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
April/May/June
July/Aug/Sept

October; November; December

I have to say that October on the Green River is one of my personal favorite times of year for several reasons. The foremost is a selfish one; with a busy year behind me I can finally get out on the river and do some fishing myself. But there are other good reasons as well. The mountains are full of color, river flows are stable, brown trout are aggressively preparing for the fall spawn and fishing overall is solid.

A big plus is that there is less river traffic than other times of year, especially on the weekdays. The rafters are nearly gone with school back in session and the weather being cooler. But why anglers start turning away from the river is hard to discern. It could be that the big game and waterfowl seasons occupy many outdoorsman, but the end of predictable weather surely is a factor as well. Some folks just don't care for fishing in cold or snowy weather.

So it is well to remind everyone that October has more bluebird days than fowl weather days.

So how should one be prepared for the weather in October? One of my favorite quotes is from a former guest who stated that he was "packing as if going to the beach or might go snow skiing too." That sums it up, layer your clothing.

How does the weather in October affect the fish catching? Not much! Remember that air temperatures effect fishermen more than fish. One of the unique aspects of the Flaming Gorge tailwater is the "selective withdrawal" system attached to the dam that allows the operators to effectively control water temperature releases through the spillway. With water temperatures still warm in the reservoir, the river releases will sometimes not drop below 50 degrees until early November. With river water temperatures staying high, the fish remain active later into the year than on most other rivers.

The benefit for anglers from the temperature extension is that dry fly fishing remains a productive approach later into the season. There are midge and fall Baetis hatches. The caddis will still have a strong presence with multiple species present and the terrestrial base will still impact fishing opportunities until the first big frost hits the river corridor. Of course, nymph fishing is always an excellent approach anytime of year that you fish the river and the streamer fishing should be solid at times also. So, don't put off your late season visit to the Green because you think it is to late; remember that this is a year-round river for more than just a few reasons.

November

There is one question I'm frequently asked about the Green River: "when can we come when the fishing is great and there are no crowds?" I should first state that the best fishing and large crowds often go hand in hand. But, there are two periods of the year that could be an answer to this question: late fall/early winter (November/December) and early spring (March/early April). These are what we call the "shoulder seasons" on the Green, when overall river visitation is very low and the fishing still offers some great opportunities.

I'm sure that hunting seasons draw some anglers away from the stream. Later the winter sports take their toll as well. But, for those anglers willing and hardy enough to endure the sometimes winter weather, there is still a great deal of fishing that can be done yet! In preparation, proper clothing allows you to maintain a good attitude and helps insure that you can safely endure even the most diverse weather situations. To deal with every weather possibility, bring layered clothing to supplement your wet weather gear. That said, there are also many colder season days ahead when the weather will be nothing short of glorious for fishing!

Sunny and warm early November weather can extend the regular season approaches to fishing the Green. If that occurs, approach the river as usual. But when the weather gets consistently cold or wet, the fishing will shift into the winter mode. Winter is a time when trout often use different habitats than they do in warmer times of the year. This transition will occur as the water temperatures drop. It is generally first apparent when the trout become noticeably less visible along the rivers banks. They often retreat to the deeper and more sheltered/structured areas of the river to conserve energy.

Anglers should respond to this in two ways: First, its time to start thinking about fishing deep with the scud and midge imitations that make up 80% of the trout's winter diet. Second, spend some time to locate the areas that hold the largest concentrations of trout. My typical winter approach is to fish to the fish, not just fish the water. So, locate the trout first and don't just fish blindly in the areas you've fished before. It just may be that the trout have moved out of the pool or areas that produced the best fishing for you this season. Remember, the reason for these changes are to conserve energy so more trout will be found in the slower velocity water and fewer will be available in the fast heavy river sections.

Closer to the dam the fish are either deep in the runs or suspended in the eddies. The deep fish will have to be fished with scuds and midge nymphs to be productive. The eddie fish can be caught by suspending nymphs at 5 to 6 feet with an indicator or waiting/watching for them to work the surface. Near Little Hole, watch for midging activity by the trout -they will only be found in a few areas. Locating these trout may be your best opportunity to surface fish. Typical nymphing will take those trout that are in the riffles in this area.

Have a good time fishing this winter!

December

Winter on the Green River is a time when the fish get a break from the fishing pressure that they live with for much of the year.

During most of the day the sunlight plays hide and seek through the canyon sections of the river, making it very cool wherever the sun doesn't touch. So visitors need to be prepared mentally and physically for whatever conditions or weather Mother Nature deals them. The sunniest area throughout the day is around Little Hole. Consequently, most of the midges and winter Baetis hatches occur there, but it collects the most anglers as well.

If the weekend weather forecast calls for warm and sunny, there will always be a few hardy anglers about. Skiers from the nearby resorts in Utah and Colorado often take a break from their skiing vacations to take in a little winter fishing as well. But in contrast to the river's other seasons, this is a quiet time of year.

The brown trout continue their spawning activity well into January most years; some of the really "big" fish expose themselves and are often more vulnerable than normal during this time.

Nymph and streamer fishing are the most effective ways to approach the river, but anglers should always be on watch for those small pockets of midging fish. Their subtle rises will announce the few best opportunities to surface- fish small sparse midge patterns in olive, black or grey.

For nymph fishing, I prefer to fish large, brightly weighted scuds with midge trailers. Pink and orange are my two favorite colors and have great attractor qualities. I fish them as large as size eight but no smaller than size fourteen.

Other anglers prefer using Glo-bugs in the same colors but often add chartreuse to the arsenal.

For midge trailers, I use a number of patterns ranging from Brassies to WD 40s in the smaller sizes ranging between 18 and 22.

If I was to single out one important tip for fishing during the winter period it would be to locate the fish before spending time fishing the river. The fish will tend to "pod" in certain areas and vacate others. So, locating fish should be your first priority when reaching the river. Then, just have fun!