John Sparger Green River Guide

New Website

2011-03-24T15:07:00.001-07:00

So after months of work, and neglecting to update my blog. I now am operating out of a new and improved website http://www.guidegreenriver.com On it you will find a regularly updated blog. Fish of the Week photo blog, and a Tying blog.

See you there.

2010 Season Wrap-Up

2010-11-08T09:14:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that we are now in early November, and this year's season on the Green is effectively over. While it is somewhat odd to realize that it's over, it is also encouraging to know that we are only a little ways away from the beginning of the fishing to come.

This years fishing was overall fantastic. With the lack of cicada's in the early season it made for more and better dry fly fishing late into the year. Never before have I seen the dry fly fish so well all the way to mid-October, and frankly it was a lot of fun. The fish responded to small brown and black ants with incredible consistency in the upper stretches. And continued to take hoppers on the lower stretches all the way until the first big storms started to happen.

July was a fantastic month filled with Caddis, Yellow-Sallies, and Hoppers. August was more of the same. And September was the beginning of the madness that carried us through to mid October.

Now all we can do is to enjoy some good winter fishing, some midges and baetis up top, and a bit of nymphing and streamers to add some spice. And bide our time until the Spring where great dry and nymph fishing will begin yet again.

It's about time....

2010-08-23T13:15:00.000-07:00

.... for a little more consistency on new posts. My new computer is up and running and full of awesomeness. I have some good pics to put up. It's time to actually make a showing on this beast again.

The dry fly fishing has been alright, not quite reaching spectacular, but still good. The fish are looking up for ants, and some hoppers in the later day. Some good fish have been caught in the last few weeks. Here are a few of the highlights and a couple good ones from the shoot with ray ray.

Some Pics From July

2010-07-27T16:45:00.000-07:00

So July has been an eventful month. And i haven't been on the net much lately. But I have some great photos courtesy of my buddy Ray Gadd ( http://rayjgaddphotography.wordpress.com ). Who came out and did a trip early in the month. I have to say they were incredible.

More to come.........

June Wrap Up

2010-06-26T07:34:00.000-07:00

So here we are, almost to the end of June, and what a month it's been. The fishing has been slow at best, without anything major to get the fish looking up, we've had to work real hard for as few as 10 solid eats in a full day of dry fly fishing. But it's looking up, we just may see cicadas yet. I have been hearing buzzers (Cicada Magnifica (17 year cycle)) as high as the first half mile of the river, and been getting a few real good eats on smaller cicada patterns from Diving Board down. And it seems like it's only getting better. Let's just hope that this weather keeps up.

June is Here

2010-06-06T19:14:00.000-07:00

So here we are in the beginning of June, and there is some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the weather is shifting towards beautiful. The sky has been blue and clear, and the heat is definitely on it's way. Unfortunately though we have yet to see many signs of cicada's. I think that I might have seen a couple holes on the bank from the Pupae emerging from the ground. But have yet to see any naturals on the water, or seen or heard any in the trees.

It is possible that we will be seeing them this season, as long as the ground temperatures continue to rise at a steady rate. It might not be too late. And remember that those years that we do not get cicadas, it makes for an even more impressive and productive dry fly fishing season in late August and September because the fish have been a little less educated to the imitations of varied terrestrials being thrown their way.

But even if the Cicada's don't make an appearance this year I am seeing a lot of flying ants both in the water and on the bank. And if they continue to be available to the trout for a week or so, that should be enough to get the fish looking up and more consistent terrestrial eats should be on the way. As well as the forecasts for an enormous amount of hoppers to be out and about. And with the weather getting as warm as it is, this should be sooner rather than later.

And don't forget about the annual PMD and Little Yellow Sally Stonefly hatch on the lower river in Late June and early July (which seems to be getting better every year), and the still possible emergence of the Large Cicadaea Magnifica (16 year cycle) Cicadas on the lower river in early July.

But for now, we are getting a good response (for high flows) to attractor style worm patterns being trailed by zebra midges, and small gray emerger patterns or small gray or olive scud patterns. And as the flows continue to subside, the fish should be spreading out into the river taking over some of the lower flow lies, and making them more readily available to the fishermen.

I have every belief that this season is shaping up for some good fishing and you should begin making your plans to come and visit the Green.

Spring Fishing on The Green 2010

2010-05-07T14:27:00.000-07:00

So spring on the Green is in full swing. And typical to this time of year, the weather cannot make up it's mind. As I write this, the sky is blue, with temps in the High 50's it is gorgeous outside. Pretty impressive considering that yesterday it was blowing snow and below freezing. This years weather has been some of the overall windiest I have seen so far.

But, not to be discouraged, the fishing has been pretty darn good in spite of the weather. Multiple, highly productive days have been had. Even with the inclement weather conditions. Fishing sub surface has been stupidly easy. I have fished basically the same rig for two weeks now. A Zebra midge, and a Ju Ju Baetis sz. 18 fished below two no. 4 split shots suspended about 7 ft. from the indicator to the weight. The flies are separated from the weight and each other by about 12-15". Once I hit the lower 2 miles of river (Starting at Mother in Law Rapids) I have been shortening the rig to about 4.5 feet to the first fly from the indicator.

While the dry fly has not been as successful as I would prefer. With a little work good days can be had fishing the usual dry fly spots. And if you make it into the lower river early enough the Baetis have been coming out from Secret Riffle down. And that hatch seems to be pretty fair, just short lived.

Good Luck out there.

It's gonna be a great year.

2010-03-31T11:47:00.000-07:00

I soon decided that my previous post was a bit hasty. I don't think that I could maintain my sanity in the real world. So I am now back in Dutch John ready to start guiding full time for the season. I cannot wait to get on the water, and spend some time with my cold blooded buddies. I look forward to seeing you out here soon.

Jonesing for the fish

2010-03-04T23:47:00.000-08:00

It's official, my cabin fever is growing to immense levels. After a stellar January of some serious days put on the water, February was a brutal lack thereof. I can't wait to get out there and have some fishing with some midgie goodness, and maybe a little Baetis.

As soon as I can get out there I will be posting some updates.

Future Unknown.

2010-02-24T13:16:00.000-08:00

In my time of guiding trips on the Green, I have discovered a few things about myself. I absolutely love everything about it. Being on the river daily, breathing the fresh air, seeing that beautiful canyon, and spending quality time with all the people who have been on trips with me. I have made many friends that I hope will remain friends for a very long time as a result of it.

But, I have also discovered a true passion for fish. Not just the pursuit of them, in an attempt to feel the tug on the other end, but a constant search of discovery in what makes them tick. In my past I had been a student at the University of Utah studying biology, and then philosophy. But the thing that was lacking was true passion. I had ideas of why I was there, but no pure goal to drive me to the point that I was willing to do whatever it took to succeed. So it was only natural that I leave academia and go out into the world.

My discovery of a passion for what makes fish tick has given me a new found sense of purpose. I intend on returning to school, refocusing my efforts towards biology, and hopefully progressing to pursuing an advanced degree in Marine Biology.

The unfortunate part of this whole scenario is the economics involved. Last year being a slow as it was not only slowed the development of my guiding business, but slowed the advancement of my educational goals.

At the moment, I intend on finding full time employment in the Salt Lake area, in order to have some savings so that I may be able to afford going back to school. I am saddened by the notion that I will have to sacrifice a season of living on the Green full time, and actually have to be in the real world for a little while in order to achieve this. But I feel that it is for the best.

I hope that this will only be for a single season. As the off time from school will allow me to guide full time from early May until mid to late August. And part time through the weekends in mid April through May, and mid August through early October. And if I were going to school full time, that would hopefully have me in a place of financial security that I could enjoy being on the river even more so.

So with that said, I figure it stands to reason that I do not intend on guiding full time this season. But as I have the intention of not being out there full time, I still intend on guiding clients that want to come to fish with me. I will just be doing so more on a part time basis. Taking the time off from my full time job in order to do so.

I hope to have the chance to fish with all of you that would like to come and fish the Green with me. Please contact me in person, either through email or phone, and we can get some dates figured out that will work for you.

I look forward to seeing you soon.. John

Wow, it's been a while.

2010-02-17T18:19:00.000-08:00

I would like to apologize first for there not being a new post in a long time. I have had some technical and motivational lapses that have occurred in the last few months, yet again I will try to remedy these problems in the immediate future.

I no longer have a computer of my own to hold my photos, and have easy access to the internet. So for now I will attempt to post periodically when I have access to an internet ready computer, but this will limit my ability to post photos.

I have been a regular visitor and contributor to an online forum focused on fly fishing in the state of Utah. And on this forum I have recently witnessed a few threads focused on selection of a Guide for a trip on the Green, most of these have included recommendations by name, and a few have been asking who certain guides are that they have seen on the river that they wanted to avoid being in the same boat as. It is my hope that in this post, I might help alleviate some misconceptions about a guide day. And possibly help sell some of you not only on a trip with me, but more so to give you an idea on how you could get in the boat with one of my co-workers that will provide a better trip for you than I could.

"A better trip for you than I could", this seems at first glance to be a horrible sales pitch. I mean what salesman in his right mind would possibly steer a potential customer away from his own product, and towards that of his "competitor". First of all, let me clarify, my co-workers are in no way my competitors, even the ones who guide for other outfitters. I believe that all guides on the Green are there for the clients first. We are ambassadors of this fishery that we love, and should ideally work together to provide not only success in our boats, but in the boats of everyone on the river.

So if this is the case, how do I know whose boat I want to spend my day in? This question can only be answered by the two people who are going to be paying for the trip. Working for Trout Creek I have seen the advantage that being the largest outfitter has. It does not have anything to do with permits, or shuttle services, or lunches. It has everything to do with the variety of guide days that they are possible to provide. Having a large staff of guides, with it's inherent problems, has even more advantages. You will have many different personalities, and guiding styles to send you clients to the river with, thereby in theory providing for everyone to have the best day possible.

This is based on the knowledge that for every client, there is the ideal guide. Just as for every student there is the ideal teacher. There is no one perfect guide, even those who are considered the best guides in the business have had bad days with people that they cannot deal with on a personality level. This is typically a repercussion on differing goals in the direction of the day, ie.. A) the guide wants to catch the most fish possible, while the client wants to catch a large fish on a dry fly. Or B) the guide wants the client to learn to successfully fish a dry fly, while the client only wants to drink beer and pull as many fish to the boat as possible. In the two previous examples, the solution should be obvious, Client A should have been matched with Guide B, and Client B should have been matched with Guide A. What then is the solution to this problem, in one word communication. Hopefully these expectations will be discussed openly at the beginning of the day, and it will all flow smoothly from there. But sometimes the discussion is left on the back burner, lost in the shuffle of getting everything lined up, and meeting each other for the first time that morning.

So in the real world, how can one ensure that the match up is right, and the greatest chance for a successful (based solely on the smiles on everyone involved's faces) day. Before you book your trip, sit back and think. You have already taken the time to decide to go to the Green, or whatever river you have chosen. And have decided to take a guided float trip. So why not take a minute more to give yourself the best chance for a good time. After all the happy success of your trip could quite possibly depend on it. Take a minute to think about not only what you would like to do on the river that day, but about who you would like to spend the day with.

You will be spending an entire day with 1-2 other people in very close proximity, usually within a 15-16 ft. drift boat. One that you likely already know, and your guide and if you have never fished with him/her before they are basically a stranger. So what kind of guide do you want to spend the day with.

For every guide there is an ideal client, and for every client there is an ideal guide. So as the client what is your ideal? Do you want a quiet deliberate guide, who doesn't make much small talk, whose every word has purpose, and that purpose is to put you on the biggest fish possible? Do you want a high energy personable guide, one whose knowledge and personality make him not only a good guide but a genuinely fun person to spend the day with, and potential friend? Do you want the professor of the river, the guide who has not only devoted their life to learning to fish and guide the river they love, but to educate on the flora, fauna, and history as well? Do you want an older guide? A younger guide? A single, or married guide? A guide who grew up next to the river they love, or moved to the river and grew to love it? A guide who has a knowledge of fine wine? Or cuisine? These questions can make your day so much better if answered.

So after you have answered these questions for yourself, it is time to give the outfitter a call. Hopefully when you call you will talk to someone with a knowledge of the staff and a desire to make the right matches. And book your trip, if they don't ask you about what kind of guide you want, tell them, tell them the answers to the questions you just asked. You might feel as if you are being pushy, but in the end, it is better that you be pushy and ensure that you have a guide that will be a good fit for your trip. Because in the end, if you have a good trip you are more likely to return, and that is the goal of every outfitter and guide.

I hope that after reading this you will be inspired to book a trip. And ask these questions to ensure the success of your trip. And maybe, just maybe I will be the guide that will be the best fit for your day. If you have any questions, and even want to book a trip with one of Trout Creek's guides. Please don't hesitate to e-mail me at spartagain@gmail.com. I will gladly answer any questions you have. The answers might be short if I use my phone, but they will be prompt.

Until then, good luck, and hopefully see you soon on the Green.

John S.

September Happenings

2009-09-29T15:54:00.000-07:00

Right after posting my last update I received a phone call from my parents that changed my focus for the rest of this last month. I am now able to go to Mexico for our family vacation, and I couldn't be happier. A full week of fishing for big game fish, both on the fly and with conventional tackle. Intermingled with surf fishing, hanging out with my brothers on the beach, and snorkeling (hopefully a little scuba) in the Sea of Cortez.

My hopes are that I will be able to have an even more enjoyable time than I am getting myself psyched to have.

After the first week of no work, I was able to pick up a few trips here and there. The dry fly fishing has been slowly fading into obscurity for the season for me. And it has caused me to have to revert to bobber watching.

For dries, small ant like bugs (mombas, triple doubles, and double uglies) seem to be working the best. With the purple triple double excelling at low light.

And nymphs, a deep gunga rig with assorted small emergers and bead head nymphs up top. And strangely enough, a deep rig with a small black wooly bugger trailed by a juju baetis seems to be working well.

Reel Recovery

2009-09-03T11:30:00.000-07:00

On Friday afternoon, I was told of a chance of a lifetime. To share my love of fly fishing with a group of men who would appreciate, and be changed by the sport. A chance to buddy up with men who are suffering the ravages of assorted cancers on their bodies.

I went in to be a teacher of fly fishing, and it wasn't two hours into the first day when I quickly realized I was the student. I met a group of men who showed me courage, hope, humility, and gratitude in ways that are rare to see in this day and age.

Early in the day Monday, the volunteer buddies arrived. Most were seasoned veteran buddies, a couple of us were newbies. All of us were accomplished fisherman in one right or other, most just passionate lovers of the sport, and a few of us were professional guides. We had a bit of a briefing on some of the men in the group of participants as to an approximation of their health at the moment. And their previous experience fly fishing. In my immaturity I secretly hoped to get one of the more mobile and seasoned fisherman. But kharma, God, fate, or whatever it is had other plans. And as usual, the end result of God's plan is much better than what I could have ever hoped for.

My first fishing buddy was Bill, a great older guy who had valiantly fought off one cancer, only to be wracked by another. He had seen many things in his life, a few he shared with me. And had the most outstanding outlook on it all. We worked together on his cast, and some of the basics of fishing with a fly. Unfortunately we never got a fish to the net, but I quickly learned graciousness when he shook my hand and thanked me for the lessons we worked on together.

We then went in to lunch, a tasty and simple meal of cheeseburgers, but the real treat were the conversations that abounded. And the smiles solidly etched in every person at the tables faces. We sat eating, and talking excitedly of the mornings fishing and making plans for the afternoon to come. Stories were shared and laughs were had. During lunch I made plans to fish with my buddy for the afternoon's endeavors.

Since Parr, my buddy for the afternoon, was feeling a little tired and needed a nap to recharge a bit. I went with one of Reel Recovery's facilitators to a small pond that none of the participants were on to see if I could figure the fish out a little better. I thought George, the facilitator, and I would both fish but he, a cancer survivor, sat back and watched me fish. And with a little help from the fish I was able to at least appear I knew what I was doing and hook a few, and land a couple nice trout.

Then after about an hour of tooling around on the pond, I headed back to the lodge to meet up with Parr. I got in and he was still in his room resting, so I made myself comfortable and had a nice pleasant conversation with a few of the others in the group. I then was given a chance to listen to some evidence of the strength of each man in the group's character. Including an overwhelming showing of true gratitude.

Parr then woke up and we headed to the same pond I had fished earlier that afternoon. We sat on the banks of the pond him casting out and getting a few eats that we were unable to land, and listening to his stories of his life. Each story was impressive in it's own right as he was a career military man and doctor, who had travelled all over, done so much, tried so many foods, and lived life as some only dream. And now he was courageously facing the ravages of cancer with all the strength anyone could hope to have. Inside, I hoped against hope to help him into not just any fish, but THE fish. And towards the end of it all it happened. He hooked into and landed a beautiful 23-24" Kamloops strain steelhead. The fish fought hard, and Parr angled him like a seasoned fisherman. The day then drew to a close and a few of us volunteer's took off to our campsite for a little libation and fishing to close out the evening.

The next morning we arrived to find that we were a little short on volunteer buddies, so a few of us were going to buddy up with two participants. I was glad to do it, I spent the morning with Tom, and Craig. Two great guys with great stories, and great big laughs. We fished a couple different ponds, and I definitely got my morning's work out in going between them to have small little anecdotal conversations, maybe change up their flies, and to give them little hints to casting a little better, and suggesting new spots on the water to cast towards. Each man got a few eats, had a couple on, and each landed a beautiful Tiger trout. And again laughs were shared, and insights into life were given to me.

As lunchtime arrived, our fishing was done for the retreat. But we had a closing ceremony in which the participants each shared something that they gained from the retreat, and it was then that I was fully hit by the enormity of what I had been a part of. After the participants shared George walked around the circle talking to each man in a very personal and meaningful way. Hardly a dry eye remained as the one on one conversations cycled through and the Event was closed with a final cheer of the program's motto "Be well, Fish on".

As our goodbyes were shared abounding in photos, handshakes, and heartfelt hugs and thanks'. I hope against hope to see all of them some time in the future healthy and full of life. But I know no matter what, the lessons I learned, and the smiles I saw will stay with me forever. I cannot wait to be a part of this again. So until next time. "BE WELL, FISH ON"

Fun camps.

2009-08-23T11:20:00.000-07:00

This last few weeks, I have been working a bit and playing a lot. When the sun has been out the fishing has been quite good. This year, largely due to the flows, we have been seeing days of catching a lot less fish. But the fish that we have been catching have been healthy and angry. I have had more Hot good fights in the last couple months on A than ever before.

When the sun has been high, and the clouds away. I have been having some luck fishing small ant patterns. Black with hackle seems to be the most productive. The lower river has been a lot of fun playing with different hopper patterns. When the sky has been angry, the Purple GT triple double has been best. But more productive is nymphing when the weather smacks ya.

The Walrus Doin his thing

Fire, Great to watch

Another Member of the 20" club

Comp is back. time for some pics

2009-08-10T17:26:00.000-07:00

My computer is back up and running and in my hands.

So to kick it off, lets put up some pics long overdue.

Good little Brownie

Salmon Fly

Fishing with an audience

Breaking in the Baby Rainbow Streamer the right way

Fishing at Slough Creek in Yellowstone

Update

2009-08-01T06:38:00.000-07:00

July has been a good month, soon after my last post I went to Montana for a week where I fished a few days on the Madison River, and then made my way into Yellowstone park for a few days as well. The fishing was fantastic, as I happened to catch the Salmonflies and Golden stone flies on the Madison. As well as some excellent gray drake and caddis fishing in Yellowstone.

After that fun and relaxing week, and expensive, I hauled booty home in order to make a guide trip for the 16th. After the 16th I worked on and off for a few days, making as much money as I can but still not quite as busy as I would hope.

I have been rowing a lot of A-B days on the few days I have worked, and they have been doing exceptionally well. Hoppers being the main source of fun on these trips.

I will be getting my computer back next week, and when it gets here I will start to update the blog a bit more often. So as always, until next time, Hopefully i'll see you out here for a good day or two. or three, of green river fishing.

Hopper madness is here again

2009-07-09T17:25:00.000-07:00

So I have gotten off of a couple days on the river, and I have to say it's about bloody time. The hoppers are finally here again on A. We have been waiting for the dry to start hitting and I am ecstatic. What a homecoming.

A months worth of little adventures.

2009-07-06T22:46:00.001-07:00

Well, since my laptop crapped out, and this season has been exceptionally slow. I have been fishing as much as possible as of late.

My weeks have been filled with a little guiding, and a lot of fun floats and fishing adventures on different waters as well as the green.

The weather in Dutch John, was really miserable for a while. Rainy, and blowy, hail, sleet. Just crummy. And when it was so nasty, I was really hard pressed to leave the house. But when I did, it was a lot of fun.

As June waned I picked up a few last trips for the month, and the fishing was somewhat less than spectacular. But better than it had been at the beginning of the month. But in the end, it was a lot better than working a real job.

After my last couple days of work in June I went on a little rally of traveling, partying, and a fair amount of fishing.

Immediately after wrapping up a three day two night campover trip for work, in which it was mostly work, and not much play. My good friend Ryan and I decided to do a little campover of our own. We launched at 7:30 in the evening, motoring through the top half of B, with a little fishing to keep it interesting. The Big Cicada worked well when the sun was on the water. But as soon as we hit the shade, it was all hoppers. The fishing was fairly good and a lot of fun.

We camped at Treetops camp, easily the most beautiful camp on the lower stretch of river. We ate well, relaxed next to the fire and under the stars, and fell asleep with visions of the big fish to come the next day. Unfortunately, the visions never quite hit fruition, But the fishing was still good. And the sun was a real roaster, My nose and face got burnt to a crisp. But with the fishing as good as it was, it was totally worth it.

On the 1st of July, my friend Daniel and I spent the day in SLC, having a good time, relaxing and enjoying being in the city for the day. I then made my way back up to DJ the morning of the 2nd, only to find the guide row cleanup day and subsequent party. That might easily have been one of the biggest I have ever seen up here. My evening ended soon after the arrival of my friends for a series of little adventures.

My good friends Tara, and Kris made their way to DJ for a little 4th of July Weekend fishing and fun. We spent the afternoon of the 3rd on Jones hole, where the fishing was a little less than spectacular. But Joners scenery never dissapoints. It was a beautiful day in the canyon and we had a good time. We then raced home for the fireworks and afterparty in Dutch John.

The morning of the fourth we decided to do a half day float, we floated the "A" section of the Green, with the soul purpose of providing Tara her very first fish on the fly. The learning curve was there, but the fish chose to not cooperate so much, But before the ramp (barely) we finally found success. A beautiful 15" brown. And I think she got hooked harder than the fish.

After leaving the river, the decision was made that I was going to leave DJ for the weekend and come hang out with them in SLC for the rest of the weeked, where we spent the night of the fourth lighting our own little fireworks display and just having a good time with close friends. Then we spent the 5th brewing up a batch of what will soon be a very tasty beer.

Kris and I then spent the day of the 6th fishing the Provo river, and on only my second trip to the Provo, I managed to catch a little brown, not so much but it was my first provo river fish. And I had to work pretty hard to catch that little bugger.

The posts will be few and far between, but I will try to keep some updates going.

The Green has been fishing tough on the upper section, but we have seen PMD's, Caddis, Yellow Sallies, Hoppers, Mormon Crickets, and some Cicada Magnificas (the BIG 17 year cycle cicadas) on the lower river. So it is still a good time and fish the Green.

I look forward to seeing you all out here again real soon.

Written Update

2009-06-11T11:17:00.000-07:00

With my computer out of order, my updates have been a little slowed.

-I have some good pictures but for the time being, Have no way to post them.
-The flows are fluctuating, with upwards of 10 degrees f variance. This is not helping the fishing
-The weather is cool and wet. We should be seeing change soon.
-The fish still eat cicadas when the sun is out, and when fished right all through the river.
-Be prepared for good fishing, just not what we are used to seeing out here.
---Yes, we are spoiled here, even sl0w green river fishing is still better than a lot of other rivers.

Cicada's are back

2009-05-31T17:17:00.000-07:00

So it's still to early to call it awesome. But we are getting some decent fishing with cicada's in the mornings. So book soon, to come and enjoy the madness.

On another note. My laptop crapped the bed day before yesterday, so my posts will be somewhat slowed.

More Pics

2009-05-22T17:23:00.000-07:00

As Promised, a few more pics from Kris' Weekend out here.

Good sized Bow

Best bow from Joners in 7 years

Fishing upstream

A cicada shell

Weekend with Kristof (Well not on a weekend per say): Revised Edition

2009-05-21T15:22:00.001-07:00

I didn't like the way an earlier post looked. So I decided to change it up a bit.

A couple weeks ago a good friend and I got to get some good fishing in. It was a lot of fun having Kristof out here to do a little fishing. The Green had started to run high on May. 11th, and since Kris was coming out to fish the 12th and 13th, we settled on a couple other places.

We'll call the location of The first day's madness "Secret Location X", we will call it "X" for short. For his graduation I helped his parents pick out a 9'0" 5wt. Scott G2 rod, and then I bought him a Flyrise reel by Ross Worldwide, and a Rio Gold Fly Line from the shop. And naturally I felt that the perfect way to devirginize his new fly rod on some really big fish, so off we went to sight nymph "X". Kris had multiple fish on landing a few, and catching the first Sucker that I have seen on a fly rod. All in all a good time.

The next day Kris, Brandon, and I went to Jones' Hole by way of Vernal. We had a good little breakfast in Vernal, and then hauled butt up the mountain to go and fish Joner's. When we got there we heard the magical song of Cicada's in the Tree's. We had a good day, multiple good fish caught. Including, my two best out of the stream since I was 17 or 18 (pics to be uploaded soon).

And as always we got to see some absolutely incredible scenery in the Joner's canyon.

Fun Float

2009-05-17T21:39:00.001-07:00

So I got cancelled today, so I was left all prepped and ready to go to work this morning. And since I was ready, and didn't have to work. It only felt natural to do a little afternoon float down the "A" section.

My Roommate Brandon, who got cancelled as well, and I decided

to go. We launched at around 12:00 pm and immediately got a good omen, We found a dead cicada in the boat (obviously fresh). So we tied on a couple different cicadas and went to work. The first cast in the first run we worked, a fish came up, munched it, and a connection was made. It was gonna be a good day.

We ended up getting plenty of good eats, landing some good average and healthy fish, and missing a few more. All in all a great day, and a good sign of things to come.

It's gettin' big

2009-05-10T21:33:00.000-07:00

It is that time again. High flows. duh, duh, duh. Okay, so it's not really that bad. What happens is that the Bureau of Reclamation bumps flows on the Green, to simulate spring runoff. In order to stimulate the spawn for the Colorado Pike Minnow. So great.

But contrary to popular belief. The fishing is not killed, just made different. The fish tend to go deep and chill, get used to the new flows. But once they have been there for a bit, they will get back in to feeding regularly again. It's just a matter of finding where they are.

Update... The cicadas are making a slight, ever so slight appearance. Could we be looking at three years in a row... I hope so..

Season's Beginning

2009-05-02T16:44:00.000-07:00

So the first few trips of '09 are done and I can say it looks to be a good season. We have been finding success deep nymphing, (and shallow nymphing for those that have tried it) in the mornings and on the clear days. And on the overcast days the Blue Wings have been goin off very well. Good fishing all around.

Look forward to seeing you all out here.

Beginning of Spring Green Fishing

2009-04-18T17:12:00.001-07:00

"The time has come the walrus said, to speak of many things; of sailing ships, and sealing wax, of cabbages, and kings." Or something like that. After months of waiting, and Hours innumerable of trying to contain the jones. It is finally time. Tomorrow morning I will be packing some stuff into my car, going North, and beginning the multi-day process of getting Chateau De Johnny ala Green ready for another fantastic year. Guide season is finally upon us. And it couldn't have come any sooner.

As far as I know, I will be doing my first trip of the year on the 21st and 22nd of April (But, that is subject to change at any time) And I cannot wait. I am excited to put together some of the things I learned towards the end of last years season together with the knowledge I have acquired over the last few years on the river. Hopefully this accumulation of knowledge will succeed in making me an ever improving guide. Both as a fishing guide,(the ability to identify, and adapt to the many different fishing situations that might present themselves any day) And as a Guide of People (ability to adapt to the clients needs and desires to create an enjoyable and memorable day on the river.)

Good luck in all of your fishing exploits, and I hope that they lead you to me and an exciting fishing trip on Utah's Green River.

New Foam Hoppers

2009-03-23T00:23:00.000-07:00

Just got bored of tying lots of the same patterns, so I played with a couple different foam hopper/cricket patterns.

Secondhand River Updates

2009-03-22T22:29:00.000-07:00

I haven't had much of a chance to fish lately, thankfully I have been staying busy with my work out here. But I have been talking to my brother, and my roommates, who have been fishing a lot in the last few weeks.

It has been really warm as of late, and with that we are seeing some different bugs emerging in force. I have been hearing of good to great midge hatches. And marginal to good Blue Winged Olives hatching. This is good to hear, as it means some good dry fly fishing, and hopefully some healthy fish looking up.

With the good weather, I am hoping to be seeing some of the similar hatches to what we saw year before last. A good early season flying ant hatch. And hopefully a good prolific Cicada hatch. But as with every year, the hatches are different every year, and we will see what it is like when the time comes.

Status Update

2009-02-21T23:40:00.001-08:00

Hey there all followers of my little rants on the goings on of my life as a guide on the Green river. I hope that this winter has treated you well so far. And that with spring on it's way my thoughts and dreams turn more and more to life on the Green.

I have been pursuing a route of financial independence that has left me absolutely exhausted, and energized at the same time. I have been working a job driving a truck hauling water in the oil fields of Northeastern Utah. The work sucks, but the money is good. And because I live rent free with my folks, I have been able to pay off a lot of bills that have been plaguing me as of late. I am now almost ready, except for saving the money for a decent down payment, to buy a new car. One that will be reliable and fun to drive so that I will be able to guide effectively and in style.

My plans for the moment are to, after purchasing a new car, to begin the 2009 guide season in the second or fourth week of April, depending on how the bookings are looking for that time. I will then proceed to guide through the month of October, where I will then go to Mexico for a nice vacation fishing for roosterfish, and a few other bluewater species for a week. Before I then head to Vernal to drive in the oilfield again for the winter.

All in all it should be a good year, with lots of fishing, and lots to learn and be gained. I can't wait. I'll see you out there.

Status Update

2009-01-22T14:28:00.000-08:00

My friend gave me the idea to make a slight update. I haven't had a chance to do any fishing for the last few weeks, and it sucks. I wish that I could go and spend some time on the river. But, I have to work, make some money, and get some bills paid. I need to do all of this so that I have a job this spring. So I am driving a water truck in the oil fields (technically gas) of Utah. The pay is good, but the hours are long, and no where near as much fun as guiding. But with the good pay, I should have the money to buy a new car in time for guide season this year. A good rig, that I can rely on to get me where I need to go, in style and comfort. Even if this means that I am going to get a bit of a later start to the season this year. For all of you looking to come fishing with my, at the moment my start date should be somewhere around April 25th of this year. So I look forward to fishing with all of you. And wish that you all have a good winter, and don't go too crazy, and get some good fishing in while the timing is right.

This weeks fishing endeavors

2008-11-23T15:56:00.000-08:00

Over the last couple weeks I have been able to get a little bit of fishing in. On Thursday afternoon a good friend came up to fish with me for a little bit. The fishing was fair considering the lack of real effort we put into it. The temps seemed to drop, and the wind picked up quite a bit. Making the fishing fairly poor.

Friday morning my brother and I decided to go wade down at little hole for a little while. We waded across at Catwalk shoals, and fished up the grassy bank. We didn't land any but each missed a few. And after about an hour or so, and fighting wind, and serious glare we took off without having landed a fish.

And while not fishing related.

Saturday afternoon, my beloved Utah Utes football team capped off a perfect season, and made their way into the BCS for the second time in 5 years. What a great way to end the week.

I look forward to following them to their bowl game and cheering loudly and proudly.

The loss of a great friend and mentor.

2008-11-06T17:16:00.000-08:00

I got some tragic and saddening news this afternoon. My employer and great friend Dennis Breer passed away. Denny was a great proponent of the fishery on the Green often going to great lengths to inform the public and the powers that be about things that affected the river that we love. He single handedly created what is quite possibly one of the largest fly fishing outfitters in the country, as far as trips ran per year.

An avid outdoorsman, writer, fly tier, and great human being. He loved to teach and instruct everyone in the ways of his favorite sport. Taking young fisherman under his wing, and shaping them into great guides skilled in many aspects of the sport.

I owe him a lot and will miss him incredibly.

Season's A Wrap.

2008-10-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

This year's season has been one wild ride. I have learned a few things, forgotten a few things, acquired a few things, and lost a few things. We were very fortunate to see quite a few prolific hatches. It all started with the spring blue wings, carried through some amazing terrestrial hatches (Cicada's and Hopper's) and ended with an excellent fall blue wing hatch. I was able to fish a lot of dries, and dial in my skills on teaching a cast even more so. The nymphing was different every day. But all in all it was fairly good.

I finally got a newer car. One that I could rely on, was comfortable, and was honestly a lot of fun to drive. Unfortunately it did have a fairly high center of gravity, and if one were to lose control. It just happened to roll very well. Lesson learned. So now I get to go and find another newer car.

Now that I am beginning the off-season, I get to devote more time to flies. I have already restocked on a few patterns that worked well this last summer, but should have time to make even more. I am now looking forward to next March/April when I can begin another season on the Green.

Been busy on the river; wish the fish could keep up.

2008-09-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

It has been a long period of good terrestrial fishing. It pains me to see in heading down hill. After five months of the fish eating the crap out of Cicada's, Ants, and Hoppers, they have decided to up the refusals. As the days go on and the weather gets colder and wetter I find myself relying more and more on the nymph game.

Through the August and the first week of so of September I was finding success fishing a small black chernobyl ant in the first six miles of river, and a larger brownish-tan chernobyl ant imitating a hopper in the last mile. But as the weather turned to more of a fall-ish pattern my nymph game has been what has carried the days.

The fish have been responding well to nymph rigs of a wooly bugger trailed by a smaller nymph of some sorts in the faster shallower water. And in the slower deeper water either a deep somewhat heavy rig with either a worm and an emerger or a small gray bead and an emerger. This is definitely the time of year when patience and persistence are paying off. We are not seeing the spring nymphing days of 30-50 fish in a day, and are seeing more days in the teens and low twenties to the boat.

We are still seeing some quality fish, this has been attributed in my mind to the improved health of the fish from higher flows and abundant populations of scuds and aquatic worms in the water.

In the evenings a fairly prolific caddis hatch has been happening in the last few miles of A through a bit of B, but the fishes major food supply has shifted back to midges and the small fall Blue-Winged Olives.

As the season makes it's shift towards the end. I encourage all to come and fish the river to get some of those lingering feelings out of your soul before the cold drag of winter comes upon us.

I look forward to this winter, tying; trying to update my stash with more bugs, and more varied. As I explore the intricacies in tying I look forward to keeping you updated with the new bugs that I am going to be playing with.

Keep in Touch,

John

Sorry for the wait.

2008-08-27T17:46:00.000-07:00

It has been a very long time since my last post. I have been very busy working for the last few months and have avoided a long time around an internet connection.

Fishing has had it's plusses and minuses since last post. After our Cicada insanity through June we enjoyed another three weeks of absolutely gonzo fishing with our "Magnifica" Cicada's. These are close cousins to the little 7 year cicada's we experienced on the upper river. They are much larger, fished with size 2-6 imitations. Have a 13-15 year life cycle. And when these bad boys are out, the fishing is no holds barred. Big fish who are educated and reserved tend to throw caution to the wind. I have never seen so many 20+ inch fish caught within a 3 week period before. These large phenomenal bugs were on the B and C sections of the river and were the source of a lot of fun.

Towards the end of the cicada's run the upper 5 miles of the a section of the river fished increasingly technical. I managed to do well fishing a size 12-14 black chernobyl ant in the first 5 miles of A, and either fat alberts, or brown Chernobyls in the lower two miles.

Flows this year have been going fairly strange, with mixed benefits. We had an extended period of high flows, and at the end of high flows, the powers that be started running the river at around 1600-2000 cfs a day. This was great, as a result of these heightened water levels we have experienced more abundance of food for the trout, more oxygen in the water, and more room. All of these directly influenced a greatly increased average health for the fish in the river. And for those of us on the river. It meant that we had less rocks that we could be hitting in the bonier stretches of the river. But these flows have been a bit deceiving and we have seen a few wrecked boats in the river. It still never ceases to amaze me at what can happen to people when they do not respect the river.

As the summer draws to a close, we are still seeing abundant hoppers around the river in the lower mile or two. This has kept the dry fishing very well for the last little bit of the day. The dry is fishing increasingly more difficult in the top of the A section. But is still very doable, providing the patience to work for fewer eats, and many more refusals.

As the fall approaches and the days get colder. We look at more days fishing nymph rigs, and less full dry fly days. We should be seeing an emergence of our small fall Blue Wings (pseudo's) which are fished well on the surface with very small mayfly patterns. And nymphing becomes even smaller and more delicate. Mostly fishing with sz. 20-22 zebra midges ( I find using black tungsten beads at this time to be more beneficial) and sz. 22-24 gray emergers, like the GT emerger, or my favorite, the gray RS2.

As always, I look forward to seeing you all out here, hopefully fishing with me.

-John

It's that Time

2008-06-20T11:20:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since my last post. But I have been busy. Booked for the most part of June. The good thing is that since the last week of May we have been seeing more and more Cicada's on the water. These stellar bugs make fishing so much fun that It's almost easy.

Cicada fishing started the last week of May, early in high flows. And since I was fortunate enough to be one of the first guide boats to throw cicada's that early I was able to catch more big fish then than I had ever before in my career.

The fishing went up and down through the end of May and in to June (mostly due to the weather). Every day that the sun was shining the fishing got better. It is finally starting to Peak.

One disadvantage lately is the amount of Wind that we are having on the river. Cicada's are very big wind resistant bugs and tend to make casting a little more difficult. And the hazards are definitely there.

All In all I believe that the fishing is going to steadily improve as the flows drop and the fish get more spread out.

I look forward to seeing you all out here for some amazing Green river terrestrial fishing Which is pretty much the whole reason that I became a Guide on this river.

Been On A Bit Of A Bow Kick

2008-05-18T16:26:00.000-07:00

Typically I don't get to hung up on rainbows but this has been one crazy couple of weeks. The Bows are all up to spawn out of the reservoir and that has made for some interesting if not retarded fishing.

It all started out at the beginning of may when I had a client catch a beautiful 17.5" bow out of the river, easily setting the standard for how big and beautiful of a bow I could expect to catch out of the river.

Then a few days later we all decided to go fishing at a little creek called Jones Hole. This turned out to be one of the most enjoyable days of fishing I had partaken of in quite a while. I started the day fishing a small black stimulator which I was able to get quite a few fish to eat, and bring even more to hand. I then broke off the last of the two Stimi's that I had in my arsenal and began to fish the Cicada (as I had seen quite a few in the area as well as heard them.) This fished very well and I landed a few more. Then as the day wound to a close. I went to the bridge and cast towards a fish that I had fished towards every time I have fished Joners. And after little success on the dry I then tied on a small neon nightmare and sight nymphed. Success!!!

Later on that same week we decided to chase some of the very obscenely large bows coming up out of the reservoir to spawn. We only did this for a very short time. But it was insane. We caught so many big fish. I felt kind of bad about catching these fish while they were getting prepared to spawn but it made for some intensely good pictures.

PS. The Terrestrials on the Green are coming. I have been hearing more and more reports of good terrestrial days. I can't wait to get out there and verify the rumors. Stay tuned for more updates.

Welcome to the new season; Blue Wings and Midges

2008-05-04T16:54:00.000-07:00

The 2008 season is finally swinging into gear. I have put a number of trips on the water in this last week all with fairly productive days.

The mornings have been fairly slow with a lot of midges on the water, the fish will rise on occasion but the most productive days will be had nymphing. I have been using a deep nymph rig set at anywhere from 6' to 7.5' to the first fly. I have had the most production from using two bead head flies with 2 to 3 split shots above. The most useful flies have been zebra midges in brown, black, and red; sz. 18. But yesterday I found a small gray rs2 worked very well (sz. 20-22).

In the afternoons, we have been seeing a fairly pronounced baetis (Blue Wing Olive) hatch that has brought large amounts of fish to the surface for fairly productive dry fly fishing. The patterns that I have been using the most regularly have been hackle stackers and different variants of cripple patterns. As with most fishing on the Green the fish are more drift selective than pattern selective. I have been fishing with different dun patterns of Blue Wings, trailed by a small hackle stacker or a small cripple.

Morning dry fly action has been happening for some of the guides up here by fishing really slow back water with some sz. 18-20 highly visible midge pattern followed up by a sz. 24-26 no see um bug. This seems to work well when targeting the so called scummer trout that rises regularly, because these fish have a long amount of time to inspect the proffered bug and likely have seen a little of everything that every passer by could offer.

There is good news however for the Terre

strial lover. I have fished dry dropper with a large para cricket and have seen a few good eats on the larger dry. Some guides that I have talked to are fishing dry dropper with cicada patterns and are seeing a few eats on the Cicada. I have heard reports of seeing a Cicada on the water. So this is really good news. Meaning we might not be too far away from the beginning of big bug season on the Green.

Good luck out there, I'll see you soon.

It's been a while pt. 2

2008-03-25T16:00:00.001-07:00

I also managed to have my first guide day of the year. It was an interesting day weather and fishing wise. The fishing was definitely spotty with certain spots performing outstandingly well, with others failing dismally. I believe that the fish had fed all night due to a full moon, and due to the cold water and low barometer were not going to feed actively all day. The fish we did catch were for the most part caught deep nymphing black and red zebra midges (sz. 18) and on orange jig-a-glo's. All in all it was a good day, with fun clients.

After spending a day in the shop assisting Denny prepare for the coming season. I joined a couple of friends on a float down B. We had a good day, despite the fishing being abysmally slow. It was however rather exciting for two big reasons. I caught a decent fish on a sz. 12 PMX cricket (dry fly), and missed two others. And while fishing a streamer pattern that I had tied earlier, it was an incredibly hot fly. I had many strikes, but due to lack of mojo, and a long tail on the bug, I was unable to land all but a couple fish.

My next post should be coming in a few weeks, when I return to the river full time.

It's been a while pt. 1

2008-03-25T15:30:00.000-07:00

I have had a couple of busy weekends this month. To start with, I joined a few of my good friends on a trip fishing the Grey Reef section of the North Platte. We met up in Alcova, Wy the night of the 13th, and had the perfunctory kick off for a good weekends vacation. (cocktails, and lots of stories) We then passed out for the night visions of fighting rainbows dancing in our heads.

We then woke up the next morning to gray skies and threatening snow. We didn't let this daunt us (for the moment) and took off to start the day.

The fishing was dismal at best, it seemed that we might have hit the river a little too early in the year, and the weather wasn't doing anything to boost our spirits. So after a couple of fruitless hours a few of us decided to take off and spent that night warm and at the bar with a couple of cocktails. I ended up drawing the short straw and had to row out alone (for the most part) in a raft, not my favorite craft on a river. We then proceeded to have a memorable night that most of us probably don't remember all of.

Day 3, We awoke to pounding heads and clear skies. It looked like it was going to be a great day compared to the second day. After a tasty deep fried breakfast in Alcova's one restaurant, we headed out to begin the day. I started the day fishing with the girls on the trip (essentially guiding) but it turned out being a good deal, My friend ended up catching a beautiful rainbow that was somewhere around 20 inches. And we didn't have a net on board so my hands got really cold.

After a bit more fishing I switched out and got on a different boat to where I could have a chance to fish a bit more. It was a few of the guys from the trip, and one of the 3 of us had never caught a fish on a fly rod, so Danny (another guide on the Green) and myself made it our mission to make sure he accomplished this feat. After a bit of fishing, a few penalty shots (shots of booze for losing an obvious fish), and one landed bit of driftwood. He finally caught his first fish on the fly (one of, if not the biggest of the trip)

I finally managed to catch a small little fish about 17-18 inches, but good and healthy and fought hard. (it was caught on a double when Ben caught his (above)). All day we deep nymphed a black flash woolly bugger, and an orange attractor nymph of some kind below. We then fished for a bit longer with limited success, until the urge to party our way down the rest of the river got too strong. We had a good time floating out, tossing a football between the boats, and just having a good time.

We then ended the day with another deep fried meal, and passed out early to take off the next day for wherever we called home. I do feel sorry for whoever had to clean the rooms as our partying left a bit of damage.

(and this was after we had cleaned up a bit, let alone the muddy wader boot prints all around the room.)

Coming Soon!

2008-03-11T10:03:00.001-07:00

I am heading out to Grey Reef for the weekend, I will be putting updates up upon my return.

Back on job.

2008-02-18T14:46:00.000-08:00

Today is a great day. I now have a plan. It is always good when you have a plan. There might be difficulty in achieving the plan, but it is good to have one.

I have set April 16th as my first day back on the Green River doing what I love to do. I will begin taking trips on the 17th if a booking comes in by then. But if not, I have a three day request trip lined out for the 18th, 19th, and 20th. I have my goals for this year in mind. Not only for how I will continue to improve as a guide. But also in how I will work towards making my situation better.

As always I look forward to seeing you all out there on the river. And I hope to be fishing with you soon.

Super Sunday

2008-02-07T18:37:00.000-08:00

This weekend I was able to go up the hill to Dutch John to watch the Superbowl and enjoy a little time off. While I was up there I decided that I had better go fishing, or else it would be a waste of time.

With very little cajoling I was able to talk my brother into going with me. We left the house at about 11:30 in the morning and got to the river at about noon. When we got there it was gusting some cold wind and quite overcast. We decided to at least go ahead and check for rising fish. We started to walk downstream from Little hole, after about a quarter of a mile we stopped to watch a few fish rising. My brother proceeded to cast towards these fish while I finished rigging up a small fuzzball. He hooked up and landed a nice healthy little brown. After he had landed his fish I stepped into the hole to try my luck. After trying a few times to see my fly I gave up and changed up to a sz. 20 midge cripple. I made a few casts in and hooked up with another little brown.

After a little more fishing we separated and started to fish different holes. After landing another 4 or 5 nice little browns my midge cripple was starting to look a little ragged. I then proceeded to change it up for a little Brook Sprout Midge, I fished this fly for a little while longer. And just before we decided to go in for the day I hooked and landed a healthy 16 inch brown.

All in all a good day of fishing, and a good bit of time spent with my brother.

Playing with Midges

2008-01-23T23:19:00.000-08:00

Over the last few days I have been experimenting with different little dries. And when I get a chance to go fishing anytime for the next few weeks the only fishing I am likely to get in will be stalking midging trout.

I have been playing around with a few established patterns and have been trying to make them a little more my own.

Here are a few that I have been playing with.

First Midge Day of 2008

2008-01-17T15:08:00.000-08:00

On the 13th of January I was able to go out to the Green and chase midging trout. I met up with another avid fly fisher in Vernal who wanted to get a taste of winter wading on the Green. Since these were my days off and I was not in the mood to fight with indicators and terminal tackle I decided that I would start the day "dry or die", I tied on a size 20 griffiths gnat off of a 10' leader tapered down to 6x, and preceded to hike towards some good water. My fishing partner for the day decided to fish a nymph rig that seems to work well for him on his familiar water, and so as we were hiking up stream to a suitable location to begin the days endeavors I started showing him some spots that I like to fish nymph rigs, and explained what the river was doing in certain spots.

As we got further up stream he found a good tail out where he felt like he could have some success, so in order to stay within eye and ear shot. I started to work a little swirling back eddy with little success. After fishing the eddy to my satisfaction I decided to hike a little further up stream to the top of an area called Coney Island. In a big pool that surrounds the island I waded in and started to blind cast to where the water was moving slowly down stream. After making a couple casts I saw a trout rise to take my midge. Because I had not fished a dry fly in months I set to hard and to fast, thus breaking off my fly in the fishes mouth, I then re-tied another similar fly and worked the area around where I had had that first eat. After a few more casts I was able to coax a few more fish to rise. After about 5 or 6 missed eats I finally hooked up and landed a little rainbow, he fought healthy and looked to be a little native guy that had spawned there in the Green.

After landing another and missing a couple more, I then called to Brandon and advised him that if he wanted to tie on a little midge dry I would abducate that hole so that he could have a little success fishing it. After he decided to keep fishing the way he was, I went back to fishing the hole periodically taking breaks to let the fish settle back down and ended up landing around 7 or 8 fish including my first brown of '08. A nice little 14 incher with plenty of spunk.

All and all it was a great day of fishing little dries and enjoying myself.

Lake Streamer Fishing

2007-12-24T11:44:00.000-08:00

This weekend I was able to get in a little bit of fishing. While I was in Dutch John for my days off, I attempted to find someone who wanted to float the river and streamer fish on what was supposed to be a day of beautiful weather. Unfortunately no-one was in the mood to go float the river except me. So I continued to work the phones, calling everyone I knew who was around and might be interested in a little afternoon fishing. It was while calling around that I got ahold of another guide who was coming into town and thought he might want to go out on the reservoir to chase big lakers, and I inquired if I could join. So a couple hours later we were on the lake chasing macs. However, for some reason or other the macs were not in the mood to give us any attention so, after a fruitless hour or so we decided instead to try for little rainbows just to feel the tug on the end of our lines. I then began casting an 8 wt. rigged with a full sinking line towards the shore with a little gold tail streamer. On the eighth or ninth cast I was taking a break and just twitching the streamer when I felt a fish latch on. I strip set into the fish and felt that I had a fish on. I fought him briefly, garnering a few good tugs on the eight weight before landing him and getting a good picture. After releasing such a beautiful little rainbow I found that I had a massive tangle in the line, so I spent a bit of time trying to get the tangle out. While I was untangling, my friend Tommy had a couple of fish strike but was not able to get either fish on. When I finally got untangled I then proceeded to fishing a little bit more. I ended up missing one fish that short struck, and hooking up with another that came unbuttoned soon after. After fishing a little longer we called it a day, A great day to break up a long drought of not going fishing.

Winter Months

2007-12-18T10:24:00.000-08:00

The winter provides many of it's own challenges. The fly fishing is still good this time of the year but the weather, and the cold make for a brutal detriment to guiding. Therefore, I find it necessary to pursue another line of employment to keep my bills paid. This winter I am driving a hot shot truck in the oil fields of Northeast Utah. I find that the further I drift into the off season the more I look forward to mid-March and the promise of a new season of guiding on the Green, my home.

For the last two years I have found what I believe makes me truly happy. To guide clients on the Green a river that I have truly fallen in love with every thing that it holds. It is a true pleasure to show my clientele the wonders of this river. I look forward to this coming season where I will get to spend more quality time on the river with clients that I have met over the previous two seasons. As well as I am looking forward to the many new faces that I will have in my boat. I look forward to the friendships that will develop out of these trips.

Unfortunately I have been unable to get on the river to go fishing much over the past month or so. The only day that I have had available over the last few weeks to go fishing was instead occupied by the need to winterize my boat. However, my next days off I definitely intend to, rain or shine, at least get out for a couple of hours walk wading, if not for a whole day of floating throwing streamers. And when I do get out there, I will write in here as many details of my day that I can including some pictures of the days endeavors.