we need about another $1,000- almost there! We DO NOT have a license machine, so purchase one online in advance. Please "Like" us on Facebook.05/13/2013
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Monnday: Flow has peaked.we are a little under 1,200cfs & will now start dropping (leaves popping out on trees will help suck up water). Clarity is about 2-2.5' & increasing. These are definitely fishable conditions, I'd personally call the flow upper end medium. Got back some nice fishing reports Sunday, with fish up to 18" landed. Cooler through Tuesday night, with lows in the 30's, back to normal by Wednesday. Caddis are the dominant hatch now- think subsurface with pupa during AM, and dries in eves when they come back to egg-lay. Some fat, colorful holdovers in the 18-20"+ range have mixed in with the 9,000 recently stocked 6-16" trout. Nymphing the faster water has been the most consistent tactic. We are still soliciting donations for our Spring HRO stocking of rainbows, we need about another $1,000- almost there! We DO NOT have a license machine, so purchase one online in advance. Please "Like" us on Facebook.05/12/2013
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Sunday: Happy Mother's Day! Mild & cloudy this AM, supposed to get sunny this afternoon. Quick 3/4" shot of rain Saturday afternoon bumped flow up a little bit, we are in the mid 900cfs range (medium level) as I write this, clarity was about 2-2.5' this morning (an improvement since last night). Fishing was good Saturday, but not many people were out. Typically Mother's Day is not very busy, so it's good one to sneak out for a few hours if you can. Caddis are the dominant hatch now- think subsurface with pupa during AM, and dries in eves when they come back to egg-lay. Some fat, colorful holdovers in the 18-20"+ range have mixed in with the 9,000 recently stocked 6-16" trout. Nymphing the faster water has been the most consistent tactic. We are still soliciting donations for our Spring HRO stocking of rainbows, we need about another $1,000- almost there! We DO NOT have a license machine, so purchase one online in advance. Please "Like" us on Facebook.05/11/2013
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Saturday: What a perfect morning for fishing-60 degrees & cloudy, Housy is under 800cfs, making it very wadeable. Caddis are very active during low light & mild weather like this, and I catch some of my biggest trout in the AM nymphing Caddis pupa. Look also for Olives on cloudy days like this. Had a good outing Thursday, landing numerous trout, including some really nice holdovers. Might see afternoon showers/light rain, but not enough to change the flow by very much at all. Caddis are the dominant hatch now- think subsurface with pupa during AM, and dries in eves when they come back to egg-lay. Some fat, colorful holdovers in the 18-20"+ range have mixed in with the 9,000 recently stocked trout. Nymphing has been the most consistent tactic. We are still soliciting donations for our Spring HRO stocking of rainbows, we need about another $1,000- almost there! We DO NOT have a license machine, so purchase one online in advance. Please "Like" us on Facebook.05/10/2013
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Friday: We didn't get the big rain others did, 3/4" here to be exact. Flow is still a medium and very fishable/wadeable at 688cfs this morn- you may see it come up a bit more, but we should stay under the "magic" 1,000cfs mark, and clarity is 2.5-3 feet this AM. Should be a great weekend to fish! I had good fishing Thursday, landing prob 30 or so trout on nymphs in a half day, lost/missed a bunch too, biggest I landed were a brown & bow close to 17", lost a couple bigger ones though. Caddis are the main hatch now- think subsurface with pupa during AM, and dries in eves when they come back to egg-lay. Some fat, colorful holdovers in the 18-20"+ range have mixed in with the 9,000 recently stocked trout. Nymphers has been the most consistent tactic. We are still soliciting donations for our Spring HRO stocking of rainbows, we need about another $1,000- almost there! We DO NOT have a license machine, so purchase one online in advance. Please "Like" us on Facebook.05/09/2013
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Thursday: Overcast weather is predicted for today, Look for Caddis hatches, they are more active in lower light levels. Currently the flow is at 591cfs from today's rain. Caddis are the main hatch now (although you may still see a few Hendrickson spinners in the eves)- think subsurface with pupa during AM emergence, and dries in evenings when they come back to egg-lay. Some fat, colorful holdovers in the 18-20"+ range have mixed in with the 9,000 recently stocked trout. Nymphers has been the most consistent tactic. We are still soliciting donations for our Spring HRO stocking of rainbows, we need about another $1,000- almost there! We DO NOT have a license machine, so please purchase one online in advance. Please "Like" us on Facebook.05/09/2013
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Thursday: Overcast weather is predicted for today, Look for Caddis hatches, they are more active in lower light levels. Flow is still an unusually wadeable medium-low mid 500cfs level, giving access to all of the river (normal for today's date per USGS would be 1,150cfs). Caddis are the main hatch now (although you may still see a few Hendrickson spinners in the eves)- think subsurface with pupa during AM emergence, and dries in evenings when they come back to egg-lay. Some fat, colorful holdovers in the 18-20"+ range have mixed in with the 9,000 recently stocked trout. Nymphers has been the most consistent tactic. We are still soliciting donations for our Spring HRO stocking of rainbows, we need about another $1,000- almost there! We DO NOT have a license machine, so please purchase one online in advance. Please "Like" us on Facebook.05/08/2013
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Thursday: Overcast weather is predicted for today, Look for Caddis hatches today, they are more active in lower light levels. Flow is still an unusually wadeable medium-low mid 500cfs level, giving access to all of the river (normal for today's date per USGS would be 1,150cfs). Caddis are the main hatch now (although you may still see a few Hendrickson spinners in the eves)- think subsurface with pupa during AM emergence, and dries in evenings when they come back to egg-lay. Some fat, colorful holdovers in the 18-20"+ range have mixed in with the 9,000 recently stocked trout. Nymphers has been the most consistent tactic. We are still soliciting donations for our Spring HRO stocking of rainbows, we need about another $1,000- almost there! We DO NOT have a license machine, so please purchase one online in advance. Please "Like" us on Facebook.
events
10/06/2013
Davy Wotton Midge & Wet Fly Clinic October 5th & 6th, 2013 9AM-5PM
Clinic will be two days- 1 of Midge fishing, and 1 of Wet Flies. Wotton is most famous for being the modern champion of Wet Fly fishing (he produced the "Wet Fly Ways" DVD), but he is equally passionate & skilled at Midge fishing. He just released 2 DVD's on the subject. Do not think that Midges mean only #26's fished on the surface. The way Davy does it includes a lot of subsurface fishing with patterns in #14-18 also, and the flies, rigging & techniques he uses will work on any trout stream in the world (midges hatch 12 months a year on 100% of trout streams). When it comes to Wet Flies, Davy is the undisputed champion, he is the most knowledgeable living Wet Fly man in the world, and the techniques he learned in Europe were developed over centuries of fishing for wild brown trout, so they work anywhere. Clinic is 2 days, 9A-5PM, includes lunch. Call 860-672-1010 to book a spot, cost is $300, paid in full in advance, no refunds- clinic runs rain or shine.10/05/2013
Davy Wotton Midge & Wet Fly Clinic October 5th & 6th, 2013 9AM-5PM
Clinic will be two days- 1 of Midge fishing, and 1 of Wet Flies. Wotton is most famous for being the modern champion of Wet Fly fishing (he produced the "Wet Fly Ways" DVD), but he is equally passionate & skilled at Midge fishing. He just released 2 DVD's on the subject. Do not think that Midges mean only #26's fished on the surface. The way Davy does it includes a lot of subsurface fishing with patterns in #14-18 also, and the flies, rigging & techniques he uses will work on any trout stream in the world (midges hatch 12 months a year on 100% of trout streams). When it comes to Wet Flies, Davy is the undisputed champion, he is the most knowledgeable living Wet Fly man in the world, and the techniques he learned in Europe were developed over centuries of fishing for wild brown trout, so they work anywhere. Clinic is 2 days, 9A-5PM, includes lunch. Call 860-672-1010 to book a spot, cost is $300, paid in full in advance, no refunds- clinic runs rain or shine.06/15/2013
Streamer Tying Clinic w/ Jim Plante, Sat. June 15, 2013, 10am-4pm
HRO Guide Jim Plante is a well-traveled fisherman who loves to teach fly fishing & fly tying, and he is also a signature fly designer for Rainy’s Flies (a purveyor of arguably some of the highest quality flies in the business). Check out his blog out his fly tying site at www.steelcanvas.blogspot.com as well as www.saltyriffle.blogspot.com Jim is a subsurface minded angler so he really loves nymphing but even more so, chucking big meaty streamers. Jim has a variety of patterns (mostly original) he uses to catch trout on different waters; local and non local. He will share some of these with you during this full day clinic. This clinic will focus on tying articulated and non-articulated streamers in different sizes. Show up with your vise, basic tools, assorted threads, and Jim will provide the materials & hooks. Please have at least basic tying skills. You will have an opportunity to pick Jim’s brain about how he approaches the waters when fishing streamers.05/19/2013
Davy Wotton Midge & Wet Fly Clinic 5/18 & 5/19, 2013
Clinic will be two days- 1 of Midge fishing, and 1 of Wet Flies. Wotton is most famous for being the modern champion of Wet Fly fishing (he produced the "Wet Fly Ways" DVD), but he is equally passionate & skilled at Midge fishing. He just released 2 DVD’s on the subject. Don’t think that Midges mean only #26's fished on the surface. The way Davy does it includes a lot of subsurface fishing with patterns in #14-18 also, and the flies, rigging & techniques he uses will work on any trout stream in the world (midges hatch 12 months a year on 100% of trout streams). When it comes to Wet Flies, Davy is the undisputed champion, he is the most knowledgeable living Wet Fly man in the world, and the techniques he learned in Europe were developed over centuries of fishing for wild brown trout, so they work anywhere. Clinic is 2 days, 9A-5PM, includes lunch. Call 860-672-1010 to book a spot, cost is $300, paid in full in advance, no refunds- clinic runs rain or shine.05/18/2013
Davy Wotton Midge & Wet Fly Clinic 5/18 & 5/19, 2013
Clinic will be two days- 1 of Midge fishing, and 1 of Wet Flies. Wotton is most famous for being the modern champion of Wet Fly fishing (he produced the "Wet Fly Ways" DVD), but he is equally passionate & skilled at Midge fishing. He just released 2 DVD’s on the subject. Don’t think that Midges mean only #26's fished on the surface. The way Davy does it includes a lot of subsurface fishing with patterns in #14-18 also, and the flies, rigging & techniques he uses will work on any trout stream in the world (midges hatch 12 months a year on 100% of trout streams). When it comes to Wet Flies, Davy is the undisputed champion, he is the most knowledgeable living Wet Fly man in the world, and the techniques he learned in Europe were developed over centuries of fishing for wild brown trout, so they work anywhere. Clinic is 2 days, 9A-5PM, includes lunch. Call 860-672-1010 to book a spot, cost is $300, paid in full in advance, no refunds- clinic runs rain or shine.05/04/2013
Aaron Jasper “Master” Nymphing Clinic 5/4/13 9AM-5PM
It’s been 5 years since Aaron guided for us, and in the interim he has produced 3 best-selling DVD’s on nymphing (2 Euro, 1 indicator), had dozens of articles published, and is currently writing a book on fly fishing for trout. He also guides, does many presentations, and is on Rio’s Advisory Team. His teaching career combined with 250 days a year fishing all over the world makes him a natural for instruction. Aaron is a trout-catching machine, one of the best I've ever seen. This “Master” nymphing clinic will cover the tight-line Euro methods, as well as indicator fishing. Aaron will cover rigging, fly selection, various presentations, strike detection, when to best use each technique, etc. There will be Power Points on both styles of fishing & he will show you how to build the appropriate leaders for both styles, and how to adjust them to the conditions. Clinic is $100 (plus tax), paid in advance, non-refundable, happens rain or shine. 8P max. Call 860-672-1010.04/27/2013
Aaron Jasper Indicator Nymphing Clinic 4/27/13 10AM-2PM
It’s been 5 years since Aaron has guided for us, and we are bringing him back this Spring. Since then, Aaron produced 3 best-selling DVD’s on nymphing (2 Euro, 1 indicator), had dozens of articles published, and is currently writing a book on fly fishing for trout. He also guides, does numerous seminars/clinics, and is on Rio’s advisory team. His teaching career combined with 250 days a year fishing all over the world makes him a natural for instruction. Aaron is a human trout-catching machine, one of the absolute best I’ve ever seen. Aaron will thoroughly discuss rigging, fly selection, indicator selection, casting/mending, strike detection, weight usage, hook-setting, etc. There will be a Power Point presentation, and he will show you how to build a simple leader & adjust it to the conditions. This clinic will advance your fish-catching by light years. Call 860-672-1010 to sign up, cost is $75 (+ tax), paid in advance, non-refundable, rain or shine, 8P limit.04/20/2013
Free Opening Day Pancake Breakfast Saturday 4/20/13
Will be holding our Free Annual HRO Opening Day Pancake Breakfast on April 20th, from about 7AM to around 10AM, all are welcome. There will be plenty of pancakes, bacon, eggs, sausages, donuts, coffee & OJ. We will also have the two big reps from area, Brad Gage & Justin Sterner, from about 10AM thru mid-afternoon. Between them they have all the best product lines: Simms, Sage, Waterworks-Lamson, Tibor, Winston, Redington, Rio, Sci Angler, Buff, Smith Optics, Umpqua, Ross, Wof Moon Nets, and Fishpond. They will have some of their product lines for you to play with and cast.04/13/2013
Free Housatonic Upper TMA/C&R Orientation w/ Torrey, Sat 4/13/13 at 10AM
Our most popular event every year, I'll once again be doing a driving tour of the Upper Housy TMA/C&R Section, covering from the Rt 7/Rt 4 concrete bridge all the way upstream to Push-Em-Up. Spring is FINALLY here, making this a great time to learn the river. Meet at the store, and then we will carpool from there. We will make multiple stops along the way, and you will be taught pool names, accesses, hatches, high water/low water spots, trout stocking/holdovers/wild trout info, seasonal changes, effective flies, history of the TMA & PCB's, etc. This is a flexible event where I encourage lots of questions. Bring a pad & pen so you can take notes, and also bring your gear so you can fish afterwards.03/23/2013
FREE Housatonic Bull's Bridge TMA/C&R area Orientation w/ Torrey, March 23 at 10AM
I'll be doing another FREE Housatonic Bull's Bridge TMA/C&R area Orientation (on Rt 7 about 15 miles South of our shop). Meet at the store, and then we will carpool from there- all are welcome to attend. This lower TMA gets very little fishing pressure overall, and holds some of the biggest trout in the Housatonic. It's a great option for those of you who live closer to this section, or want an escape from the more popular Upper C&R area by shop on crowded weekends when conditions and weather are a little too nice. Some of the access points require light hiking up to about a mile, so please be in reasonable physical shape and bring proper footwear. We will make multiple stops, and you will be taught pool names, accesses, hatches, high water/low water spots, trout stocking/holdovers/wild trout info, seasonal changes, effective flies, history of the TMA & PCB's, etc. This is a flexible event where I encourage lots of questions. Bring a pad & pen to take notes.03/16/2013
A-to-Z Streamer Clinic with HRO Head Guide Adam, Sat 3/16/13 at 9AM
Veteran HRO Head Guide Adam is the real deal, a local guy who eats, sleeps & breathes fishing and guiding. Come join him for a 5-6 hour clinic covering the A- Z of streamer fishing. Part of the clinic will be an indoor power point presentation covering flies, holding lies and leader construction for both large rivers and small streams. The second half will be streamside where he will cover stream approach, body positioning, casting and fishing techniques. You will walk away from this clinic with the knowledge and confidence to catch fish on streamers in various condition on any river, big or small. He will show he consistently get his clients into fish. Learn how to read the water and adapt to the conditions. Benefit from his years of experience, he truly is a student of the sport and loves to teach it to others. Clinic cost will be $75, paid in advance, non-refundable, rain or shine. Call the shop at 860-672-1010 to book a spot. Date is 3/16/3 at 9AM.03/09/2013
Free Housatonic Upper TMA/C&R Orientation w/ Torrey, Sat 3/9/13 at 10AM
Our most popular event every year, I'll once again be doing a driving tour of the Upper Housy TMA/C&R Section, covering from the Rt 7/Rt 4 concrete bridge all the way upstream to Push-Em-Up. Meet at the store, and then we will carpool from there. We will make multiple stops along the way, and you will be taught pool names, accesses, hatches, high water/low water spots, trout stocking/holdovers/wild trout info, seasonal changes, effective flies, history of the TMA & PCB's, etc. This is a flexible event where I encourage lots of questions. Bring a pad & pen so you can take notes, and also bring your gear so you can fish afterwards.02/23/2013
Free Tying Housy Caddis Class w/ Torrey...
I’ve been fishing the Housatonic River for a long time now, going on almost 28 years this season. As you might imagine, I’ve found some favorite flies over the years that I find work great on the Housy & elsewhere too. The Housy is a Caddis river for sure, and they are a quite common bug in most trout streams I’ve fished. I’ll show you some patterns that I’ve found to be pretty deadly, from larva to pupa to dries. I catch some of my biggest trout at Caddis time, it gets the trout (especially the big ones that usually are only catchable on big streamers) in a feeding frenzy. This clinic should up your score on trout this Spring. Show up with your vise, basic tools, and some assorted threads, and I will provide the materials & hooks. Please have at least basic tying skills. You will also have a great opportunity to pick my brain about how I approach Caddis hatches on the Housy and elsewhere. -Torrey02/16/2013
Free Tying Housy Mayfly Patterns Class w/ Jim Plante, Sat. 2/16/13 at 10AM
HRO Guide Jim Plante is a well-traveled fisherman who loves to teach fly fishing & fly tying, and he is also a signature fly designer for Rainy’s Flies (a purveyor of arguably some of the highest quality flies in the business). Check out his blog at www.saltyriffle.blogspot.com, and also his fly tying site at www.steelcanvas.blogspot.com. Jim has a variety of patterns (mostly original) he uses to catch Housatonic trout in the Spring, and he will share some of these with you, both subsurface as well as dries/emergers. This class will help make sure you have the right stuff to match the hatches in Spring of ’13. Show up with your vise, basic tools, and some assorted threads, and Jim will provide the materials & hooks. Please have at least basic tying skills. You will also have a great opportunity to pick Jim’s brain about how he approaches Spring hatches on the Housy and elsewhere.02/09/2013
Free Tying Basic Pike Flies Class w/ Keith Godfrey, Sat. 2/9/13 10AM
Those of you who were on our HRO FaceBook page in 2012 are probably familiar with our guide Keith, we’ve posted numerous pictures of him, his clients, and his pretty girlfriend holding up some impressive Housy pike (some over 40”). Keith is probably the most dialed in of all our guides at catching Housy pike on flies, and this class will focus on some basic pike patterns that a tyer of average abilities can make. Show up with your vise, basic tools, and some assorted heavy threads, and Keith will provide the materials & hooks. Please have at least basic tying skills. This is a great opportunity to also pick his brain about his approach to pike on the fly. Keith is an accomplished tyer, you will definitely learn some good stuff.
Thomas Ames' River Journal
Signed copies of Thomas Ames Jr.'s "Hatch Guide For New England Streams" are available at Housatonic River Outfitters!click here to read more:
The Hendricksons
Spring Caddis
March Brown
Summer Drakes
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