Green River

The Green River below Flaming Gorge Dam is the tailwater that anglers fly across the country to fish. Cold, clear water released from deep in the reservoir runs through the red sandstone walls of Red Canyon, and the seven miles between the dam and Little Hole — the A Section — hold one of the highest trout densities in the United States, with estimates north of 10,000 fish per mile in the best stretches. These are wild brown trout and rainbow trout, not stockers, feeding in water so clear you can pick out individual fish on the bottom and watch them decide whether to eat. A handful of Colorado River cutthroat trout round out the catch. It is sight-fishing in the truest sense, and it is humbling.

The river fishes in three distinct sections. The A Section is the famous one — gin-clear, technical, and crowded, best fished on foot from the paved trail that runs from the dam to Little Hole, with scuds, sow bugs, and midges under an indicator the year-round staple. Below Little Hole the B Section opens into bigger riffles and boulder runs down to Browns Park, where most anglers float and the fish spread out enough that covering water with a hopper-dropper or streamer pays off. The C Section drifts through the open meadows of Browns Park toward the Gates of Lodore and the Colorado line — quieter, warmer in summer, with fewer but larger browns. Flows are dam-controlled and usually stable, but the dam can ramp releases for downstream water delivery, so check the Greendale gauge before you commit to wading the A Section.

The signature event is the cicada hatch in late May and June, when the bugs drop off the canyon walls and big browns lose all caution and crush a foam fly slapped against the bank — the most exciting dry-fly fishing of the year, though the window is short and timing is everything. Outside of that, the Green is a year-round fishery thanks to the cold, consistent tailwater flows: midges in winter, BWOs in spring and fall, PMDs and caddis through summer. Dutch John is the hub, two miles from the dam, with fly shops, guides, and lodging, but the A Section sees heavy pressure on summer weekends — go midweek, fish early, or drop into the B and C Sections if you want room to move. Felt or studded soles help on the slick canyon cobble.