The Green River is the most talked about river in Utah, with fly-fishers throughout the world coming to fish it every year.
And for good reason, its reputation is well deserved because of the healthy trout population, and the scenery is very
distinctive and unique for a trout river. However, the Green River is not a diverse river when it comes to aquatic
invertebrate (insect) populations and hatches. Midges and scuds make up the greatest percentage of the biomass in the
river, with smaller populations of caddis, stoneflies, and mayflies also present. This is typical for a tailwater
fishery, especially in a river that wasn't suitable for trout fishing before the dam was put in place. The Flaming
Gorge dam cools the water and allows for silt to settle out in the reservoir, enough for trout and cold-water invertebrates
to survive. As the river matures, the hatches continue to improve. Many of us will tell you that the hatches are much
stronger now than they were just ten years ago, with the blue-winged olive hatch leading the way.
As stated, the hatches on the Green are not very diverse. However, the terrestrial fishing in the summer (May through October)
makes up for the lack of aquatic diversity. There are hoppers, ants, flying ants, beetles, crickets, Mormon crickets, and
cicadas. The fish are really conditioned to look up, and they get to the point where they just can't lay off of a terrestrial
pattern during the summer!
Spring - March through May
The midge hatch is peaking in March, as both water and air temperatures increase. The blue-winged olive (BWO) hatch starts
to show in the end of March, but really doesn't start to pick up steam until mid-April. The BWO have traditionally been
thought of as an April hatch, and they are on the B section, but you will experience better BWO hatches in May, particularly
on the A section. If you're really lucky, you will see the start of the cicada hatch in early May. The cicada hatch usually
starts in mid-May and continues into June. This terrestrial has a profound impact on the trout in the Green; it's the best
time of the year to catch more and bigger fish. We see trout during this hatch that we don't see the rest of the year, 22"
to 28" fish willing to eat a dry fly!
| Hatch |
Size |
Patterns |
| Blue-winged Olives |
#18-20 |
Parachute Adam's, RS2, Olive Parachute Hare's Ear,
Olive Sparkle Dun, Sprout Baetis |
| Midges |
#18-22 |
Griffith's Gnat, Double Midge, Adams,
Brassie, Biot Midge, Serendipity |
| Terrestrials |
#6-10 |
Mutant Ninja Cicada, Cernobyl Ant |
| Nymphs & Droppers |
#14-22 |
Pheasant tails, BH Pheasant tail; Olive, Grey or Brown WD 40,
Tungsten bead Zebra Midge; Grey, olive & pink scuds |
Summer- June through August
The warm summer months on the Green are a dry-fly fisher's dream. The cicadas are peaking in early June, and there are early
hoppers coming out on the lower river, too. There are also plenty of ants and beetles to interest the fish. If that isn't
enough for them, the pale morning dun (PMD) hatch starts in late June. The B and C sections of the river are your best bet
if you are chasing this hatch. The caddis hatches begin in earnest in July, with the best areas being the lower half of the
A section and the upper half of the B section. There is even a golden stonefly hatch on the C section in June.
| Hatch |
Size |
Patterns |
| PMD |
#14-18 |
Yellow Sparkle Dun, Parachute PMD, Hairwing Dun
Pheasant tail, Quigley Cripple, Sprout PMD |
| Caddis |
#12-18 |
Peacock Elk Hair Caddis, Goddard Caddis, x-caddis, Lawsons emerging caddis,
Peeking caddis, Hemingway caddis, Spent Partridge |
| Attractors |
#8-18 |
Royal Wulff, Yellow Humpy, Chernobyl Ant, Peacock Stimulator |
| Midges |
#18-22 |
Griffith's Gnat, Double Midge, Adams,
Brassie, Biot Midge, Serendipity |
| Stoneflies |
#8-16 |
Yellow Stimulators, Black Stimulators |
| Nymphs/ Droppers |
#8-16 |
Scud, San Juan worm, BH Pheasant Tail, Hare's Ear,
Tungsten Zebra Midge |
Autumn - September through November
Summer terrestrial patterns work all the way into October on the Green River. The hopper fishing, coupled with a dropper, is one of the most effective ways to fish this time of year. Attractor patterns and Chernobyl ants also work extremely well. As the brown trout ready for their November spawn, streamers are even more effective than normal. November brings real change to the river, with the cooling of the air and water temperatures, along with the brown trout spawn, the fishing usually slows down some. There is a BWO hatch that occurs, and it represents the year's last mayfly hatch. The trout, particularly the rainbows and cutthroats, are eager to rise to the naturals; perhaps realizing winter is close at hand.
| Hatch |
Size |
Patterns |
| Blue-winged Olives |
#18-22 |
Parachute Adam's, RS2, Olive Parachute Hare's Ear,
Olive Sparkle Dun, Pheasant Tails |
| Terrestrials |
#8-18 |
Parachute Hopper, Ant, Beetle, Chernobyl Ant |
| Streamers |
#4-8 |
Clouser Minnows, Woolly Buggers, Dark Spruce, Double Bunny
Droppers Tungsten bead Zebra Midge, BH Pheasant tail |
Winter - December through February
The Green River is located in high desert, so it is a cold place in the middle of winter! The best areas to fish in the winter are usually the most open ones, places that receive some sunshine during the day. The Little Hole area is the most popular stretch to fish during the winter because access is easy and the sun warms it up during the day. There is not a lot of bug activity on the river during the winter, but the midges will start hatching on nice days. This is particularly true in February, when the river starts to awaken from a long cold winter.
| Hatch |
Size |
Patterns |
| Midge |
#18-24 |
Griffith's Gnat, Double Midge, Adams,
Brassie, Biot Midge, Serendipity |
| Assorted nymphs |
#18-22 |
WD 40, pheasant tail, MicroMay, Micro scud |
|
