Is the (Utah) Green River below Flaming Gorge dam worth a visit?

[Para_Adams]

Hey all, I have a chance, albeit long shot, to fish Utah's famous Green River in late September. Questions for anyone who knows that river, is it worth a visit? If I could only spend for one float trip this year and could pick between the Green and the Yakima, or perhaps one of the Montana rivers, would the Green be the best choice? And if so, which section, A, B or C? Thanks!

 

[O clarkii lewisi]

I fished A section of the Green in May a few years back and it was absolutely stellar both from boat and shore. It is absolutely worth a visit or many for it's fishery, scenary and history. I don't have intel on Sept conditions.
For me I would fish the Green anytime that I could over the Yak but when you start comparing MT rivers - all bets are off. Good luck - really all are great options.

 

[Freestone]

Green vs. Yakima?! No contest! Late September is a beautiful time to be on the Green. Fewer crowds. Cooler weather. I was there this year in late September and have also fished it in July and August. If you want the most scenic float, and have never floated the Grand Canyon, do the A section. It is stunning.

 

[O clarkii lewisi]

There you have it, the women have spoken!

 

[PhilR]

I haven't done the float, but if you go to the Green you have to go to Dinosaur NM. The fossil quarry is unbelievable

 

[Rob Allen]

Hey all, I have a chance, albeit long shot, to fish Utah's famous Green River in late September. Questions for anyone who knows that river, is it worth a visit? If I could only spend for one float trip this year and could pick between the Green and the Yakima, or perhaps one of the Montana rivers, would the Green be the best choice? And if so, which section, A, B or C? Thanks!

Yes. It's beautiful and it's got great fish..

 

[Deansie]

Definitely worth it, Sept will be a good time because you’ll avoid all the tubers and maybe even some of the guide traffic. If you have time, float the A section on day #1 and A/B on day #2…if you like to camp spend a night on one of the campsites on the B section. Hoppers will probably still be out, I’ve always had success with streamers and nymph rigs…some guides there seem to dry fly fish only, which has always struck me as odd.

Schedule your shuttle ahead of time, they only have so many people working so they only run so many shuttles in a day. Life jackets are mandatory, albeit there aren’t many serious rapids in the A section. The only real rapid is Red Creek in the B section, which can get a bit hairy right after a rain.

 

[Evan B]

I would love to return one day

 

[castsN2trees]

Fish the Green and be happy… The Yak is a fine river, but IMO the Green is on another level…. Fished it 3 times with different guides (had a client in SLC who liked to fish), section was chosen due to conditions at the time…. But all 3 trips were awesome….

 

[claude]

Love the B section if nothing else for the fact that it is less crowded. If you can do 2 days do both A and B. Have seen moose a few times in B section.

 

[Flyfishnick]

It's been about 10 years, but I floated the section before it gets into the real rapids (not sure what section it's called). Did it on my 'ol Bucks Bag 6' pontoon with some SLC buddies. I was nervous, but did just fine. They all had 9' pontoons and kept saying 'you "should" be fine' lol...... Caught some nice fish but they were awfully picky about the ant pattern so I didn't do as well as my buddies that were using their 'special ants'. Beautiful float, but have your gear together. In one day float it was sunny and warm to start, to sideways rain and ended with 2" snow. I froze my arse off, but it was still fun. A lot of pressure on the Green IMO. I'd rather hit MT if it were my 1 trip for the year.

 

[Matt B]

The only argument I could see for taking a guide trip on the Yak versus the Green or a dope Montana river would be if you live close to the Yak and plan to fish it and want to learn some of the tricks for that fun but fickle beeyotch of a trout stream.

 

[Salmo_g]

The A section of the Green is outstandingly beautiful. Worth it for the scenery even if there were no fish. But there are fish, lots of them. I'm going to be in Utah in May and am contemplating making the drive just so I can fish the Green another time.

 

[Para_Adams]

Thanks All! Any advice on...

- Is it necessary to hire a float trip or could I easily drive/wade myself?

- Any recommended guides or guide services?

- Where to stay? (my better half likes to avoid overly expensive lodging but still likes a lodge or cabin style lodging - no roughing it).

 

[Freestone]

Thanks All! Any advice on...

- Is it necessary to hire a float trip or could I easily drive/wade myself?

- Any recommended guides or guide services?

- Where to stay? (my better half likes to avoid overly expensive lodging but still likes a lodge or cabin style lodging - no roughing it).

It really isn’t a drive-up and down the river and get out and wade river. It is a park and hike a fisherman’s trail river. For instance in the A section, you access it in only two drive-up places: the put-in and take-out. There is a 7 mile fisherman’s trail between the two, and it continues another 3 miles downstream into the B section. There are some other hike-in trails in between but that’s it as far as driving access. It’s pretty much the same situation with B with drive-up access only at the put-in and a little more near the take-out. However, there is a little more drive, walk and wade access in C but it is nothing like you’d find in the Yakima canyon, for instance.

Basically, if you really want to catch fish your first time, I would definitely hire a guide. If you are only likely to fish it once, I echo what Salmo said - do the A section! It is worth it just for the scenery. I would book them ASAP! A good friend of mine who lives in Dutch John and has guided the river for about 30 years only has a few spots open in 2022 and has already booked a lot of 2023 trips. I would book with a shop or guide service in Dutch John. Try to get one of the experienced guides as like most popular rivers, there will be lots of newbie and/or out-of-area guides hired for the season. Many/most of the experienced guys live in town for the season and a lot of them own homes there. If you drive down one of the residential streets in Dutch John, nearly every house in the season has a drift boat parked outside (in the early morning or evening). With rare exception, I would never hire a Seattle-based guide to float the Yakima and similarly, I would never hire someone for the Green that lives and works 3.5 hrs away in the Salt Lake area. The Dutch John local guys are on the river every day and share info every night (within their groups). When I crash at my buddy’s house in Dutch John, his front door is a revolving door all night as other guide friends stop by when they get off the river and compare notes and ideas for the following day. (This happens in shop settings too but not likely when the shop is hours away and if you have clients in your rig, calls have to wait until you get home.)

There are cabins and other accommodations right in Dutch John and a few miles away. There is also lots of camping nearby.

 

[Dogsnfish]

Floating the A section is incredible. I have also hiked downriver from the Little Hole launch and had incredible fishing with far fewer people.

 

[Jasonalm]

Thanks All! Any advice on...

- Is it necessary to hire a float trip or could I easily drive/wade myself?

- Any recommended guides or guide services?

- Where to stay? (my better half likes to avoid overly expensive lodging but still likes a lodge or cabin style lodging - no roughing it).

I just booked Old Moe guide service based on the recommendations from others on this site. They were very comprehensive as to what type of experience we want/ how we wanted to fish (i.e. nymphs, streamers, dries) and if we wanted a younger/older guide. Seems like they really have it together. Expensive though. $700 per day. Guess that's probably the going rate now.