Submitted by John Ross on Fri, 2014-05-16 10:52 Farmington River Farmington Valley - 129 100 Best Trout Streams Vote Up Down 0 + Location: Central Connecticut Type of stream: Tailwater Angling methods: Fly, spin, bait Species: Rainbows, browns Access: Easy Season: Year-round Supporting Services: New Hartford Short take: Year ‘round big trout Handicapped Access: Two locations Closest TU Chapter Farmington Valley Only 120 miles or so from New York City and Boston, then Farmington River offers one of the best tailwaters in the Northeast for catching 20-inch trout. Just ask Andy Butler. For 115 months without a miss, he’s landed a behemoth of this size. That’s nearly 10 years, folks. The best of the Farmington begins where the West Branch issues forth from the base of Goodwin Dam which impounds a small reservoir below Colebrook River Lake. From the dam, the river flows through a Trout Management Area (TMA) to the Route 177 bridge in Unionville. Rich with traditional hatches, the Hendricksons, suphurs, and blue-winged-olives we all know, the Farmington is famed for Doliphilodes distinctus – tiny black gold speckled-winged caddis. As they swim toward the bank, big trout charge them. Think a skated fly will work?