Weekly report and newsletter

Over the next four or five weeks things in the bug/trout world will start to change. When the water begins to warm to high 50’s to 60’s the hatch times and concentrations of the hatches will move away from mid-day to morning and later afternoon. The number of different mayflies and caddis flies that will hatch grows the closer we get to the magic of the middle of June. The first of these mid late spring hatches is the march brown; it hatches from about 2 in the afternoon on. While not a blanket hatch they come off a few at a time for a good part of the afternoon. They are a solid size 12 with mottled tan/ brown wings and a tannish brown body. They are followed closely by the pale evening duns E. Vitreous these are a light olive yellow body fly with dun colored wings. They Like other Epeorus mayflies actually molt into an adult on the stream bottom and swim to the surface as a fully emerged adult. Swinging a sz 14 yellow soft hackle or a wet fly can be a very deadly technique for this hatch. They are followed by the first of the light cahill it is a sz 14 with a lighter tan body than the M. Ithaca which is a sz 12 and much closer to a yellow. Then come the Sulphurs E. Invaria, E. Dorothea, and E. Rotunda, the Rotunda is the first and largest of the three it is a sz 16 will begin about memorial day most years. It is followed by the Invaria a sz 18 and then the Dorothea a sz 18. Many days the duns will still be hatching when the spinners start to fall. There are several caddis mixed in most important of them is the American grannom     Brachycentrus it is a sz 14 tube case builder and unlike most caddis that will blast thru the surface film they actually ride the surface for a time so they are more available to be eaten easily by trout. Next week we will touch base on some methods to fish these hatches.

Report

Natchaug:

Flow is at  40 CFS (), water clear

Water temps are 62 degrees in the Am rising to about 66 at 3 Pm.

Right now there are small tan caddis sz 18, yellow sallies, mahogany quills(paraleps) sz. 18 , BWO sz 18.-20 and a few march browns sz 12-14

Willimantic:

flow is at 78 CFS (, water is clear

water temps are 57 in the morning rising to about 66 at 3 PM

 some small midges, small tan caddis sz 18, yellow sallies, mahogany quills(paraleps) sz. 18 , BWO sz 18.-20 and a few march browns sz 12-14

Mount Hope:

Flow is at 17 CFS , water is clear

Water temps are 56 am to about 62PM

 small tan caddis sz 18, yellow sallies, mahogany quills(paraleps) sz. 18 , BWO sz 18.-20 and a few march browns sz 12-14

Fenton:

Flow is at 9.8 CFS , water is clear

Water temps 58 am to almost 63 in pm

Paraleps sz. 18, BWO sz 18,  gray caddis, look for egg layers in the afternoon.

Shetucket:

Flow is at 271 CFS )

Temps are 58 to 67 flow is clearing

Should see some decent grey caddis sz 16 -18, BWO sz 18, tan caddis 18

Salmon:

Flow is at 68 CFS, flow is clear

Water temps are 58 in the am going up to 65 in pm

 there  tan caddis sz 18, paraleps sz 18.

What to use:

As always buggers sz 8-10 in black, olive or a thin mint will work well.  Streamers like 6-8 grey ghosts and black nose dace will work as well. Bow river buggers sz 6-8 will produce as well. For nymphs try black hares ears sz 14-16, Riffle stones sz 8 fished dead drift as always will take fish.  The mahogany duns use a small red quill sz.18 and a sz.18 rusty spinner. For the caddis hatch use a sparkle pupa fished in the surface film. For the BWO a sz. 18 dry will work great. March brown floating nymphs emergers are good sz 12, tan X caddis sz 16-18 BWO parachutes are working really well also sz 18-20

Shop droppings:

We have some nice used rods for sale 11’6” 6 wt. Two hander , Greys 9’ 4wt StreamFlex, TFO pro 9’6” 5wt. with prism reel and Airflo line. A couple of bamboo rods and several NEW Greys rods left 8’ 4wt, 8’6” 5 wt , 9’ 5wt , 9’ 6 wt in the GS 2 series, XF2 11’ 7wt, XF 2 6’6” 2wt, 9’ 8 and 9 wt. salt water rods. Stop in and check them out.

Tight lines,

Steve’O