This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Ryan Kelly with Flaming Gorge Resort sent in this report for the Green River below Flaming Gorge for the week of Dec. 10th, 2012Flows: Double Peak varying between 800-2800. From about 8:00 am to 4:00 pm the water is around 800. If you are fishing outside of this time frame be aware of rising and falling water levels.Hatch: Few Midges, eggsWe are on the latter end of the spawn which means there are a lot of eggs in the water. Late spawners are building nests which break loose a lot of the eggs from the early spawners. With the addition of so many spawning rainbows there are more eggs than normal. While the fish are mostly keyed in on eggs, this is the time of year when streamer fishing starts to turn on. Winter streamer fishing can be super productive. With the fish more lethargic I usually find slower strips to be most effective. Streamer fishing is about varying speeds and finding the one the fish are keyed on that particular day. With less people out the opportunity to find big fish exists. Be patient and very observant. The first fish to spook are usually the bigger fish, thus the reason they are bigger. Take time to look around for bigger fish versus trying to catch the first available fish. My best dry fly fishing has been on what I like to call my Chernobyl ladybug. It's made with a thingamabody that I color with a black head and a giant orange body. I think they eat it for a floating egg. No matter the reason, it does provide some top water fun in a time where surface feeding is limited. I included a picture of one in this weeks pics.