Weber River Fishing Report

Due to COVID-19, Utahns are expected to stay home whenever possible. The directive includes specific instructions for all individuals, as well as high-risk individuals (60 years and older and those with serious underlying medical conditions), and children. The directives regarding hygiene, gatherings, travel, and outdoor recreation are effective immediately.

According to the State of Utah, traveling to engage in recreational and outdoor activities is considered essential travel, therefore I am updating our fishing reports. Morgan and Weber County have both issued the same stay at home order that the State of Utah has issued. Summit County is currently not allowing recreational visitors to visit the county for any sort of outdoor recreation or camping.

Spring is here and the days are much warmer than they have been. This has been making the fish a whole lot happier. Above Rockport Reservoir, the Weber is beginning to open up and flows are around 81 CFS, but be mindful that the daytime heat can cause snow to melt and the river to become cloudy with runoff as the day progresses. Water releases from Rockport Reservoir are at 162 CFS. By Coalville the river is flowing at 218 CFS. Below Echo Reservoir the Weber is flowing at 230 CFS. The river is flowing at 525 CFS along I 84 near Mountain Green and at 497 CFS once it gets to Ogden. Current snowpack in the Weber River Drainage is sitting at 99 percent of normal.

Flows along the Weber River are great for fishing right now, making it a viable option to sneak away from the crowds on the Provo River. You might not see a midge hatch or Baetis hatch as thick as you can find elsewhere, but you will find a lot more solitude.

If you are fishing the Weber, bring sow bugs (16-18), zebra midges (18-22), other assorted midges (18-24), Baetis nymphs (18-20), caddis larva (16-18), and some small streamers like a Zonker or Sculpzilla in white, olive, or black.

Small Stream Fishing Report

Due to COVID-19, Utahns are expected to stay home whenever possible. The directive includes specific instructions for all individuals, as well as high-risk individuals (60 years and older and those with serious underlying medical conditions), and children. The directives regarding hygiene, gatherings, travel, and outdoor recreation are effective immediately.

According to the State of Utah, traveling to engage in recreational and outdoor activities is considered essential travel, therefore I am updating our fishing reports.

With Spring making its way into Utah, it is time to test out some of our smaller fisheries. With the warming temperatures, expect runoff to make freestone streams cloudy and unfishable as the day progresses. If you are headed to a freestone, plan to go early or on a colder day. Access to a lot our smaller tailwater and freestone rivers will also be limited because of snow. With that being said, there are some areas in Northern, Central, and Southern Utah that are accessible to fish. Look for fisheries with paved access if you are planning on venturing out and let someone know where you are planning on going incase you are headed somewhere without cell service

The high pressure has broken and storms have been making their way through. Check the weather before venturing out to remote areas. Snowpacks are still sitting around 100 percent of normal across the state.

When venturing out on Utah’s small streams in the early season, it is good to have a variety of flies in your arsenal. Depending on where you are at you might find midges, blue wings, Skwalla Stones, or even an early caddis hatch. Being runoff season, fish will also be willing to eat a San Juan Worm. If you aren’t productive with any of those flies, try to swing a streamer through some of the deeper runs.

Green River Fishing Report

Signs of Spring are starting to show up on the Green River in Utah. There is some snow forecasted for later this week and weekend, but we are still seeing highs in the 40’s and low 50’s. Snowpack is currently sitting at 102 percent of average in the Upper Green River drainage and 111 percent of average in the Lower Green River drainage. The daily average release out of Flaming Gorge Reservoir is currently at 2,150 CFS. The current flow pattern is a double peak in flows. At 6 AM the flows are increased to 2,700 CFS and then they drop around 1 PM to around 1,300 CFS. The flow increases again to around 2,700 CFS around 5 PM then drops back to 1,300 CFS at midnight. It is expected to remain there until the end of March. The water currently being released from the dam is around 39 degrees Fahrenheit.

The streamer fishing continues to be decent, but there has been a bit more pressure on the river than a few weeks ago. My best colors have been ginger, white and gold, olive and copper, gray, and black. A decent midge hatch is happening during the warmest part of the day. Look for fish to be rising in the slower seams and eddies. We have also seen a few blue wings starting to show up, but don’t expect a great Beatis hatch for a few more weeks. For nymphs this time of the year, you will want to have small gray scuds (18-20), small gray and brown WD 40’s (20-24), gray soft hackle (18-20), zebra midge (18-20), Frenchie (16), Prince Nymph (16) and a variety of San Juan Worms from Secret Riffle down.

With the warming temperatures, Red Creek has been running off color. On most days, the lower river is still fishable. Especially with darker colored streamers. Below Indian Crossing there has been quite a bit of moss floating in the river. This has made the streamer fishing down on C a little difficult, but still manageable.

Southwest Wyoming Fishing Report

There are some signs of Spring making their way into Southwestern Wyoming. Some of these signs include melting snow, mud, and run off on the warmer days. If you are going to head this way, dress warm and expect to still find frozen guides throughout the early morning hours. If you are wade fishing be mindful of where you are driving. Icy and snowy roads in the morning can become mud pits in the afternoon. Flows below Fontenelle Reservoir are around 892 CFS. Snowpack in the Upper Green River drainage is currently sitting at 102 percent of normal and 111 percent of normal in the Lower Green River drainage.

With the warming temperatures, expect the Green River to start turning off color from Slate Creek down. River temperatures are still quite cold so think scuds and midges if you are nymphing. Expect fish to be holding in drop offs and deep seams. Some Baetis are starting to show up, but they won’t be of much significance for a few more weeks. Streamer fishing has been decent. White and gold, ginger, olive and copper, and black have been my go to colors up North.