Salmon Days

These are some of the best days of the fishing season, when the landlocked salmon run up river from the Connecticut Lakes, in preparation for their spawning period to come. The angling on the river has been good lately, and that combined with some beautiful fall days has made this an autumn to remember.

Spawning usually takes place in late October / early November, after the fishing season has ended, and we all know that salmon can be notoriously tight-lipped during spawning (they have other things on their mind other than feeding). Not so the case now however, as the salmon have been very active for quite a few fly fishermen that I’ve spoken with.

Nymphs are still producing best (Rubber Legs appear to be the fly right now, with an assortment of trailing flies off the back), but streamers are also netting some salmon too. Try an assortment of colors for your streamers, at varying depths and stripping speeds as well.

The flow in the Trophy Stretch was increased today to 195 CFS, due in large part to the 2+” of rain we received a couple of nights ago, and it looks like we’ll be getting more rain in the next week. This is all good news when it comes to drawing salmon upstream (they really like fast flowing water), especially in the pools below the junction with Perry Stream.

The No Kill stretch between Second Connecticut Lake and First Connecticut Lake is flowing at a modest 60 CFS or so at Second Lake Dam, but the heavy downpours swell the feeder streams in this stretch, so the dam flow can be misleading. The flow is actually better here, and there are salmon and wild brook trout to be had in places in this stretch.

The flow remains the same below Murphy Dam (262 CFS), and this is a good option to try to hook up with a “big one” before the season ends. It’s sadly only eleven days away now, and hopefully you can get out there one more time. I know I will.