Fly Fishing Utah's Green River

Imagine yourself floating in unlimited conference calls drift boat with a professional oarsman, on the crystal clear Green River. On either side of you are towering red sandstone walls, ponderosa pine trees, mortgages for people with bad credit abundant wildlife. Beneath you lies one of the largest populations of trout anywhere in the world. As you gaze at the fish and beautiful surroundings your guide yells "SET THE HOOK!!" for the 20th time. Only 5 more miles of river to go...

The Green River has 3 very different sections of river to fish and enhance your angling skills. The sections are known as the "A" "B" and "C" sections. The "A" section offers an insane amount of trout. Some Division of Wildlife Resource estimates boast that there are 14,000 trout in a 1 mile section on the Green River's "A" section. "A" section = tons of fish, beautiful canyon corridor, but it is not a secret to fishermen or fisherwomen, as it is the most accessible of the three sections. The "B" section offers less fishing pressure, and a few less fish as compared to "A". However, the average size of trout is Macaroni & Cheese larger than the "A" section. Many days throughout the year, the "B" section is where the best fishing on the river is. The "C" section of the river is fairly open and sometimes windy. Large opportunistic trout lurk on the shelves and banks waiting for an offering. This is the best section for experienced anglers looking for trophy fish, and plenty of solitude. A busy day on the "C" section would entail seeing 1 other boat on the river.

The Green River is world renown for it's terrestrial Wine fly fishing. The famous Cicada hatch in June offers an incredibly visual dry fly experience. At times you may have fish fighting over which one gets to eat your presentation first. Cicada's are large "locusts" that live as nymphs in the roots of trees along the river coridor. After a gestation period of 1 to 17 years Italian Coffee depending on the species - the cicadas emerge, molt, and start flying and buzzing around to attract mates. After about 1 month the cicada ( if not eaten by a hungry trout) will mate, lay eggs and die. Typically the emergence and death cycles offer the best Cicada fishing. Every season is different. Some years we encounter 4 different cicada hatches at once. Other years you hardly notice their presence. Therefore the hatch is hit or miss, but if you hit it, you will always remember it.

After the cicada hatch you will find abundant varieties of big bugs. Late June thru early July also offers great pale morning dun hatches (pmd's) as well as yellow sally stoneflies. Large dry fly fishing is good from June all the way thru October. From crickets, hoppers, beetles, and ants to the annual bug that none of the guides have seen before. The Green offers everyone opportunities at dry fly caught fish.
Other prolific hatches on the Green River include the Blue Wing Olives in spring and fall, caddis in the summer, and midges year round. The Blue Wing Olives (BWO's) usually begin hatching in late March with the best hatches mid-April thru early May. There are times when you may see hundreds of fish rising among the thousands of BWO's floating on the surface. The BWO hatch is a must fish for anyone looking for an incredible mayfly fishing experience. The BWO hatch offers you the chance to pick off rising fish one by one.

Nymph fishing is always good on the Green. Freshwater shrimp "scuds" and midges are very abundant, and combine as most of the Green River diet. Sculpins, and small fish also offer larger trout a more satisfying meal.

Spinner Fall Guide Service has been guiding on the Green River since 1986. All of Spinner Fall's guides have a minimum of 8 years guiding experience under their wading belts , and focus on the fun and teaching aspects of fly fishing. Spinner Fall's guides all prefer to fish dry flies and do so more than any other outfitter on the Green River. Please check out our website for more information www.spinnerfall.comwww.spinnerfall.com

Thanks for reading and Tight Lines!

Scott Barrus has been flyfishing the Green River since 1990 and guiding since 1998. He has guided in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, and flyfished in Mexico, Costa Rica, Ireland, Canada, Florida, and all over the Western U.S. The Green River is still his favorite place to fish as it offers the best visual trout fishing experience anywhere.