Green River

Every year it’s tradition for me to plan a trip to the Green River during the famed Blue Wing Olive Hatch. Its the one trip each year that I am so excited about that I am thinking and planning for it all year. In a way its an adults Christmas. The first trip I took was a little crazy. We caught more fish than I have ever seen caught in one day on bwo’s and ended up with $1000s of dollars in tickets and fines. (Stupid Obstructing Justice Rule) Another memorable trip was the first trip with my boat. We we floated 3 days with great weather and the rivers resident big browns would not leave our PMX’s alone. But just as time changes all things, this years trip ranks up top as my new favorite bwo trip. The trip started well before the scheduled date of April 17-19th. During that time flies were tied, the boat was refinished and customized, needed gear was bought, and people that swore they were going to be there dropped like flies. We started the trip with only 4 of the original 15 group members. (Weather, wives, dogs, girl friends, money, jobs, and everything else seemed to be an excuse. I guess its all Obama’s fault) So with Gunner, Mallary, Wayne and myself, we set off for the Green and in search of a rising fish.

Day 1 (Friday 17th)
After a snowy drive we reached the red rocks of the Flaming Gorge Valley. Its always a warming feeling when one descends down the windy path and reaches the clear cool water of the green. The days fishing was red hot from the start. Mallary caught one of the two fish caught with a nymph rig the whole trip as we launched the boat. After that I noticed midges everywhere, so we hit up a couple of my favorite scum lines and had a blast, as we fished little midges for rising trout. The fishing turned up another level as we zeroed in to what they were really wanting and how they were wanting it. The fly of choice was a customized Orange Asher that I created on a wim. (I am sure glad I did) The scum suckers wouldn’t leave this fly alone. It caught fish all day for us. By the end of the day and after a trip to “The Wall” we were about 50 flies short and 25 of those were ashers.
Highlights:
Waynes and Mallarys huge browns at “The Wall”
“Spread Eagle, I mean bald eagle” good one Mal (What was that eagle?)
Frozen Hands, Feet
Last ones off the water, floating the last mile in the dark
Staying in a warm condo and not camping
Tying flies watching AEG-New ZDay 2

With a better idea of the fishing and the bugs. We started the day with a better idea of what we wanted to do. We started off with dries and never looked back. Midges and BWOs were the flies of choice. We only fished areas that held rising fish, which wasn’t very hard to find. With ideal weather the fishing was off the charts. It rained for about 30 mins as we had lunch and then after that the fishing was even better than before. In places the midges were so thick that it loked like their was sand on top of the water. On the way down “The Wall” produced right before dark with bwo’s. If Mallary didn’t fall in and get all wet, I would have been able to catch even more than 3 fish in 5 mins that she gave us. It was an amazing site to see hundreds of rising fish in the shallow water run. That night we met up with the rest of the crew Jeff, Laura and Addie. (The Family) They had a nice warm dinner ready as we got off the river and back to the condo.

Highlights
“I love your boat” Happy B-Day Tristen
Meeting Scott and his girl
Trav and Mall fishing together-just killing it
Watching the Rocker
Day 3

Bright skies, warm weather and rising trout is a good way to sum up our last day on the river. We fished our favorite spot from the last couple days and it produced like we knew it would. The fish were a little picky, but a size down or 5 was all one needed to temp them to take our little midges. As the afternoon fell upon us, I noticed bigger fish were rising in a fast water seem. I studied the water and noticed the trout were only talking the emerging bwos. With this in mind I hooked and quick released the largest fish of the trip. Guessing it would have pushed 25, but who knows. I was able to pick up a very nice 22 to end the trip and fill my pot for another year. We rowed down the rest of the river fulfilled. As we reached little hole we were greeted with another prepared lunch and a chance to share our days stories, before we had to call it quits. In all it was some of the finest dry fly fishing I have experienced, as well as great company and experiences that will teach us for a life time.

Highlights
Osprey catching fish
Warm Weather!!! not for fishing
Addie first float
22 inch brown on 28 midge

Time to get ready for next year!

All my mom wanted for her birthday was to float the Green River below Flaming Gorge Dam. The only issue standing in our way was the chance that the weather would be terrible. There was a cold, cold front moving in for the weekend, but to our luck, it held out and allow us to fish the beautiful calm before the storm. In fact I couldn’t believe it was November 1st. It was sunny and t-shirt weather pretty much all day. As for the fishing it was just as hot!!! We stopped at one of my favorite runs, so we could all hook up before we got too far down the river. This run produced fish after fish and never really let up.

After we each had landed a handful for fish. Mal and I decided just two more casts at a big dark shadow that I thought was about a 20 inch Brown. My first cast was unsuccessful, but hooked a little Bow. Mal’s cast was right on target, hook set, big fish on! Instantly it took off for the safety of the faster deeper water. She fought it hard for what seemed like forever leaping out of the water twice, but just as wise Browns do. (This one I estimate around 22-23 inches) It took one last run that stole her flies and here heart. As she sat on the bank, sick to her stomach. I could help feel happy in a way that my little sister has become a top notch Fly Fisherwomen. (She has put the books aside and is now focused on learning and growing in this royal sport)

After that we fished down the rest of the A section stopping only a few times to land a fish or eat some lunch. For the water being so cold and supposedly putting the fish in their winter mood. It sure was constant in our catch rate. We seemed to hookup on a reg basis on deep nymphs. (GBug and WD-40′s) My favorite part of this outing was our stop to fish tiny BWO’s to shallow rising trout.(Size 24) Mal and I each took turns casting at these feeding fish. I hooked up first with a nice 16′ Bow and then Mal fallowed shortly after with its twin. (She hooked it on the 4th take) I really have grown to love technical. To me it is the hardest and most frustrating fishing that I love the best. It’s fun to have all odds against you, but still come out on top ever once and a while. (It makes the success really worth it)

We reached the little hole at dark and was the last boat on the water, where we were greeted by Dad and Addie and a hot dinner. It was an awesome birthday for my mom loved ever bit of it. It was awesome having her float with us. We had a professional photographer and an awesome shoreline lunch. In all it was an amazing day on one of the best river in the world.