Housatonic River - CT

• Blue Winged Olive

• 

  Sparkle Dun

• Elk Wing Caddis

• Flying Ant

• Stonefly Nymph

• Pheasant Tail Nymph

Bert Ouellette's Recommended Gear

• Best Leader:

  

  Super Strong Plus Leaders

• Best Tippet:

  

  SuperStrong Plus Tippet in 30- and 100-meter spools

• Best Fly Fishing Rod:

  

  5-Weight 9' Fly Rod

• Best Floating Fly Line:

  WF Trout Fly Line

• Best Sinking Fly Line:

  Bank Shot Sink Tip Fly Line

Description: About Housatonic River

The Housatonic River, or Housy as it is known by those that fish it regularly, is one of New Englands premier trout streams. The stretch that runs from the dam in Falls Village down to Housatonic State Park is of most interest to trout anglers; more specifically, the stretch that runs from Push em up Pool down to the park. This section runs just over 5 miles and is the area that is stocked with browns and rainbows twice per year. 9000 trout are stocked in the spring that average in size from 8 inches to 17 inches. In the Fall, another 9000 trout are stocked. Years ago the Housy was a pond and release river where flows fluctuated everyday because of down stream releases from the dam in Falls Village. This is no longer the case and the Housy is now a natural flow river. This is great news for the trout and for the anglers that fish for them. Good fishing can continue all day long and the trout are no longer limited to the deeper pools and are well spread out throughout in the entire river system. During the months of May, June, September, October and November the Housatonic produces some fantastic dry fly fishing with both Mayflies and Caddis flies. All the classic hatches are here! Hendricksons, Cahills, Sulfers, March browns, ISO’s, Blue winged olives, and blizzard caddis hatches. There are also hatches not present on other streams such as the Alder fly and Housatonic quill or White fly. At times you might find midges and stone flies as well. The Housatonic has been called a Western river misplaced in the East and that is an accurate description. When flows are above 500 Cubic Feet per Second (CFS) the river is effectively floated in drift boats. Floating the river gives anglers and guides the opportunity to fish less pressured areas and areas that are unreachable on foot. The streamer fishing can be outrageous and nymphing is the most reliable way to take trout consistently. A huge and often over looked feature of the Housy is its fantastic small mouth bass fishing. The bass fishing is excellent up in Mass and all the way down to New Milford, Connecticut. Fishing for the bass in a drift boat is a huge advantage simply because you can cover a lot more water. Despite the low flows of summer, there are sections that remain floatable, even when the water is down to 200 CFS. As an added bonus, there is a growing population of pike in the slower, deeper sections where downed trees line the banks. Pike up to 42 inches are caught on a regular basis for those that target them. In short, there is great fishing to be had on the Housatonic at anytime of year.

Nearest Airport:

BDL-Hartford Bradley International Airport

Hatches:

Best Time to Fish:

Morning

Best Stretch:

From two miles above the Covered Bridge down to Housatonic State Park in Cornwall Bridge.

Best Access:

Anywhere along Rte 7 from the park to the Covered Bridge and off the dirt road from the Covered Bridge up to Push em up pool.