Tips by Dennis Breer
Owner, Trout Creek Flies, the premier guide service on the river

(Dennis wrote these as part of a monthly column for Utah Outdoors magazine. We run it here as a 4-part series.)

Jan/Feb/March
July/Aug/Sept
Oct/Nov/Dec

Apirl; May; June

The popularity of fishing the Green River in April has grown steadily over the past four or five years. In fact, if the numbers of anglers present on the river any given day were counted as a vote, the shear numbers of anglers in late April and early May would definitely win any contest. So, should this be considered the best time of all to fish the river? If not, why are there so many anglers on the water?

The answers to these questions are complex. As a fisherman myself, let me point out the most obvious. First, outstanding nymph fishing followed by great midge and Baetis hatches on the surface create superb fishing opportunities. Second, this period represents the first "best time" to trout fish after a long winter of cabin fever.

Many of you might ask, "Ok, if the fishing is so good, aren't there just too many people?" For some of you the answer is probably yes! If that is the case, try fishing on weekdays or early in the month, before everyone shows up. For the rest of you, when so many fish come to the surface to feed and they end up in your net, who cares if other anglers are around. You don't see many people without smiles on their faces. After all, with the great trout population available to anglers on the Green River, you only need a small piece of the river to work over a lot of fish.

Early season trout will take a variety of properly presented nymph patterns representing scuds, midges, Baetis emergers and other aquatic invertebrates that are present in the Green River. Sometimes entire days may be spent nymph-fishing when conditions do not favor surface hatches. On days when the surface hatches do occur, you still might need to nymph fish at least the early hours prior to the hatches.

I prefer my scuds tied in larger sizes, #10-16, in bright colors such as orange, pink, and tan. These are presented as a single fly, or with a trailer such as a midge larva.

Midge nymph patterns run all colors and sizes. One of my favorites is the simple brassie in sizes 18-22. Baetis emergers are active for several hours prior to their appearance on the river's surface as duns. During this period they are very actively swimming in the river's current and fall easy prey to the trout. Effective Baetis nymph patterns include the pheasant-tail nymph or WD40's, tied in olive or grey, in size 16-18; the larger size is best early in the hatch. I also like to use these same flies in a "flashback" version. Flashy tinsel is used as a wing case to add brightness to the fly. This is very useful when the water has a slight stain or cast to it.

Most good nymph fishing riggings will catch fish if you pay attention to fishing at the right depths of the water column, and work to get good dead drifts of your imitations to the trout.

Adult midges emerge daily in the early season and can provide exceptional dry fly fishing. Trout that are midging are sometimes only noticeable by their smutting rises, so you will have to watch for them. I prefer simple, sparse adult midge patterns in grey, olive, tan, or black. Griffith's gnat, fuzz ball, or parachute Adams, in sizes 18-24, are all productive patterns during midge hatches.

Baetis prefer the cloudy, overcast, cool, even snowy days, but it's not uncommon to find them even on a bright, sunny day. Duns generally start appearing around mid-morning and can fade quickly by 2 to 4 p.m. Parachute Adams and other low profile flies are my favorites, in olive or grey color; 16- 20 are the most effective sizes.

Effective approaches to fishing these patterns are varied. I prefer to use an upstream cast approach, but in some instances on the Green River, feeding it downstream to a rising trout works very well, indeed. Whatever your approach, Green River trout are experts at detecting the drag on your flies, so working at your presentation will be key to success.

May

When I travel around the country doing slide presentations, one thing I try to pass on to my audience is the importance of terrestrials in effectively fishing the Green River.

Sure, the Baetis and midge hatches are still important in May. They will continue to provide some of the best top-water action around until the air temperature climbs significantly. Additionally, there is decent activity from several species of caddis, from the spillway by the dam all the way down to Browns Park, coinciding with all the other aquatic insect activity. But it's the blooming terrestrial base that provides an ever-increasing food source for trout just when their metabolic rates increase because of rising water temperatures.

The presence of these land-based insects presents the first real opportunities to fish larger flies, getting away from the tiny imitations that are so synonymous with fishing during the midge- and Baetis-only portion of the season. This variety starts simple enough, with ants, beetles, baby hoppers and crickets, and ends with the most exciting megaterrestrial of all, the cicada.

It's hard to say whether the trout tire of being caught on Baetis and midge imitations and begin looking for some variety. But they definitely welcome the new, more meaty flies such as Chernobyl ants and the myriad possible cicada patterns that exist.

Now, if you are bothered by the idea of fishing large attractor patterns in the midst of the smaller hatches, keep in mind that a large dry and a dropper nymph is a deadly spring combo. What you may be surprised to find though is how many of the trout go for the larger fly. In fact, on many days I remove the dropper because the trout are aggressively going after the larger terrestrial. So, when you struggle to catch Green River trout, or encounter that sly old brown that is ignoring everything else, remember they really do love terrestrials.

Of all the terrestrials that are important for the Green River, it is the cicada that has been publicized the most. If you can imagine very large trout aggressively eating large flies in size 10, eight and even six in long-shanked hook versions, then you have an idea of what it is like.

Over the years the cicada hatch has favored us well one year only to barely exist on another. This inconsistency is hard to understand if you don't consider the bug's lifecycle. Even then, it is not fully predictable. The most common species is about an inch to an inch-and- a-half long, shiny black with orange to yellow highlights, lives as a nymph underground for three to five years before becoming a winged adult, then lives as an adult for around 30 days as it mates, lays its eggs and dies.

Its emergence, as a general rule, is close to mid-May but can be slightly earlier or later; numbers peak and taper off after the first part of June. It is because this insect is a very clumsy flyer that it sometimes finds its way onto the river's surface, becoming food fare for the watchful trout. Contrary to common belief, it is rare to see huge numbers of these insects on the water on any given day. The trout must love them, for when even a few are on the water they seldom make a very long drift before being eaten. The last great year of cicadas was 1995, by my records. Like this spring, it was very dry early on. With a dry spring we may be headed for another peak year for cicadas. If the spring suddenly turns wet and cold again as in the past few years, it may be that we'll only see a few hatch.

Guess we will just have to let Mother Nature play her hand. But if the cicadas come to the Green River this season, you'll definitely want to be there.

June

The warmer season on the Green River begins in June each year when snow showers finally turn into spring rains and the average air temperatures climb into the 70-degree range each day. It is a beautiful time of year. All the trees and streamside vegetation bloom along the river corridor, and from the spillway to Browns Park the river is alive with activity. Wildlife is ever present. Fishermen enjoy the great opportunities available, imitating and fishing the multitude of insects the fish feed on. And last but not least, recreational rafters return to the river after most schools recess for summer vacation.

The Flaming Gorge National Recreational Area offers a lot of recreational opportunities besides the Green River. The reservoir itself is a big attraction, with fishing, boating and water skiing. There are numerous campgrounds that open beginning Memorial Day weekend, or visitors might wish to try out one of the great local lodges this area Gas to offer. The river itself has a number of great float or hike-in camp- grounds below Little Hole. And, of course, the High Uinta Mountains provide myriad other recreational activities for visitors. But let's get back to the Green River and its fishing.

In my last report I gave some information on the megaterrestrial, the cicada. This spring has been the driest in the last five years, providing the best start to this hatch that we have seen since 1995. If the weather stays on its current course and we don't get any that turns extremely cold, this may well be an above-average year or better for this hatch.

The first of June will be the peak of the hatch, with a 30-day ramping down period, unless the early dry spring brings them on ahead of schedule. But either way, expect this hatch to effect the fishing long after the naturals have waned. As at tractor patterns, cicada imitations often work well into September and beyond.

Along with these insects there will be a blooming hopper population and an abundance of other terrestrial insects such as beetles and ants. Anglers that ignore their presence will miss an important approach to fishing this river. Aquatic hatches will be important as well, but their strength and duration will not match the intensity of the midges and baetis hatches of the spring.

Several species of caddis will be present and furnish some evening rises that are rare for most of the Green River's year. Pale morning duns will also provide some great fishing around mid-June or later. These are fairly large mayflies for a tailwater fishery, starting early in the hatch as a size 14 and, like the baetis, they get smaller as the hatch progresses. Their numbers are stronger in the lower reaches of the river but are not uncommon in Red Canyon as well. They commonly hatch midmorning and can provide some great fishing in the middle of the day when fishing might otherwise be deemed slow. For those anglers who like to fish deep in the river, scuds and midge imitations will still work wonderfully.