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

Farmington River - CT

Fishing Outlook & Conditions

Water Temp:

45

Orvis Avon's Tip of the Week

The river has been freshly stocked from the Goodwin dam down to the start of the TMA as well as from the 219 Bridge down through Collinsville. Junk flies and small streamers will work for these freshly stocked fish but if you are looking for some higher quality wild/holdover fish they will be more pattern specific. Downsizing your flies/tippet and nymphing with small winter stones, pheasant tails, caddis larva, and small BWO nymphs will be good methods to target these fish that have been in the river for a while.

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Map of Farmington River

Water Flow Data

Orvis-Endorsed guides nearby

Antoine Bissieux

5-Day Outlook as of 3/17/25

As of today (3/17) the flow coming out of the Goodwin Dam in Riverton is 255cfs and the Still River is contributing an additional 745cfs making for a very high flow of right around 1000cfs in the TMA. Look for flows to drop pretty rapidly as the week goes on. Starting Wednesday the river will likely be around 500-600cfs in the Tma and most spots will be pretty wadable.

Techniques & Tips as of 3/17/25

Nymphing is your best bet with afternoons being most productive, just be sure to lighten up your rigs and use some 6x for most applications. Jigging small streamers on a tight-line setup is another effective method to target fish. As water temps start to increase over the course of the coming weeks some larger streamers will also be a good choice to target fish with. As far as dry fly activity is concerned, winter caddis are hatching early mornings and slower sections of the river such as Church pool and Greenwoods can be good spots to target some sporadic rising fish. Some trout will also be rising to early black stoneflies (#16-20) during the afternoons in the same slower moving water. Long range temps look to be pretty warm so very shortly we will be seeing some larger early BWOs (#16-18) hatching in the afternoons.

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):
CDC Caddis Black 20-22
Midge Black 22-26
Tunghead Stonefly Black 16-20
Bead Head Caddis Pupa Cream/Yellow 18-22
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

CDC Caddis

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Item #17X1

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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 Stoneflies Winter Caddis Midges BWOs

Best Time to Fish:

Afternoons

Best Stretch:

Riverton - Canton

Best Access:

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