Lodging, Food etc. - UpCountry Sportfishing on the Farmington River

The Hatch Guide For New England Streams is a new book by Thomas Ames Jr. This is the first book of its kind to focus solely on insects from this area. Filled with great photography, this book is a must have.
available in paperback / $19.99

UpCountry Sportfishing
352 Main St/PO Box 70
Pine Meadow Ct. 06061

Phone:
(860) 379-1952

Email:
UpCountrySports@
Gmail.com

Pat Torrey is our resident Zen Master of nymph fishing. Here is a quick tip from his wisdom.

Blue Winged Olives and the Wet Fly

If you are the type of angler who is looking for a different kind of fall fishing experience, we at UpCountry just might have the answer for you: fish the fall Baetis with little Blue Winged Olive wets.

Almost every afternoon from mid October until the first week of December the Farmington River has a very consistent hatch of small Baetis mayflies, size 26-28. The extended time frame of the hatch allows the fish to get pretty familiar with this food source. Most anglers fish this hatch with standard dry fly and emerger patterns, which become less and less effective as time goes on.

As an alternative: try fishing the Baetis hatch below the surface with soft hackled wet fly imitations that are seldom used. To paraphrase the late Gary LaFontaine: if you want to catch more fish, fish when other fishermen don’t; fish where other fishermen don’t, and fish how other fishermen don’t.

Blue Wing Olive Wet
Hook:
Tiemco 100 or 2487

Body:
Olive brown fur or olive thread

Tail:
Blue dun wet hackle or brown zelon

Rib:
Gold wire (optional)

Hackle:
Blue dun wet hackle

A selection of Pat’s wet fly patterns are available at UpCountry.

You'll find Don Butler working behind the counter much of the time, but he also guides, ties flies, teaches classes and holds a record
83 months in a row
catching a trout on a dry fly on the Farmington River.

Lodging, Restaurants, Activities

Here are a few of the places to stay, places to eat and things to do while visiting the Farmington River. I am not the Chamber of Commerce so I will only list what I can recommend.

Austin F. Hawes State Campground, Barkhamsted Ct. 1-877-668-2267 The campground is located on the Farmington River just upriver from the Catch and Release area. It is routinely full on weekends through the end of summer so call ahead to make reservations if you wish to be assured a space. When making reservations via phone, tell the agent you wish to stay in Peoples State Forest to help them identify the campground

Pine Meadow House Bed & Breakfast, New Hartford Ct. 1-860-379-8745 Great accommodations just minutes from my store and the best fishing on the Farmington River. Owned by professional chef and nationally renowned fly-tier Paul Rossman, the Pine Meadow House provides great lodging and local knowledge of the area fishing.

Village Gateway Bed & Breakfast, Riverton Ct. 1-860-738-3900 Comfortable Elegance in the picturesque village of Riverton. Across the street from the Hitchcock Chair Factory and moments from some of the best fishing in New England. Great atmosphere with rates for both romantic getaways and solo fishermen looking for a good nights rest. Seasonal packages available throughout the year.

Manor House Bed & Breakfast, Norfolk Ct. 1-866-542-5690 Awake to the wonderful smells of bacon, homemade bread or muffins, French toast, waffles, blueberry or banana pancakes, served with pure local maple syrup, poached eggs with lemon-butter chive sauce, fresh fruit and juices. Centrally located between the Housatonic and Farmington Rivers, the Manor House provides four star accommodations and Fly Fishing Getaway packages using our guides. www.manorhouse-norfolk.com

Chapin Park Bed & Breakfast New Hartford CT. (860) 379-1075 Beautiful, historic home completely renovated on picturesque town green just across the street from UpCountry. Spacious rooms with private bathrooms and fireplaces. Rates include a full breakfast and packages are available year round to meet your needs. www.chapinparkbandb.com

Riverton Inn, Route 20, Riverton Ct. 1-860-379-8678 Nice place to stay with a loved one. Great lodging, top notch food, and wonderful service. Located within minutes of the Catch and Release area. Rates are more than reasonable. Weekends are often booked solid so call for reservations.

Hillside Motel, Route 44, Canton Ct. 1-860-693-4951 No frills place to lay your head and much better than sleeping in the car. Located within minutes of the store and the Catch and Release area. Usually has an open bed or two but call ahead to make sure.

Pine Meadow Delery, Route 44, New Hartford Ct. 1-860-379-7069 Conveniently located next to our store and the local liquor store. They make a great sandwich, plus you can grab a beer next door.

Chatterley's Restaurant, Route 44, Downtown New Hartford 1-860-379-2428 Nice friendly bar with plenty of Samuel Adams on tap. The best place to get a beer or have a nice meal in the area. Dinners and Appetizers are a bit pricey. Ask for the Light fare menu if you want to eat cheap and still eat well. They make great hot sandwiches for $6-7 with giant steak fries.

Log House Restaurant, Route 44, Barkhamsted. 1-860-379-8937 Standard American diner fare. Only place to get a 6am breakfast. Conveniently close to the campground for those early morning, I don't want soggy oatmeal breakfast trips.

Blue Sky Restaurant, Route 44, New Hartford. 1-860-379-0000 Located 1 mile from the store and even closer to the Catch & Release than we are, Blue Sky serves good food with an eclectic spin. Wonderful for open air dining. Take out available. Try the fried whole belly oysters....yum.

Cinerom Movieplex, Route 44, Winsted. 1-860-738-6501 One of the few independent movie houses, recently built, clean, and Dolby Digital surround sound. The Cinerom contains 8 theatres, usually showing mainstream cinema but occasionally has an art film or two.

Send mail to upcontrysports@gmail.com with questions or comments about this web site.