Housatonic River Fishing Report – Kent, CT – July 7, 2026
Share
Updated Tuesday, July 7, 2026 at 5:00 PM · Housatonic River at Kent / Falls Village, CT
Conditions at a glance
| Reading | Now | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Flow | 473 cfs | ▲ rising (+40% vs yesterday) |
| Gauge height | 2.50 ft | flood reference: 7 ft |
| Barometer | 998 hPa | ▬ steady (-0.7 hPa/6h) |
| Sky | 100% | daytime cloud cover — overcast |
| Water temp | — | no nearby live gauge; watch for 68°F+ on hot afternoons |
| Condition | Ideal Wading | clarity not gauged here |
USGS 01199000 (Housatonic River at Falls Village, CT) · observed Jul 7, 4:15 PM · pressure & sky via Open-Meteo
Today's call
Good wading flow — cross with care and cover the riffles and pocket water. Low light on top of the color keeps fish roaming and feeding through the day — keep moving and swing streamers through the runs. About 0.6" of rain in the last two days is carrying some color — size up, go a shade darker, and work the edges where fish duck out of the push.
Best windows: First light around 5:25 a.m., last light near 8:31 p.m. — the low-light edges are prime. Light Cahill is the bug to watch — evening into dark. · Last Quarter (49% lit)
Solunar: Majors (peak feeding): 5:29–7:29 a.m., 5:44–7:44 p.m. Minors: 12:39–1:39 p.m. The major that lines up with first light is the one to be on the water for.
Weather on the water
- This Afternoon: 68°F, Chance Rain Showers (wind 3 mph NE · precip 38%)
- Tonight: 55°F, Chance Rain Showers then Mostly Cloudy (wind 0 to 3 mph N · precip 26%)
Planning a trip? The next few days:
- Wednesday: 82°F, Sunny (wind 2 mph NW · precip 0%)
- Thursday: 84°F, Mostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms (wind 1 to 6 mph SW · precip 32%)
- Friday: 84°F, Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms (wind 0 to 5 mph W · precip 71%)
- Saturday: 83°F, Mostly Sunny (wind 1 to 5 mph N · precip 10%)
What's hatching now
| Insect | Size | Try these |
|---|---|---|
| Light Cahill (Stenacron / Stenonema) Evening into dark |
#12-16 | Light Cahill Catskill #14, Cahill Comparadun #14-16 |
| Tan & Green Caddis (Hydropsyche / Rhyacophila) Evenings; fish the soft water behind rocks |
#14-18 | Tan Elk Hair Caddis #16, Green Rockworm #14, LaFontaine Sparkle Pupa #16 |
| Golden Drake (Anthopotamus) Dusk and after dark |
#10-12 | Golden Drake Spinner #10-12, Cream Variant #10 |
| Terrestrials (hoppers, beetles, ants) Midday along grassy banks |
#10-18 | Foam Hopper #10-12, Foam Beetle #14-16, Parachute Ant #16 |
| Isonychia (Slate Drake) Late afternoon and evening; nymphs migrate to slow shallows |
#10-12 | Isonychia Parachute #12, Zug Bug #10-12, Leadwing Coachman #12 |
From our shop hatch calendar — stop in for what’s working this week.
Spin fishing — what to throw
Good flow for covering water — fan 1/8–1/4 oz inline spinners and small spoons through the riffles, runs, and pocket water; cast across and let the current swing them through the seams. With color in the water, switch to gold or copper blades or a chartreuse/firetiger crankbait and size up — the extra flash and thump help fish find it in the stain. Overcast skies have fish roaming and willing to chase — work the open runs and keep at it right through the day, not just the low-light edges.
Species: Trout are the main target on spinning gear. Smallmouth are active in the warmer water — work tubes, jerkbaits, and swimbaits through the faster rocky runs. Carp on the slow flats, plus the odd pickerel or fallfish, round out the warmwater options.
| Lure | Size | Colors & when |
|---|---|---|
| Inline spinners Mepps Aglia, Panther Martin, Rooster Tail |
1/16–1/4 oz (#0–#3) | silver/gold blade, natural or black-fur bodies; brighter in stain The workhorse for trout in moving water — riffles, runs, and pocket water. |
| Casting spoons Acme Little Cleo, Kastmaster, Phoebe |
1/12–3/8 oz | silver/gold; hammered or painted (chartreuse, firetiger) when water's up Cover water and reach deeper or faster flows; great flash for stained water. |
| Soft plastics & jigs Trout Magnet, small paddle-tails, tubes, Ned rigs |
1.5–3 in on 1/32–1/8 oz heads | natural/translucent in clear water, darker or chartreuse in stain Finesse for low, clear water and pressured stocked trout; also the go-to for smallmouth. |
| Jerkbaits & stickbaits Rapala Original & Countdown, small suspending jerkbaits |
2–4 in | silver/black or rainbow-trout in clear; gold or firetiger in stain Match baitfish for bigger trout and smallmouth; shines in higher, stained water. |
| Micro jig under a float Trout Magnet / micro jig below a casting bubble or float |
1/64–1/32 oz | pink, white, olive Dead-drift for stocked and clear-water trout when they won't chase. |
Our standard Housatonic spin box — stop in and we’ll match it to today’s water.
Much of the Housatonic is open to spin fishing with artificial lures. The marked Trout Management Areas — the long TMA between Falls Village and Cornwall Bridge, and the Bulls Bridge TMA at Kent — are year-round catch-and-release, artificial lures and flies only, single barbless hooks: spinning gear is welcome there as long as you pinch your barbs and release fish quickly. Other stretches allow bait and trout harvest in season. Regulations change year to year — check the current CT DEEP Angler's Guide or stop in and ask us before you fish.
Stocking
- Housatonic River Bulls Bridge TMA (Kent, New Milford) — last stocked 77 days ago (April 21)
- Housatonic River TMA (Salisbury, Canaan, Cornwall, Sharon) — last stocked 78 days ago (April 20)
Stocking is between seasons right now; dates above are from the most recent round.
Data: USGS 01199000 · CT DEEP trout stocking · National Weather Service. This page refreshes automatically each morning. Conditions change fast — use your judgment on the water.