The Farmington River in northwest Connecticut is one of the finest trout fisheries in the Northeast, well worth the drive from Massachusetts. Cold, stable releases from the upstream reservoirs create a true tailwater that grows wild brown trout and fishes twelve months a year, with hatches as good as any river in the region.
The water
The upper river holds the coldest, most consistent flows and the famous catch-and-release Trout Management Areas, where wild browns thrive. The river offers a huge variety of water, from technical flats to boulder-strewn pocket water.
How to fish it
The Farmington is a hatch-matcher's river. Dry-fly fishing during its many hatches is superb, and nymphing and tight-line tactics produce all year. Fine tippets and good drifts pay off on these educated fish.
Tip Learn the Farmington's hatches, it is a river that rewards matching the bug. Carry a range of mayfly and caddis patterns and pay attention to what is on the water, because during a good hatch the dry-fly fishing is world class.