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Housatonic River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

New England's broad-shouldered trout river: the Housatonic's TMA pools swing browns and smallmouth beneath covered-bridge Connecticut.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
631 cfs
Air / High
77 / 78 F
Wind
NW 9 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 01200500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Housatonic River rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. The river is running 631 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind NW around 9 mph, rising pressure near 1010 hPa and a high of 78. Water sits around 54 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutGood

Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown troutGood

Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 73 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Housatonic River at Gaylordsville.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 01200500.

6461,2231,799631 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp77 F
High / Low78 / 65 F
WindNW 9-17 mph
Pressure1009.7 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain7% cloud, 50%
Sunrise / Sunset06:23 / 19:22
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~54 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Rain, 78/65 F, wind 11 mph, rain 50%

Fair or better. Cloud and a rain chance can stretch the morning bite well past breakfast: keep moving baits tied on.

Species guide

The species that matter on Housatonic River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Best: Sep-Nov

Wary, predatory and nocturnal by preference. The big ones eat streamers. Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

When to come: the Housatonic River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 54 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~54 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Housatonic River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 80 F, wind to 7 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 68 F, wind to 8 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 76 F, wind to 10 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Connecticut requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Connecticut license. TMA: year-round C&R, gear rules; thermal refuges closed in summer heat: check DEEP.

Access

Route 7 pull-offs throughout the TMA: covered bridge (West Cornwall), Push'em Falls, Housatonic Meadows SP.

About this water

The Litchfield County freestone, CT. New England's big-water trout-and-smallmouth classic.

Fishing Housatonic River: the full guide

The big freestone of the Berkshire foothills

The Housatonic runs wide and boulder-broken through Litchfield County: New England's closest thing to a western river. The Trout Management Area (Cornwall's covered bridge down through the traditional pools) holds browns and rainbows on a year-round catch-and-release basis: with a summer smallmouth fishery so good the trout anglers barely mourn the warm months.

Hatches of the Housatonic

Spring: Hendricksons (the river's storied hatch: late April's dry-fly festival), then March Browns and caddis. Early summer: sulphurs and the evening spinner falls. When July warms the TMA past trout comfort (thermal refuges are closed and marked: respect them), the smallmouth take the same pools: poppers and streamers until October cools the trout back in.

Reading the big pools

The named water (Push'em Falls, the Elms, Carse Pool) fishes like western runs: wade the edges, swing wets across the tailouts, nymph the boulder seams. High water floats well (canoe liveries run it): low summer flows expose the ledges and concentrate everything: the river rewards moving between pools more than camping one.

Rules and rhythms

The TMA runs catch-and-release year-round with fly-and-lure rules: confirm current CT DEEP boundaries: and thermal-refuge closures protect summering trout at tributary mouths. PCB advisories make it release water by history anyway: the fishery thrives on it. Fall's browns and October caddis close the loop on a genuinely four-season river.

Common questions

When is the Hendrickson hatch on the Housatonic?

Late April into early May, early afternoons: the river's signature dry-fly event. Carse and the covered-bridge pools draw the faithful: arrive before the duns.

Can you fish the Housatonic in summer?

For smallmouth, absolutely: the TMA pools convert to bronze all summer. Leave trout alone in the heat (refuges are closed and ethics apply): the bass fill the gap brilliantly.

Is fishing good at Housatonic River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Lake Waramaug6 miCandlewood Lake13 miBantam Lake14 miNaugatuck River22 miHighland Lake27 miSaugatuck Reservoir29 mi
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