JT’s fly shop
Weekly report and newsletter
I
had an absolute truth in fly fishing a hatch painfully retaught to me last
Saturday evening. I made a quick little trip with a couple of friends to a
favorite section of a river we all fish. When we got to the spot there were
already rising fish and bugs in the air. As I normally do in this situation I
tied on a leader and watched for a few minutes. There were a few splashy rises
that I figured were fish taking one of the 3 different caddis. I then noticed
that there were a lot a sz 12 spinners in the air but high off the water. Most
likely remnant March brown spinner fall. I then noticed a fish closest to me
was gulping like it was taking some type of emerger. Well after 5 fly changes I
decided to move a little farther below the fish and try and net what it was
eating. There were some sz 18 sulphur spinners. Well by this time it was
getting dark and I had just enough time to tie on an imitation and make a few
casts on the third cast a nice 14” brown took the fly. That was the only fish
of the evening as I took too long to figure out what was happening and ran out
of light. I skipped the step of actually
looking at the water I just assumed what was in the flow instead of actually
looking. Remember to always look first and assume later. You will have much
more success fishing to trout concentrated on a hatch.
.
Report
Natchaug:
Flow is at 46 CFS (),
water clear
Water temps are 65 degrees in the Am rising to about 70 at 3
Pm.
Right now there are small tan caddis sz 18, pale evening duns
sz 14--16, BWO sz 18.-20 a few Sulphurs right at dark sz 16.
Willimantic:
flow is at 85 CFS (, water is clear
water temps are 65 in the morning rising to about 70 at 3 PM
some small midges,
small tan caddis sz 18, , pale evening duns sz 14--16, BWO sz 18.-20 a few Sulphurs
right at dark sz 16.
Mount Hope:
Flow is at 12 CFS , water is clear (I would skip fishing here
if possible)
Water temps are 66 am to about 72 PM
small tan caddis sz 18,
dark black caddis sz 18-20 , BWO sz 18.-20 and pale evening duns sz 16
Fenton:
Flow is at 14 CFS , water is clear ( like above I would try
someplace else)
Water temps 58 am to almost 63 in pm
Pale evening duns sz 16, tan caddis sz 18, gray caddis sz 18,
BWO sz 18, look for egg layers in the
afternoon.
Shetucket:
Flow is at 311 CFS )
Temps are 67to 72 flow is clearing
Should see some decent grey caddis sz 16 -18, BWO sz 18, tan
caddis 18
Note with water temps up look for smallmouth as well
Salmon:
Flow is at 50 CFS, flow is clear
Water temps are 67 in
the am going up to 73 in pm
there tan caddis sz 18, pale evening
What to use:
Streamers try muddlers sz 10-8 the sculpins are busy doing
there thing at first and last light. For nymphs try black hares ears sz
14-16, Riffle stones sz 8 fished dead drift as always will take fish as
will pheasant tails in sz 16-20. For pale
evening duns try a wet fly to begin then switch to a hen wing dry sz 14-16 For
the caddis hatch use a sparkle pupa fished in the surface film. For the BWO a
sz. 18 dry will work great. tan X caddis sz 16-18 BWO parachutes are working
really well also sz 18-20, for Sulphurs try parachute sz 16-20 imitates both
dun and emerger well.
Tight lines,
Steve’O