The Green River is Great in September

By Dennis Breer, Trout Creek Flies

September gives visiting anglers the best the Green River has to offer. Beautiful fall colors will adorn the mountain and riverside vegetation, optimal river conditions and fishing that will be good enough to please most any angler are just a few of the highlights.

Fall Baetis and midge adults will return when the heat of the summer fades to cooler fall weather. These aquatic hatches along with caddis and a plentitude of terrestrials will mean that the river has a full plate of food to offer the trout and an abundance of angling opportunities for visitors.

All techniques will catch fish at this time of year. But especially nice (because water temperatures are controlled through the Flaming Gorge dam) the opportunities to dry fly fish for rainbow and brown trout will continue through much of the fall. Fall brown trout will be working aggressively to gain as much weight as they can before the spawning season in November and December, making them especially venerable. Fly pattern selection can vary as widely as from midges to Chernobyl Ants, but attractor flies such as Stimulators and various Trudes are also a great approach to angling success.

Though the numbers of visitors to the river stays high into mid September, their makeup is different when compared to other river users encountered during the summer months. Except for weekends, most of the rafters are gone after Labor Day weekend (most schools will be back in session by then) leaving the group that remains comprised mostly of serious anglers.

While I have learned to accept other river user groups on the river through the years, it is nice to have the bustle and noise associated with them finally fade. One word of warning about possibly the most all around ideal month on the Green River, it is fast approaching the time when the weather can turn to the first signs of winter, be sure you are prepared for all the possibilities. Then all that is left to do is to just be prepared to catch lots of fish.