Green River Fishing Report

Flows have remained the same on the Green for the past couple of weeks. Words of the peaking of flows are starting to make their rounds. It will either happen before Memorial Day Weekend or after it. I will update you posted once I get word. The nighttime flow is 950 CFS, it increases to 2,025 CFS at 8 AM, and then to 2,500 CFS at 5 PM. The Upper Green River Drainage is sitting at 100 percent of average snowpack and the Lower Green River Drainage is sitting at 89 percent of average. River temperatures are around 46 degrees Fahrenheit.

With the constant changing of the weather patterns, fishing can be fantastic or just good. In the mornings and the afternoons the midge hatch has been pretty thick. The Baetis hatch is starting to taper off, but on a rainy day you can still see a fantastic hatch. Fish are still honed in on midges and scuds in the morning. In the afternoon, the fish are feeding on the baetis moving around. The streamer bite has still been pretty good on the Upper River on overcast days with the white Sculpzilla, the Articulated Goldie, and the Olive Peanut Envy. There has been some cicada activity and more and more fish are starting to eat the big bug, but not enough to sound the alarms.

Due to melting snow up in Wyoming, Red Creek is flowing and the lower river is pretty off color. Therefore, the fishing has been consistently inconsistent on the lower river. If the river clarity is good, the streamer bite has been decent and you will see fish feeding on baetis in the afternoons.

For dry dropper fishing, I am always a fan of the Chubby Chernobyl Ant. Mainly because it is ridiculously easy to see, but even during this time of the year a fish will occasionally eat it. I am fishing either a zebra midge or baetis between 2 to 3 feet below the dry.

There is no shortage of flies that will catch a fish during a midge or baetis hatch. Some of my favorite dries are a peacock cluster midge, Matt’s Midge, the Mother Shucker, CDC Baetis Dun, the Film Critic, or a Baetis Cripple.

When I am nymphing on Upper A, I’m fishing a small gray scud and a zebra midge. Once the Baetis hatch gets going on Lower A and Upper B, I am still nymphing a zebra midge because of all the midges still around and a baetis emerger. The Radiation Baetis and a Flashback Pheasant Tail have been my go to emerger patterns lately.

Provo River Fishing Report

The Provo River Drainage is looking at a snowpack that is 164 percent of average. This is great news, given the past few years. Check the weather and layer accordingly. It could be 70 degrees or it could be 20 degrees on the river. Flows are beginning to increase on the Provo, but are currently at great levels for fishing. On the Middle Provo, releases out of the Jordanelle Reservoir are at 326 CFS and the flows at Charleston are at 365 CFS. Below Deer Creek Reservoir the flows are at 459 CFS. The river temperature is around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The Upper Provo is high and off-color due to Spring runoff.

The midge hatch is still around, but not as intense as it was a couple of weeks ago. The baetis are also still showing up on cloudy days. Mayflies love riffles so if you see any sign of baetis (bugs that look like sailboats on the water) you should get to a riffle tail out as soon as possible. In that water you can fish dry flies, swing soft hackles, or nymph. There are also some Skwala stoneflies that show up on some bright sunny day. Keep an eye out for those.

Flies I like this time of year:

Dries: Cluster midge, Matt’s midge, CDC baetis dun, and Baetis cripple.

Nymphs: Juju Baetis, zebra midge, cardinal midge, and a sow bug.

If you are fishing streamers, I always go small on the Provo. Sculpzillas and Zonkers in white, black, or olive are my spring time favorites.

Weber River Fishing Report

Water releases from Rockport Reservoir are at 86.5 CFS. By Coalville the flows are around 161 CFS. Below Echo the Weber is flowing at 190 CFS. Throughout the I 84 canyon the Weber picks up a lot more water and is flowing at about 1,460 CFS once it gets to Ogden. Snowpack in the Weber River Drainage is sitting at 158 percent of normal. Due to snowmelt the Upper and Lower Weber are kind of out of the picture for fishing, but it is game on between Wanship and Coalville.

The Mother’s Day Caddis have arrived. Look for rising fish, especially in the evenings. I like to present a size 16 or 18 Matthew’s X caddis to these fish. If fish aren’t rising on the Weber, they love sow bugs, especially the tailwater sow in a size 16 or 18. Don’t forget to cover the subsurface caddis activity with something like a size 18 birds nest, a smaller prince nymph, or some other caddis larva of your choice. You will see some baetis activity, but not nearly as much as you will find on the Provo. Usually a purple or natural juju baetis in a size 18 will do the trick. There is also some spring midge activity on the Weber. Again not nearly as much as on the Provo, but fish will hone in on smaller gray and dark midges earlier in the day. I would cover that activity with a size 22 gray WD40 or a smaller zebra midge. I have also heard of a few people throwing streamers on the Weber. The white or natural zonker as been the streamer of choice for those anglers.

Small Stream Fishing Report

With Utah sitting somewhere between 96 and 297 percent of average snowpack, snow is still the major issue when it comes to access on many of Utah’s smaller streams. Focus on tailwater fisheries or spring creeks as well as rivers with paved roads leading to them.

May is a great time to be adventurous. The Provo is busy with the baetis and midge hatches popping off. Baetis and midges are hatching on a lot of other rivers as well. Who knows, depending on where you are at, you might stumble upon a Stonefly or early caddis hatch or maybe even cicadas. When exploring, be mindful of the weather and that if a river is crystal clear in the morning, runoff could cause it to become unfishable in the afternoon.

I like to fish small streams with a dry dropper rig this time of the year, unless fish our rising. If they are rising you should probable tie on something that matches the hatch. Some of my favorite point flies are a peacock cluster midge in a size 16 or a Paracricket or PMX in a size 12-14. It terms of droppers, I like a size 18-20 zebra midge, size 18 pheasant tail, or a size 16 prince nymph. If you are fishing streamers, think smaller. A Scuplizza or Zonker in white, black, or olive should do the trick.