Housatonic River Fishing Report – Kent, CT – September 16, 2026
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Updated Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 5:00 PM · Housatonic River at Kent / Falls Village, CT
Conditions at a glance
| Reading | Now | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Flow | 484 cfs | ▼ falling (-22% vs yesterday) |
| Gauge height | 2.44 ft | flood reference: 7 ft |
| Barometer | 1005 hPa | ▼ falling (-2.1 hPa/6h) |
| Sky | 8% | daytime cloud cover — clear |
| 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 Sep 16, 4:15 PM · pressure & sky via Open-Meteo
Today's call
Good wading flow — cross with care and cover the riffles and pocket water. The river's dropping back into shape after a bump — fish tend to settle and feed hard on falling, clearing water, so this is a window worth catching. Bright, bluebird skies — fish will tuck into shade and structure; your dry-fly window is the first and last hour of light.
Best windows: First light around 6:34 a.m., last light near 7:01 p.m. — the low-light edges are prime. Blue-Winged Olive is the bug to watch — afternoons, best on cloudy or drizzly days. · Waxing Crescent (23% lit)
Solunar: Majors (peak feeding): 3:42–5:42 a.m., 4:04–6:04 p.m. Minors: 12:08–1:08 p.m., 8:59–9:59 p.m.
Weather on the water
- This Afternoon: 76°F, Partly Sunny (wind 5 mph SW · precip 2%)
- Tonight: 61°F, Partly Cloudy (wind 3 mph S · precip 3%)
Planning a trip? The next few days:
- Thursday: 81°F, Partly Sunny then Chance Rain Showers (wind 1 to 6 mph S · precip 29%)
- Friday: 75°F, Mostly Sunny (wind 6 to 12 mph NW · precip 0%)
- Saturday: 69°F, Mostly Sunny (wind 2 mph E · precip 2%)
- Sunday: 65°F, Rain Showers (wind 5 mph S · precip 77%)
What's hatching now
| Insect | Size | Try these |
|---|---|---|
| Blue-Winged Olive (Baetis) Afternoons, best on cloudy or drizzly days |
#16-22 | BWO Comparadun #18-20, Pheasant Tail Nymph #16-20, CDC Olive Emerger #18 |
| Isonychia (Slate Drake) Late afternoon and evening; nymphs migrate to slow shallows |
#10-12 | Isonychia Parachute #12, Zug Bug #10-12, Leadwing Coachman #12 |
| Flying Ants (terrestrial) Warm, humid afternoons after rain |
#14-20 | Cinnamon Flying Ant #16-18, Black Ant #16-20 |
| Trico (Tricorythodes) Early morning spinner falls |
#22-26 | Trico Spinner #22-24, CDC Trico Dun #24 |
| Terrestrials (hoppers, beetles, ants) Midday along grassy banks |
#10-18 | Foam Hopper #10-12, Foam Beetle #14-16, Parachute Ant #16 |
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. The barometer's dropping ahead of a front — fish turn aggressive, so pick up the pace and trigger reaction strikes while the window's open. Bright sun pins fish tight to shade and structure — pick those spots apart, and your best shots come in the first and last hour of light.
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 148 days ago (April 21)
- Housatonic River TMA (Salisbury, Canaan, Cornwall, Sharon) — last stocked 149 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.