Housatonic River Fishing Report – Kent, CT – September 2, 2026
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Updated Wednesday, September 2, 2026 at 5:00 PM · Housatonic River at Kent / Falls Village, CT
Conditions at a glance
| Reading | Now | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Flow | 446 cfs | ▲ rising (+62% vs yesterday) |
| Gauge height | 2.37 ft | flood reference: 7 ft |
| Barometer | 1000 hPa | ▬ steady (-1.4 hPa/6h) |
| Sky | 100% | daytime cloud cover — overcast |
| Water temp | — | no nearby live gauge; watch for 68°F+ on hot afternoons |
| Condition | Ideal Wading | Flow has jumped sharply since yesterday — water is likely stained (estimate). |
USGS 01199000 (Housatonic River at Falls Village, CT) · observed Sep 2, 4:15 PM · pressure & sky via Open-Meteo
Today's call
Good wading flow — cross with care and cover the riffles and pocket water. Expect some color in the water. Low light on top of the color keeps fish roaming and feeding through the day — keep moving and swing streamers through the runs.
Best windows: First light around 6:20 a.m., last light near 7:25 p.m. — the low-light edges are prime. Isonychia is the bug to watch — late afternoon and evening; nymphs migrate to slow shallows. · Waning Gibbous (70% lit)
Solunar: Majors (peak feeding): 3:50–5:50 a.m., 4:12–6:12 p.m. Minors: 12:01–1:01 p.m., 9:23–10:23 p.m.
Weather on the water
- This Afternoon: 73°F, Mostly Cloudy (wind 5 mph S · precip 12%)
- Tonight: 63°F, Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Showers And Thunderstorms (wind 1 to 5 mph S · precip 96%)
Planning a trip? The next few days:
- Thursday: 82°F, Showers And Thunderstorms Likely then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms (wind 5 mph W · precip 66%)
- Friday: 80°F, Mostly Sunny (wind 0 to 6 mph NW · precip 3%)
- Saturday: 76°F, Sunny (wind 2 to 8 mph N · precip 12%)
- Sunday: 74°F, Mostly Sunny (wind 1 to 5 mph N · precip 3%)
What's hatching now
| Insect | Size | Try these |
|---|---|---|
| Isonychia (Slate Drake) Late afternoon and evening; nymphs migrate to slow shallows |
#10-12 | Isonychia Parachute #12, Zug Bug #10-12, Leadwing Coachman #12 |
| Trico (Tricorythodes) Early morning spinner falls |
#22-26 | Trico Spinner #22-24, CDC Trico Dun #24 |
| Flying Ants (terrestrial) Warm, humid afternoons after rain |
#14-20 | Cinnamon Flying Ant #16-18, Black Ant #16-20 |
| Terrestrials (hoppers, beetles, ants) Midday along grassy banks |
#10-18 | Foam Hopper #10-12, Foam Beetle #14-16, Parachute Ant #16 |
| White Fly (Ephoron leukon) Dusk, heavy short-lived blizzard hatches |
#12-14 | White Wulff #12-14, White Comparadun #14 |
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 134 days ago (April 21)
- Housatonic River TMA (Salisbury, Canaan, Cornwall, Sharon) — last stocked 135 days ago (April 20)
CT DEEP stocking is in season — numbers update as trucks go out.
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.