|
The West Branch of the Farmington River in northcentral
Connecticut is a tremendous tailwater fishery. Cold water
from the Colebrook and West Branch reservoirs help make
this river an excellent year-round trout fishery. It
is well stocked with brook, brown, and rainbow trout.
And you'll find good numbers of wild and holdover browns
and rainbows to 18-plus inches thriving in the cool waters.
The upper portion of the West Branch of the Farmington,
from the Hogback Dam to the Still River by Riverton,
is a beautiful piece of gin-clear water with deep,
flat pools broken up by classic riffles and runs. There
are good numbers of large fish. The water depth is
deceiving, due to its clarity, and fishing here could
surprisingly produce a lunker. Trout as large as 20-plus
inches have been caught here, and fish up to 15-plus
inches are caught reegularly. On the east side of the
river, Hogback and East River roads parallel the river,
so there are plenty of areas to park and walk down
to the water.
From the spot the Still River enters the West Branch
to a mile above the crossing of Route 318, the West
Branch develops more character. With the help of the
Still River, this piece of water has a better population
of mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies. |
|
 |
CLICK FOR MAP
|
Here the river widens and acquires more sediment from
the Still River which, in turn, provides more nutrients
for the invertabrates. Fishing on the West Branch, below
the Still River, usually is a little more productive
than the section above. It also has deep, mysterious
pools followed by charming pockets, riffles and runs.
Flowing through areas with overhanging hemlocks, this
section of river has exceptional pools and runs that
harbor impressive numbers of trout--many of which are
large. Here the West Branch can be accessed by East River
and West River roads, which parallel the river on both
sides. |
|
A mile above Route 318, at the crossing of a power wire,
marks the beginning of a trout
management area. The trout management area starts
at the power wire in Pleasant Valley and extends downriver
approximately four miles to the upriver side of the Route
219 bridge. This area is one of the more popular sections
of river. Holdover, wild and annually-stocked trout abound.
To entice anglers of all skill, this section offers many
large fish, as well as newly stocked fish. This part
of the river has very deep, slow pools, along with tumbling
runs and pocket water. For the most part, the river is
lined with trees that provide shade and, even at times
when the sun is high, good dry-fly fishing. This area
is accessible from Route 44 and Route 181, and other
secondary roads.
From Route 219 south to Collinsville, the river is
still a tremendous trout fishery. Here the river offers
anglers many areas of exceptional pocket water, runs
and pools. Large trout lurk in this section of river,
always raising the hopes of anglers' catching a real
trophy. The water remains relatively cool from the
cold water releases, although you should keep in mind
that the farther downstream you venture, the warmer
you'll find the water temperatures. The East Branch
of the Farmington enters the river here, just south
of New Hartford. Rainbows and browns hide throughout
this section, mostly in pockets created by rocks and
boulders. You can gain access to this part of the river
via Route 44 and the secondary roads that parallel
or cross its course. Below Collinsville, the river
begins to change to a warmwater fishery. The river
begins to slow. It is so distant from the coldwater
source that it cannot remain cool enough to support
the numbers of trout found north of this section. You'll
find a few trout here, but most anglers fish for bass,
panfish, and other warmwater species. The river turns
north at Farmington and eventually flows into the Connecticut
River.
Hatches on the West Branch of the Farmington are
excellent. Cold flows year round support good numbers
of mayflies, Ccaddisflies, and stoneflies. You'll find
fantastic early-season hatches from April to late May:
Early black stones, hendricksons, bluewinged olives,
and blue quills are a few of the earliest hatches.
Sulphurs, March Browns, and green drakes represent
some of the fantastic dry-fly action through May. Late
summer dry-fly fishing is best accomplished using extremely
light tippets and midges. You'll also find an abundance
of larger mayflies that also hatch on the river. A
good population of terrestrials, such as flying ants
and beetles, also can be found here during the summer
months. For fall fishing, olives and Isonycias usually
produce best. And fishing nymphs and streamers is always
productive.
The West Branch of the Farmington is a great river
that flows through beautiful Connecticut surroundings.
It offers anglers diverse water and great fishing opportunities.
Its flows are usually very consistent, so you can plan
your trip to this river well in advance. Why not take
a trip to northcentral Connecticut and give the West
Branch of the Farmington a try? Most anglers who are
new to this river are glad they did. |
|
|
