June 23rd - River Report - 688 cfs and clear - 4 plus foot visibility - another nice cool morning and great weather for weekend - the fishing is just spectacular - I went fishing last night outside the TMA - landed some really nice holdovers - on yes “usuals” alder flies are starting- - going out again tonight looking for Hogzilla-. - - lots of birds and fish feeding in sand hole fish and cahills everywhere - we have caught so many fish - - fish rising in the early mornings - nice time to be up here - nice and cool this morning - nice day today - going fishing outside the tma tonight - what a late spring - it used to be like this every spring until about 3 years ago when it began to rain and didnt stop - a lot of big holdovers being caught - Best days I have seen on the Housatonic in 2 years - fish rising all day into the evening - fish rising now - clouds and sun - tons of fish rising in the sand hole and park - the Helgramites are showing their faces - the perfect dryfly day and lots of other bugs - rain tonight so get up here now and fish Tons of fish rising in the morning for 2 hours - the game is on. - lots of risers and fish rising at the moment - the hatches are on dodged a bullet last night and - no rain up north - woohoo - cahills, sulfurs, march browns, caddis and bwo’s - about time - I took some pics and video on facebook and instagram - fish feeding on top nicely - and with the nice weather for the weekend - woohoo "Dare to fish the Housy" Take a Day away from the petting zoo and come fish at river with natural flow - its a challenge but worth it - we missed the big rain was to the south of us - Guides did very well all week - so did the customers and a nice spinner fall - also Alder Flies will begin to get active - so big green nymph patterns the chartreuse mop fly will be a killer for the next 3 weeks should be better tonight and I will be out there again - they just stocked thousands more rainbow trout last Friday so tons of fish in the river - and 4 foot visibility and it looks like finally a good weekend of weather and river conditions - lowest its been in 3 months on a weekend - bugs are moving around March Browns, BWO's stoneflies and caddis - the guide trips are pulling out lots of fish - and the fish are concentrated and easy - they have not seen fishermen for months - get up here and fish - woohoo - . - some clouds but perfect fishing day - and looking forward to another nice weekend (so far) river is dropping and clearing seeing more and more bugs k. Places to fish sand hole corner hole the elms the abutments pushed up and rainbow run there are so many fish in the river. HOLDOVER TROUT IN A NATURALLY FLOWING RIVER -- I always like to explore the Shepaug River over near Washington Depot and Bee Brook - it is flowing well - nice and clear and this is a great time to be on the Shepaug - a truly beautiful river - also Macedonia and Furnace Brook are flowing at great levels - the Forsythia’s are in full bloom bright yellow - - Can’t sugar coat it anymore. It’s big - sometimes bad - but when it is on - it’s just on and with Natural Flows - unpredictable on a day to day basis - a truly challenging river - - and there are tons of bear sighting so spring is upon on us - we had a bear in our front yard last night - in like a lion out like a lamb - ticks are out so check yourselves make sure and fish the deeper runs - - they should fish nicely - - so if you want to come up and fish a river that is running naturally as it should in the spring with big holdovers (which you may or not catch) bring your favorite cigar, sunscreen, waders - warm socks and sense of humor and fish a river like it should be “Natural” without people lined up like a picket fence this is is big fish month

-Come on in and check out the new fly tying materials from Wapsi Fly. If you have a certain technique that you are having difficulty with; just bring in your fly tying vise and tools. - Then sit by the stove and we'll help you with any fly tying problems that you have.

For your eyes only ! We now have in stock - Cortland Line Co's Brand New TOP SECRET ULTRA PREMIUM FLOUROCARBON TIPPET MATERIAL !! - HRO TROUT FLY SALE!!! In the front section of the store we have a tremendous assortment of trout and bass flies on sale for ONLY $1.50 each !!! Refill your fly boxes with this is an amazing assortment of dry, wet & nymph fly patterns !!

Tune-up your fly vest by cleaning out the last year's leaders & tippet spools and replace them with fresh leaders & tippet spools for this year. Reorganize your flies into new boxes. Check your vest to see if you need more floatant, lead shot, strike indicators or tippet rings. If your fly line is becoming stiff or cracked it's time to change it. You can bring your fly reel into the shop and we can machine wind a new fly line with free backing !! If your favorite rod has broken guides, tip tops, missing hook keeper or needs new wraps.......Bring it down to the shop for repair.

Don't forget we offer a FULL ROD REPAIR SERVICE Bamboo, Graphite and Glass. - Reel Seat Replacement, Cork Grip Repairs, Guide Replacement, Rod Wrapping and Rod Finishing. - Repair or refinish your old favorite rods and fish them as if they are new again!!

Our Guides are Ready to Take You Wade or Drift Fishing!!! - Book your spring guided fishing trips now! We look forward to providing you with a great fishing experience for 2018. A BIG THANK YOU from all of our guides!

Don't forget we buy, sell or trade used and antique fishing equipment rods, reels, lines, duck and fish decoys, fishing lures, books, artwork, collectibles and tying materials/tools. If you are looking to trade in, sell, or are just scaling down as they say, bring your items in or take pictures and email them to us and we will happily purchase or offer a trade up. I have been purchasing and selling used and collectible items for over 25 years and our fishing/hunting library in the store is the finest and largest probably in the country. We will happily show you the value of your items and then offer trade-in or purchase prices. So give us a call (860-672-1010) or send and email (hflyshop@aol.com). We also purchase estates and will gladly come over to your house to assess the value of your collection and purchase the entire collection.

Since you're reading our river report, please consider purchasing your gear from us. We are happy to have the opportunity to match any deals out there you may come upon. Give us a call first and let us have the first chance. Thanks