Housatonic River Key
River Report:
http://www.dryflies.com/reports-main.html
Water Flow Key:
There are the two gauging stations for the
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?01199000
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?01197500
Note, if you double this flow, you will have a rough estimate of what the flow will be in Cornwall Bridge TMA the next day.
Relating Water Flows to Fishing on the
These are all based the USGS stream flow
gauging station at
300 cubic feet per second and lower.
The river is extremely low at this point. All
of the spots are accessible. All of the pools can be fished easily.
Fish can be found in all the riffles. The more popular pools are
where you should focus your efforts. The fish have a tendency to
pool up in these spots. With that being said never pass up any the
little “in between” spots there could be some nice fish there.
There is also plenty of dry fly fishing at this level. When
the flows are low the
300-600 cubic feet per second
This is a great flow. Easy wading combined with more water can make for some great fishing. Like the lower flows, the water is still low enough to wade easily. The fish are still bunched up. Fishing can be fast paced when the trout are rounded up. The river is not low to the point where you will spook fish. You can find fish everywhere in this flow. If you are fishing on the weekends, it can get crowded. Look for fish to move around and disperse when the flow is at the upper range of these numbers. You can still have great dry fly fishing at these flows.
600-1,000 cubic feet per second
Awesome river flows. The river starts to pick up some color as the water volume increases. I think that this is where the river starts to fish at it’s best. There is more water and more spots to fish. You can catch fish anywhere. At these flows the drift boat becomes an option. You can start fishing streamers for the boat… lots of fun! I have caught many large trout in the Housy at these flows. When the flows start reaching 1,000 the trout start to take up feeding lies on the edges of current. Dry fly fishing can be good if the insects are in abundance. Look for rising fish in the tail outs and edges of pools.
1,000-1,600 cubic feet per second
These are my favorite flows. The river is higher than what most people like it to be. You can catch plenty of fish, if you can read the water. Look for fish to start seeking water that is a little slower. Fish the edges. The majority of the trout in these flows will be on the edges; you will find some fish out in the main current. Streamers are awesome in this flow. Fish are aggressive especially in the spring and fall at these flows. You can have the river almost to yourself when you have these higher flows. A trip down the river in the drift boat can pay off big! Dry fly fishing can be had in the slower tail outs of some of the major pools
1,600-2,000 cubic feet per second
This is where fishing out of the drift boat shines. You can get to the spots that you cant when you are wade fishing. Wade fishing can be dangerous at this level. If you are wade fishing in these flows fish all of the seams. Don’t wade in too far. You will spook fish. We have had some unforgettable days fishing streamers on these higher flows.
2,000 cubic feet per second and higher
You can have good fishing at these flows, provided that the water is going down. When the water is going down you have increasing visibility. You can catch lots of fish in these flows if you concentrate on fishing the edges of the current. Fish the more popular pools during these high flows. If the water is rising and getting dirty, you should stay home and tie flies, or go somewhere else. The fishing can be fantastic if the water is on a downtrend. I have had some good days with the flows over 2,500 cfs. However the water had been coming down for several days.