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

Farmington River - CT

Fishing Outlook & Conditions

Water Temp:

62

Orvis Avon's Tip of the Week

Fall is here which means the trout are getting ready to spawn in a couple weeks. Fishing large yellow streamers can be very productive right if you want to weed out a bunch of the smaller fish.

Directions open in app

Map of Farmington River

Water Flow Data

Orvis-Endorsed guides nearby

Antoine Bissieux

5-Day Outlook as of 9/25/26

Today (September 25th) the flow coming out of the dam in Riverton is normal/low at 160cfs and the Still river is adding an additional 15cfs making for a medium-low flow of 175cfs in the TMA. Expect flows to bump this weekend with the added rain incoming from this storm which will improve the streamer fishing.

Techniques & Tips as of 9/25/26

Fishing dries and nymphs are the two best ways to catch fish right now with streamers taking a little bit of a backseat with these lower flows but don't be afraid to mix up your techniques. Nymphing is good regardless of the time of day and there are plenty of ways to do it. Tightline nymphing is great but the dry-dropper fishing is excellent right now and you can still definitely run an indicator rig with plenty of success. With the flows being low and clear it's not a bad idea to downsize tippets to 6x for nymphs/dries unless you're throwing a larger fly like an Isonychia.

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):
Dave’s Oh-So-Iso Slate 10-14
CDC Caddis Olive/Tan 14-18
Indicator Spinner - Trico Black 22-24
Bead Head Brassie™ Black,Red,Olive 18-24
Quasimodo Pheasant Tail BROWN 16-20
Tungsten Twisted Tactical May Brown/Olive 16-20
Jig Sculpin Olive 10
Croston's Micro Sculpin Tan/Olive 12
Traditional nymphs(pheasant tails, princes) brown, olvie, white 16-22
BWO Nymphs Olive 16-20

Dave’s Oh-So-Iso

Dave's Oh-So-Iso pattern is the ultimate Iso imitation.

4.49

Item #26X9

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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:

Isonychia Caddis October Caddis BWO

Best Time to Fish:

Afternoons

Best Stretch:

Riverton - Canton

Best Access:

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