A decade ago, I lived in Rhode Island and used to fish that area of NE CT a lot, mostly for wintertime salmon. It's an awesome, underrated fishery. There is small clique of people that know about the great fly fishing there. While you're there, you may also consider the nearby Quinebaug River.
My friends introduced me to the Quinebaug almost 20 years ago. I consider it to be the sister river to the Housatonic. It has similar topography and structure. The caddis hatches there are legendary, especially the alder fly. The rivers banks are heavily wooded and provide great habitat for bugs. The river also has green and tan caddis hatches and various mayflies. The problem with the Quinebaug is access. We used to fish the stretch of river near the Hidden Acres campground, but I'm not sure if you can gain access there. Alternatively, on the other side of the river along Rt. 12 there is a state DOT parking (big orange plows). I think you can park there on the weekends and get in. The river gets warm in the summer, but does have holdover fish. It is also simply loaded with river smallies. My friend's best trout there was an 18in holdover brown and I caught several in the 14in range. The river used to be heavily stocked.
To be honest, the "Quinny" is about the same distance from my home as the Hous. Nowadays I usually choose the Housatonic, but I assure you the Quinebaug also possesses many treasures to behold.