Fishing Season: January 1 - December 31 (Prime: April 1 - November 1)

Farmington River - CT

Fishing Outlook & Conditions

Water Temp:

38

Orvis Avon's Tip of the Week

Runoff season is here and there is still plenty of snowmelt in the woods that will contribute to these early season higher flows. Be careful wading the river in these high cold water conditions. Nymphing slower current seams and staying close to the river banks are the best way to find fish right now in these high conditions. Cycle through different flies if you aren't catching fish and be patient, all it takes is a slight bump in water temp to get the fish feeding. Trout are still in early season mode which means most are holding in slower moving runs. You may find some fish sliding into faster water to fed when temps are at their highest but it will be a few weeks before we see trout consistently in the riffles.

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Map of Farmington River

Water Flow Data

Orvis-Endorsed guides nearby

Antoine Bissieux

5-Day Outlook as of 3/13/26

Today (March 13th) the flow coming out of the dam in Riverton is 157cfs and the Still river is adding an additional 860cfs making for a very high flow of 1017cfs in the TMA. Expect flows to stay high throughout the week and water temps to only slightly increase.

Techniques & Tips as of 3/13/26

Nymphing is consistent with small flies catching most of the fish. Some of the best patterns to fish right now are #18-22 midges, #18-20 egg flies, #16-20 early black stoneflies, and #16-20 pheasant tails. Small jig streamers are working well at times and some anglers are still catching nice fish on some larger articulated flies fished with a slightly slower retrieve. The dry fly fishing can be okay depending on the day, winter caddis will still hatch most mornings in even the nastiest weather for the dry fly purists. Midges will hatch many afternoons as well which can bring some nice trout to the surface along with early black/brown stoneflies that have recently started to hatch in pretty good numbers.

Local Species Available January 1 - December 31 (Prime: April 1 - November 1)

  • Fish Icon

    Trout

Orvis Avon's Recommended Fly Patterns

"Must-have" fly fishing patterns in descending order of importance:

Name: Colors: Size(s):
Indicator Parachute - Trico Black 22-24
CDC Caddis Olive/Tan 18-22
Midge Black 22-26
Bead Head Brassie™ Black,Red,Olive 18-24
Jig Sculpin Olive 10
Croston's Micro Sculpin Tan/Olive 12
Quasimodo Pheasant Tail BROWN 16-20
Tungsten Twisted Tactical May Brown/Olive 16-20
Traditional nymphs(pheasant tails, princes) brown, olvie, white 16-22
BWO Nymphs Olive 16-20

Indicator Parachute - Trico

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Item #11YC10

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Orvis Avon's Recommended Gear

Description: About Farmington River

The Farmington River is the premier trout fishery in the state. It is a bottom draw tailwater fishery that creates consistent water temperatures, water flows, and hatch activity. The river from Farmington to Riverton is the most consistent stretch. Down stream the river slows and becomes primarily a warm water fishery. The river is of moderate size. The bottom is consistently softball-sized cobble making wading fairly easy. Access is very good, many roads run along its banks through the best trout water. Encounters with large trout are most consistent within the trout management area. These fish are, however, difficult to catch due to consistent angling pressure. Accurate imitations and light tippets are typically required.

Nearest Airport:

Bradley International Airport

Hatches:

Early Black/Brown Stoneflies Winter Caddis Midges

Best Time to Fish:

Afternoons

Best Stretch:

Riverton - Canton

Best Access:

Beaver Pool, Hitchcock Chair, Campground pool, Church pool, Ovation,