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

Before you step foot in the river take a water temp! Look for water temps below 68 degrees and ideally temps below 66, the colder the better for catch and release! The evening dry fly action has been okay but flows are lower and fish are still looking up to Isos, Caddis, Ants and large terrestrials even when there is not an active hatch going on.

Directions open in app

Map of Farmington River

Water Flow Data

Orvis-Endorsed guides nearby

Antoine Bissieux

5-Day Outlook as of 8/17/26

Today (August 17th) the flow coming out of the dam in Riverton is normal/low at 150cfs and the Still river is adding an additional 18cfs making for a medium-low flow of 168cfs in the TMA. Expect flows to stay consistent through the week.

Techniques & Tips as of 8/17/26

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
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

Dave’s Oh-So-Iso

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

4.49

Item #26X9

Buy Now

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 Tricos Caddis BWO Cahill

Best Time to Fish:

Afternoons

Best Stretch:

Riverton - Canton

Best Access:

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