The Green River below Flaming Gorge Dam is known world wide for being an exceptional fly fishing paradise. There have been many articles about the giant Cicada hatches or the blanket Blue Wing Olive Hatch in the spring. These are a couple of the things that make this river so great. Let me tell you about some of the others.

First and foremost has to be the scenery. There are many place to catch fish in the world, but none will out do the Green for beauty. Many fishermen have a hard time concentrating on the fishing because they are to busy looking up, way up. Red canyon's walls extend up to over a thousand feet. The red rock walls are truly breathtaking. Some fishermen can not concentrate because they are to busy looking down. The first seven miles of the Green have often been referred to as an aquarium. Flaming Gorge dam serves as a big filter. The water is crystal clear and you can see fish everywhere. There are an estimated 8000-22000 fish in each of the first eleven miles! They are literally everywhere. The river bed it incredible as well. It is full of rich green moss beds, boulders the size of a truck, and river rocks that might be yellow, red or orange.

The beauty does not just extend to the scenery either. The Green holds some of the prettiest trout anywhere. The colors are vibrant! With the rich colors of their surroundings, these trout camouflage perfectly. The brown trout have dark greenish brown tops with a bright golden under belly. The rainbow's have a deep pink or crimson stripe with a gorgeous blue or green top. Often the rainbow's will have bright red fins tipped white almost match the surrounding canyon walls. The fish maintain a healthy diet and average 15-18 inches in size. Fish over 20 inches are not uncommon. Fish over 30 inches are seen, but rarely caught. I know of two fish over 25 pounds that have been caught in the river. A 29 pound brown caught in 1996 is still the river record.

One thing that separates the Green from other tailwaters is the fact that you can catch fish on big dry flies. The Green has to be one the great terrestrial rivers anywhere. There are the famed Cicadas, field crickets, Mormon crickets, hoppers, ants, and more beetle species that you can count. There are also a few other that no one seems to know what they are. All it takes is a gusty summer afternoon breeze and these bugs are all over the water. The fish take full advantage and create some of the most incredible dry fly fishing you will ever be a part of.

This river is very consistent. If for some reason you can not catch fish on dries, you can always nymph. I have spent almost a thousand days on this river and have never been skunked. There are too many fish! There are always a few hungary fish looking for a good meal.

Critics will say that the Green is becoming to crowded. The truth is, at times, it is. There are also times when there is nobody there. Visiting this fly fishing mecca is best Sunday-Thursday most of the year. During the summer months I would avoid Thursday as well. If you want total solitude, fish the lower sections of the river. The lower section, known as the C section, sees less than ten people a day.

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