Upper Connecticut River Fishing Report: 8/16

That’s an exceptionally beautiful Connecticut River brown trout, caught and released by TTL Fishing Guide Mickey Cunliffe (yes, even guides take the time to fish, every chance they get) last night. Mick was slinging around a ridiculously large articulated streamer and this brownie took it. He was right behind the drooping branches of a big tree – fish that structure, people!

We were delighted to find the water temperature at a cool 57 degrees last night, as perhaps the cool air temps that we’ve had the last few days helped a bit. Truth be told, the water is always cold coming out of Murphy Dam at Lake Francis, throughout the season, so it wasn’t all that surprising. Those cold water temps make this section of the Connecticut River productive even in the depths of summer, and it keeps the fish energetic as well.

The Trophy Stretch has been old reliable too lately, as many of our guests have had some good angling experiences out there this past week. The fish are there, but so are other anglers, so it can get busy at times. Rolling stones gather no moss as the saying goes, so keep moving around until you find that stretch of water or fly pattern that is productive for you. Be courteous and fish hard …

Flows below each dam are holding steady at the moment: 50 CFS below Second Lake Dam, 160 CFS below First Lake Dam, and 350 CFS below Murphy Dam. The draw down of Second Connecticut Lake is scheduled to begin in the next couple of weeks, so expect a bump in the flow in the No Kill Stretch. The draw down is done to accommodate lake trout spawning in the fall, as the intent is to take the lake level lower prior to the spawning activity of the lakers.

Flows will remain steady at the other two dams, depending on the weather. We’ve had a dry summer, so an exceptionally wet September would increase the flows in the Trophy Stretch and below Murphy. Flow increases generally help bring larger lake fish in to the Trophy Stretch (especially salmon), so while we’re not rooting for bad weather next month, some rain would probably help the fishing …

As far as the fishing goes, nymphs are still probably producing the best, with the most popular set up being a larger beadhead nymph up front with a lighter trail fly following up about 16″ behind. 5X leader and tippet is a good idea if you’re going this route. Stonefly nymphs (Yellow Stone, Black Stone, Prince, Pat’s Rubberlegs) could be good options up front with smaller offerings off the back (Zebra Midge, Soft Hackle Wet Flies, Jailbird, etc.).

Streamers can be pretty good right now, and aside from the monstrous specimen in the brown trout above, the best patterns tend to be the Soft Hackle Streamers in a variety of colors. White, Gray and Olive are the best producers here on the upper Connecticut, but the all Yellow and the Brown & Yellow Soft Hackle Streamers have their moments too. Take an assortment and switch until one works. Being at the right depth and fishing the right run might be more important in the streamer game.

Dries are also having their moments out there, in certain pools when conditions allow. A Yellow Stimulator can produce well at this time of the season, and even using a Hopper pattern (Morrish’s Hopper) while prospecting an area can produce some sudden, and exciting results. See that back eddy over there … cast in to it and twitch that hopper around and let’s see what happens.

Autumn is only a few weeks away and then we’re in to the home stretch of the fishing season. Time is a wastin’ – get up here before its over …