Tailwater · Mixed Metamorphic · Connecticut, US

Farmington River — West Branch

Still water on the Farmington River mirroring autumn foliage along wooded banks, Connecticut.
Today · About as good as it gets
Pheasant Tail Nymph (18-20)
Forecast · Today
About as good as it gets
On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
75% projected
Today's fly
Pheasant Tail Nymph (18-20)
Pheasant Tail Nymph (18-20)
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Falling
1.15 m
Dropping after lift
Water temp10.3°C
ClarityClearing
Weather9°C
WindN 21 km/h
Pressure1017 hPa
Rain · recent14.2 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
10°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°

A dam sets this river's temperature, not the weather, so it can shift several degrees within hours when the release changes. It also warms as it runs away from the dam.

How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is working for you, but insect activity is the limiting factor today.
Likely species
Mayflies
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 12:00

12:00(now) — Eastern Blue-Winged Olive

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 75%
Also:Black Midge56%
Peak emergence windowWeather boost5 food groups active

Peak activity at 12:00 — Eastern Blue-Winged Olive (Eastern Blue-Winged Olive, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Supporters see the full sub-surface read.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 as a supporter.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
SulphurHatch
2
3
2
Trico (Eastern)Hatch
2
3
3
2
Eastern Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Eastern Summer BWO (Drunella)Hatch
2
3
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Fly box · Brown Trout
Local fly shops: UpCountry Sportfishing
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Connecticut licence required
  • Permanent Trout Management Area and Wild Trout Management Area reaches have specific gear/harvest rules — verify current CT DEEP regulations.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 2
Farmington River — Lower (Tariffville)
22 km
83
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Housatonic River
31 km
85
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Still water on the Farmington River mirroring autumn foliage along wooded banks, Connecticut.
    Farmington River on October 18th
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Supporting
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Farmington River-05' (CT4300-00_05), 2022 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Fully Supporting. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · CT4300-00_05

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 75%
How the 82 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time70 × 13%9.1
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity40 × 12%4.8
Conditions total= 82
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts