6/13/21:  Fishing on the Farmington update.

Went to the big boulder across from the campground around 4:00 Thursday.  Only one other fisherman there.  Lots of bugs hatching but hardly any rises.  By 5:30, after-work guys started showing up and now there were five of us on the same pool.  See ya.

Black bridge in New Hartford was packed so for yucks, I tried Ovation.  Only one guy there down in the picnic area but plenty crowded further upstream.  Sun going down.  A few rises here and there.  Then more and more.  Not just popcorn, these guys are gorging.  Gobs of yellow bugs (sulphurs?) are hatching.

I switched from elk hair caddis to a yellow sally and started hunting a repeating, sizable rise next to a rock. Slippery wading, tricky to put a fly on target without my line getting sucked into the current by the rock.  Despite hitting the spot several times he wouldn't go for it.  Meanwhile, fish are porpoising all over.  Fish on!  11 inch brown, quite the fighter.  Got another after about 20 minutes, much bigger.  Lengthy fight but as I was about to bring him to the net, the zinger locked up.  In the second or two I tried to figure that out, he slipped off my barbless hook.  

Stayed a while longer but darkness was nearly there.  Despite the feeding frenzy, I could not get another one to take my offerings.

Last night (Saturday) 75 degrees, a few clouds, 5:00. Sooo comfortable!  I'd planned on exploring further downstream from Satan's Kingdom than I normally go figuring there would be crowds of weekenders.  Did a quick check of the honeypot and was amazed, no one was there; no cars, no fisherman. Exploring will have to wait for another day.  Honey pot remained uncontested for the rest of the evening.  Moderate hatch of sulphur and caddis but only a scant few rises.  Sun was beginning to set but direct rays were shining at a low angle into the water. 

I cast a Hendrickson out to the head of a riffle.  A large brown charged after it, clearly visible in the sunlight cutting into the depths.  Violent strike.  It's rare that you get to see the fish coming but it's what I live for.  I set the hook and felt the hefty weight of him but in an instant, he was off and hurried back to a hiding place.  Bummer, that would have been a really nice fish.

Hatches getting heavier now, sun is down.  This is usually the magic hour and while there were some rises, not much action.  I put a sulphur emerger on a calm spot next to a large boulder and a 7 inch brown pounced on it.  Further downstream, nearly dark now, took one more brown but a it smaller.  Not much honey in the pot this night but it was a perfect summer night.