Erik was leaving early today to beat the weather. We decided that hooking into some of those pike from the other day would be a nice way to finish of the weekend. I tied up two leaders made up of three feet 20lb Maxima blooded knotted to two feet 15lb Maxima. I also brought along my striper flies to see if we could lure the biggest one of the beat to our lines. We were all set for pike. Guess what?!?! We both hooked up with two large trout. I had a 18″ brown on a all black size 2 Half & Half. Eric had a 18″ rainbow on a Zonker streamer. Both trout had nice size and colors on them. We added a few pike into the mix but those trout were the big surprise. Big Fly = Big Fish
Over the last two weeks, it has snowed almost every other day out here. This has made for great skiing conditions. I have skied at least 4 days with over a foot of fresh powder during those two weeks. With all this skiing, I have not fished too much. However, I finally got back into the tailwater section of the Yampa today. The forecast was calling for low 40’s and sunny, so I decided to make the 2 mile trek to the tailwater.
I got to the river around 10:30 and nymphed up stream through several pools landing 5 and hooking into another 4. I was using a size 20 frenchie nymph that I had picked up in Paris last Thanksgiving. It has great detail but is covered entirely in epoxy so it sinks like a stone. This fly accounted for all of the fish I picked up nymphing.
As the temperature increased, a few noses started to poke through the surface, but nothing too consistent. I needed to adjust for the changing feeding behavior. I continued to cast my nymphs upstream; however, once the flies reached my position, I stopped tracking the flies with my rod. My flies continued downstream from position, but this subtle change allowed my nymphs to rise through the water column like an emerger. It was immediate and continued success until the adult baetis were fully on the water.
Once the surface activity was in full swing, it was size 18 traditional comparaduns in olive and black that continued to produce fish. For the really picky ones, size 20 cdc comparaduns did the trick.
Once 3 o’clock came around, the adult comparaduns were not catching as consistently. To account for another feeding behaviour change, I tied on a size 20 cdc rusty spinner and continued to hook up more fish. This fly has a low profile against the water surface. It was tough to track it throughout its entire drift. To compensate, I would gently set the hook any time a fish rose in the general vicinity of my fly.
It was an amazing day. I got to fish the entire life cycle of the baetis mayflies that were hatching today. Landed over 20, hooked into another 10, and over 15 were on dry flies. Mostly rainbows, with about 3 nice browns, and one brookie. The sizes ranged from 12″ to 19″.
“We have an unknown distance yet to run, an unknown river to explore. What falls there are, we know not; what rocks beset the channel, we know not; what walls ride over the river, we know not. Ah, well! We may conjecture many things.”
—John Wesley Powell
A Storied History
In the spirit of 236 years of glory, I’m going to tell you a bit about ‘Merica and our Green River. The river valley was originally inhabited by the Fremont culture, a people flourishing from the 7th century to the 13thcentury; their work can be viewed in rock art and cave overhangs. Eventually, the Shoshone and Ute peoples colonized the area for nomadic hunting purposes. While visited by the Spaniards and various trappers, the region remained unexplored. John C Fremont, legendary explorer, US Senator, and founder of the Republican Party, led an expedition into the region.
The first complete expedition was led by John Wesley Powell in 1869, the second was in 1871; most of the nomenclature of the region was assigned on these trips. Powell’s expeditions were not without controversy. Starting off in 1869 with 10 men and large gear carrying boats, they completed the expedition with 6 men. Four walked off, one successfully started a family in Vernal, Utah; the other three were possibly executed by Mormon Settlers. The Mormon Settlers claimed it was local Native American Indians. The true fate is still shrouded in mystery. Read the full account here.
Now for my favorite part of this story, The John Jarvie Ranch, founded in 1880 by an educated man of Scottish decent at Brown’s Hole. Located conveniently on the Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming border, Jarvie had significant mining and cattle interests. He distilled and sold Whiskey, while managing a general store, post office, blacksmith shop, and ferry. Jarvie made acquaintance with several notorious outlaws including: Matt Warner, Butch Cassidy, and the Sundance Kid. His ranch was a perfect location to hide out after a hard year of rustling cattle.
A Section
This 7-mile stretch of river commences at the boat launch under Flaming Gorge Dam, traveling through a red walled canyon down to Little Hole. This float is known for its aquarium feel, you can see the fish swimming below you in the crystal clear water. Also note, this section has the highest presence of rafters, though the Trout don’t seem to mind too much.
On this stretch, we used a couple of tactics resulting in Fish On! The deep pools and seems of this section are ideal for nymph rigs. Brenton developed his rendition of a bead head Pheasant Tail and some small Midges, size 16 and 18.
B Section
Below Little Hole, the river widens and the canyon walls lower, allowing for new angling opportunities. Furthermore, on the B, you can start to throw the Hopper Dropper combo along the shorelines and back eddies. Making this section even more enjoyable is the variety of primitive camping opportunities along the river. Halfway down, drifters will encounter Red Creek Rapids, a Class 3 section on the river. Upstream of Red Creek Rapids, is a long deep pool; fish activity is slow through here. We were able to coax some follows with articulated streamers.
Lapping the C Section
Now onto the true wilderness fishing expedition! The Green River, for management and discussion purposes, is divided into the three distinct sections. The C-section is by far the longest and most desolate section of the Utah Green River; it winds 12 miles through a desert valley, terminating in the high walled Swallow Canyon. In the later part of summer, this section is renowned for its Hopper fishing.
Day 1
This is our third day of living the dream, camping outside, fishing all day, every day. Having paid for a shuttle from Trout Creek Fly every day to this point, it was now our turn to use pedal power. To float the C, the preferred entry point is at Indian Crossing. It is also an option to use Taylor Flats, however, this will cost you a prime section of top water. Upon leaving the boat and gear at Indian Crossing; Brenton threw his Trek Navigator bicycle into “Toaster,” and drove the trailer to Swallow Canyon boat ramp. In my estimate, it takes about an hour to pedal back to Indian Crossing from that point, the road is shorter than the river here.
Day 2
Hopper action picked up on day 2, everyone landed a fish on a Hopper. Matt took the crown with a 20-inch German Brown. All was well, except the sunscreen started to run low, for trips on this section of the river, I suggest ample quantities of sunscreen and gloves for your hands. Swallow Canyon was markedly unproductive; we attributed this to the low water situation.
Day 3
Fish were keyed into Yellow Sallies on the portion of river between Indian Crossing and Taylor Flats. Unaccustomed and out of practice on the dry, I missed almost every fish. There was redemption for Matt, and just as the weather changed for a thunderstorm, the Rainbows drilled in on Yellow Sallies and Triple Doubles.
As I already mentioned, thunderstorms rolled in, and it was our last day on the river. In the distance, we witnessed a lightning strike. Then, there was a wispy spindle of smoke rising in the air! Brenton called the Forest Fire Service and reported it, luckily for us; the fire was over on a mountain ridge in Colorado. Needless to say, as the smell of distant smoke filled the air, we hurried up to the boat launch, packed our gear, and got the hell out of dodge.
Threats to the Future
The Green River is one of the Blue Ribbon Fisheries in the American West. Technically, a tributary of the Colorado River; an error of history, due to Colorado having more political sway when the Colorado River Compact was signed. There is currently a speculative project proposed to build a pipeline, in order to transport Flaming Gorge water to the Front Range of Colorado.MKFF opposes this project, as it will damage the local economies, the environment, and Trout fishing. The residents of the Front Range should adopt new water conservation measures, in lieu of attempting to use even more water in the semi-arid region.
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