The undiscovered upper Green River

By Matt Selders, Four Seasons Flyfisher

(Reprinted from Utah Outdoors magazine, Sept., 2002)

One of the few streams in the West to remain yet undiscovered is the upper Green River.  Located just a few miles from Kemmerer, Wyoming, this river is a shorter ride than the more famous sections of the Green.  It is one of the best big fish rivers I have ever been to.  There are cutthroats, rainbows, browns, whitefish and the occasional kokanee.  Trout average 18-24 inches up here.  The fall is a great time to really get into some of these big pigs.   Occasionally you hook a fish that you never see.  They just rip line off of the reel until either the hook rips out or the line breaks.

These fish become very aggressive in the fall.  The top few miles is closed during the kokanee spawn but the best sections are still open.  Downstream for Fontanelle Dam, about five miles is the Seedskadee Wildlife Refuge.  There are bigger fish down here. 

Big flies really do catch big fish here.  Don’t expect to catch 40 fish a day here.  However, 10-15 hawgs is a lot more fun any day.  The best flies are autumn splendor, yellow yummies, flash fry, zonkers, and double bunnies.  Don’t bother bringing your 4 weight fly rod.  5 weight or larger will be good, with a 7 weight being the best.  Tippets should be no lighter than 6 pound test.  These fish will break you in half if you don’t horse them a little.  Bring them to net as fast as possible to avoid injury.

Late September through late October will be the best times to fish.  Fish as late and as early as you like and cover a lot of water.  Have Fun!

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