Back from the Gorge..

Just returned from the annual Bennett/Daly Flaming Gorge
fishing trip. My friend Matt and I started going down to Utah a
few years back, partly to fish the beautiful red canyon walls of
the Green river during uncrowded times, and partly to escape
the wintery weather in Jackson.

This year, we lucked out and had some great weather;
sunny skies and warm temperatures in the afternoons meant
fishing without jackets and gloves. Most of the time fishing,
we relied on nymphs and streamers, although we did have an
opportunity to fish a brief (30 minute) midge hatch that
seemed to bring every fish in the river up. As with any proper
fishing trip, there were moments of glory; Matt hooking a
beautiful Brown on a streamer, sight fishing size 22 midge
patterns to large, slow rising brown trout.

There were also moments of frustration; a thorough beat-
down I received on Sunday, when I hooked much more green
aquatic moss than fish. And lets not forgot the giant rainbow
hooked in a fast mid-river seam that eventually came off
(yes, I do believe it would’ve been the largest trout of my
career). Perhaps the finest moment came in the 11th hour,
shortly before we needed to head north back to Jackson. A
fantastic midge hatch erupted, bring fish up to the surface all
over the river. I watched a beautiful brown rise deliberately
just feet from the bank, eventually fooling him with a
homegrown midge pattern. Then, I watched Matt hook up
several times down from me (the aerial brown trout
acrobatics were a dead giveaway).

After the hatch slowed, we hiked out of the canyon
agreeing that we couldn’t have asked for a better end to
another great trip!

Back here in Jackson Hole we are bracing for a winter
storm. Looks like the valley will get a couple inches, while
snow in the mountains could be measured in feet. Let’s hope
so. Snow translates to water, which keeps trout (and anglers)
happy.