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Upper River

The upper river begins as the West Branch of the Farmington below Hogback Dam and flows downstream to the town of Riverton. From Hogback Dam to the town of Riverton, the West Branch retains a small and wild character. Due to the extremely cold water, most hatches in this section are not as heavy as those below Riverton, and they occur much later, in some cases a month behind the lower river. Hatches can occur on this section during the warmest times of the day, giving anglers an opportunity to stretch out their fishing time. Route 20 provides access to a road that parallels the river in this section. The summer is an ideal time to fish this area.

Middle Section

The middle section of the river starts in Riverton and ends in the town of Farmington—over 25 miles of excellent trout water. Because of its excellent hatches and trout habitat, this section receives most of the acclaim and most of the fishing pressure.

The upper Trout Management Area (TMA) starts one pool above the Pleasant Valley Bridge (Route 318) and continues down to the New Hartford Bridge (Route 219), a length of 3½ miles. Holdovers comprise 35 percent of the TMA's trout population and fish larger than 20 inches are not uncommon.

In Riverton, the Still River joins the Farmington, adding nutrients that increase the river’s productivity dramatically. Below Riverton to Pleasant Valley, the river flows through People’s State Forest, an area of pristine pine and hardwood forests. A road on each side of the river, with numerous turnouts all the way to Pleasant Valley, provides good access to this almost-wilderness section of Connecticut.

The Upper Trout Management Area (TMA). The upper TMA starts one pool above the Pleasant Valley bridge (Route 318) and continues down to the New Hartford bridge (Route 219) some 31/2 miles. The upper TMA is extremely popular, mostly because trout seem to rise there 365 days a year. Pools in the TMA, such as the Church Pool, the Boneyard, and Greenwoods, are long with deep sections that harbor large trout. Trout in the smooth flows of the quiet sections will rise all day long.

The upper TMA was established in 1988 with year-round catch-and-release regulations. According to Bill Hyatt, fisheries biologist with Connecticut’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), during good years the annual survival rate of brown and rainbow trout in the upper TMA is as high as 35 to 40 percent. Holdovers comprise 35 percent of the TMA’s trout population, and fish larger than 20 inches are not uncommon.

In recent years, survival rates have fallen off and catch rates are down in the popular upper TMA. Hyatt says the trout are migrating out of the TMA as a result of the increasing angling pressure.

The DEP has proposed decreasing the creel limit from five to two fish outside of the TMAs and increasing the minimum catchable size from the current 9 inches to 12 inches, 1 inch each year for 3 years beginning in 2002. This would make the sections of the river outside the TMAs more attractive and productive to visiting anglers and hopefully improve the quality of fishing in the whole upper river. Stocking numbers and sizes would also be increased, particularly outside the TMAs.

These regulations would encompass about 20 miles of river from Hogback Dam to below Collinsville. The TMAs will retain their existing regulations and remain open to all forms of angling including bait-fishing.

Below New Hartford, the river twists and turns with Route 44, which follows the river for much of the way to Canton. Along the way, the river leaves Route 44 briefly to lunge through Satan’s Kingdom, a gorge once home to desperadoes on the run. If you are looking to get away from the crowds, float or hike into Satan’s Kingdom and pick your spots. However, during the summer months, especially on weekends, Satan’s Kingdom is popular with tubers.

Just above Satan’s Kingdom, the East Branch of the Farmington flows out of Barkhamsted and Compensating reservoirs to join the West Branch to form the Farmington.

The Lower TMA. Just below Collinsville along Route 4, you will find the second TMA, characterized by large boulders and deep pools that hold some large trout. The lower TMA does not get the fishing pressure of the upper TMA because it is newer and the wading is tougher. This TMA is catch-and-release for part of the year, so check the current regulations when you get your license.

Insects usually hatch on this section of the river at least a week earlier than on the upper river. The enterprising angler can follow a hatch upstream.

The river flows through the town of Unionville, which has good fishing near the Route 177 bridge. From there the river flows toward the town of Farmington.

Lower Section

As the river leaves Farmington it turns north for about 20 miles, painting a huge blue U in the northern section of the state map. At Tariffville, the river turns east and flows to the Connecticut River at Windsor. The lower section is a large river better floated than waded. Smallmouth and largemouth bass and other warmwater species become predominant. The river is warmer here and trout seek out springs and other sources of cold water. You can find pockets of good trout fishing all the way to the confluence with the Connecticut River.

Some fish are stocked in the Tariffville Gorge and some of the tributaries have wild-trout populations. Fly-fishing pressure in this section is light, but a few large holdover brown trout have been rumored to call this section home. Shad runs in the spring can be heavy from the confluence with the Connecticut River to Rainbow Dam in Windsor.

Jeff Passante is author of The Housatonic River Fly Fishing Guide. He lives in Haddam, CT.

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