Green River Day

Somewhere between Groundhog Day and Valentine's Day is the holiday known to avid fishermen as Green River Day.

The"A" section of Utah's Green River is one of my favorite fishing holes.

Known worldwide for it's beautiful unspoiled setting, this tailwater is always consistent and a prolific producer of big and colorful trout. This was to be my third visit and I've been waiting for this chance to return.

Some people think driving three hours away from one of the best ski areas in the country (Park City, Utah) to go fishing in February is nuts.

My motto: "I'd rather be fishing than swishing".

The weather had been COLD in the morning but warming up with the sun. We started out at 6AM with temps in in the teens and while stopping for gas I tried to wash the windshield. The washer fluid was like smearing icy paste on the glass and it took some defrosting to finish the job.

Trout Bum 2 has a 1/2 day trip this time of year and we had two boats reserved. Our guides Tom & Charles were on time and ready to go.

After getting rigged up and decked out we were ready to catch some fish!
In our boat we started out with a nice brown.

Tom & I with one of our three doubles!
Here Tom has a nice brown and I have a rainbow.

Joe and Mark had some luck too. This cut-bow won the prize for the best dressed fish.

Check out the colors on this beauty!

Two Toms and twin browns. The colors on these fish ranged from butter yellow to blue-green with characteristic red spots.
Tom took the size-prize with this big rainbow.

After fishing tiny midge larva all day, our guide Tom Knight handed me a 9-1/2' Sage 6-wt rod with a sinking tip line and a huge wool head sculpin streamer.

He instructed me to "pound the banks" and strip in erratically. He also said "Big fly - Big fish".

My other motto: "Always listen to your guide!"

We all had a great time and for the record - Lord willing - "I'll be back"