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Farmington Hatches and Tactics

Spring. As winter loses its hold on the Farmington, classic Eastern freestone hatches including Quill Gordons, Baetis, Paraleptophlebias, and Hendricksons make an appearance. The Hendrickson is by far the best hatch on the Farmington and gets the most attention from trout and anglers alike. Depending on the early-season weather, the Hendrickson hatch will start in the upper river from late April to the beginning of May. During the first week of the hatch, duns can cover the water during early spring afternoons; with so many duns on the water, the fishing can be tough. Hatches usually begin around 1 P.M. and last till 4 or 5 P.M.

Fran Betters' The Usual

I have had good success fishing #12-14 Sparkle Duns and #12 Rabbit’s-foot Emergers. For reasons known only to them, trout feeding on the surface during a Hendrickson hatch on this river attack the Usual, a pattern developed by Fran Betters.

If the trout ignore your dun imitations, they may be feeding on other insects hatching at the same time. Often, the trout will zero in on the emerging nymphs or the smaller Blue Quills (Paraleptophlebias) or blue-winged olives (Baetis vagans) that often hatch at the same time as the Hendrickson. If you suspect the trout are keying in on the smaller duns, try matching the smaller flies on the water.

A Hare’s-ear or Pheasant-tail Nymph fished just under the surface will mimic the emerging Hendrickson nymph. Fish the nymph as a trailer off the dun imitation. Before the hatch begins, dead-drift a #14 Beadhead Pheasant-tail Nymph along the bottom of the riffles to imitate the active Hendrickson nymphs.

Hendrickson spinner falls can be important, but they do not seem to be as consistent in the evenings as they are on the Farmington’s sister river, the Housatonic. Therefore, during Hendrickson time I engage in what I call the “daily double.” I fish the Hendrickson hatch on the Farmington during the afternoon and then take the 45-minute drive to the Housatonic for the evening spinner fall. When you hit both the hatch and the spinner fall on the nose, as I have done on numerous occasions, it will provide you with a day you will not soon forget.

Fran Betters' Usual (top) and more contemporary patterns like Dave Goulet's CDC Mayfly Dun imitation are excellent patterns to fool the Farmington's brown trout (above).

According to Dave Goulet, who knows as much about the Farmington hatches as anyone, after the Hendricksons a #28 caddis appears that has a fluorescent green body and dun wings. At the same time, a #14 caddis with a pinkish tan body also hatches in numbers large enough to provide good fishing. Finally, various #16-28 brown caddis are around all year. I have found that a general caddis imitation, such as a #16 Henryville, is a good searching pattern in the pocketwater during the spring and summer.

As May slips into June, the cream duns appear. The sulphurs, Cahills, and the Epeorus Vitreus, a summertime cousin of the Quill Gordon, provide good, reliable evening fishing from late May well through July, peaking in June.

The E. Vitreus dun hatches in profusion on the Farmington, and the hatches seem to be getting stronger in recent years. The duns hatch under water, perhaps on the streambed, and rise to the surface as fully emerged duns. The #14 insect is grayish cream with a distinct bit of orange at the thorax.

This is the time to fish those wet flies, such as the Partridge and Orange. I have had good success fishing a Usual tied with orange thread down and across stream. The trout will take the fly on the swing as it rises to the surface, so be prepared for hard strikes.

Sulphurs emerge as the water temperatures start to creep into the 60s (F). CDC Emergers and floating nymphs are excellent patterns during the sulfur hatches. Fishing soft hackles just before the hatch starts can also produce quite well. Sulphurs tend to hatch just as darkness comes on, so don’t leave early. A parachute-style fly on a #16 or #18 hook is my favorite imitation for the dun.

Summer. Due to the coldwater releases from Hogback Dam, the Farmington is the one river in Connecticut that fishes well in the summer. Midday water temperatures in July and August usually stay in the 60s. During the summer months, Tricos and their spinner falls in the morning become important.

If the morning spinner fall is less than spectacular, fish terrestrials. Letort Crickets, foam beetles, and small ant patterns usually work very well. During the summer months, I have had great success fishing the Letort Cricket with a small nymph as a trailer. The cricket attracts the trout, which will quite often take the nymph with a soft swirl. Fishing a small Black Ant (#20-28) to sippers is also one of my favorite summer tactics. During August and into September, flying ants periodically appear—always carry a few in your vest.

The Ephemerella needhami is another late-summer hatch imitated by #22-28 mayfly patterns with a chocolate-brown body and smoky-dun wings. A favorite local adult pattern is tied with a dark dun CDC wing, a chocolate-brown body, and a thread tail. According to Dave Goulet, the Farmington’s E. needhami seem to be much smaller than those found on other rivers, which may be caused by the Farmington’s cool water temperatures. E. needhami can appear on the water until September.

Fall. Fall brings on the tiny (#24-28) Blue-winged Olives. One local pattern partly developed by Dave Goulet at the Classic and Custom Fly Shop in New Hartford is called the Unicorn. Tie the Unicorn on a small hook (#22-28) with a thread body and thread tail. Attach a small cylinder (1/32 inch) of white foam at the wing position in a wide V.

The Unicorn floats on the wing with the back end of the fly submerged to give the appearance of an emerger. The Unicorn works best at the beginning of the hatch. As the hatch progresses, the trout will start to key in on the duns (imitated by a small BWO Parachute). Water levels are at their lowest in the fall and the fish will be shy. Careless presentations will send the trout to the bottom.

Winter. Caddis hatches are not as prolific on the Farmington as they are on some of the other rivers in Connecticut, probably due to the river’s colder water temperatures. However, the Farmington River’s trout clearly relish caddisflies when they can get them, and sometimes they are the only item available.

For example, the #18-20 black winter caddis Dolophilodes distinctus keeps the trout looking to the surface December through March. During those periods of the winter when open water exists, otherwise sane people outfitted in many layers of fleece and wearing thick neoprenes will cast to the super-selective sipping trout in the pools.

A popular local pattern for the winter caddis is tied on a curved hook with a foam wing, a turn of dun hackle, and a small dubbed head.

Another version of the winter caddis is amber and is in the #16-20 range. These wintertime caddis tend to wiggle across the surface—probably because it is too cold to do anything else. Fish your caddis patterns to imitate the behavior of the naturals, if your fingers will cooperate.

Midges hatch every month of the year, but are particularly important November through April. Griffith’s Gnats in #20-28 work well, as do various midge pupae patterns fished in the film. The most effective patterns are usually nothing more than thread and a bit of dubbing at the head.

Stonefly nymphs are always effective searching patterns on the Farmington. Size 10 Golden Stonefly Nymphs and large #6 black stonefly imitations fished on the bottom in the pocketwater stretches are always good strategies. These larger stones hatch at night, so the dry-fly opportunities are limited. However, the smaller Yellow Sallies can provide some summertime stonefly dry-fly fishing, as will the early black stoneflies that appear before the Hendricksons.

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

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