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Flaming Gorge Fishing Report from Ryan Mosley, Flaming Gorge/Green River Project Leader for the DWR
Well, we passed the autumn equinox but the thermometer still shows it's summer! I took the family out on the reservoir for some R&R this past weekend and the surface temps were still 65-67 F and the lake looked like a sheet of glass. A few boaters recognize there's a prolonged boating season on the Gorge this year, but the summer crowds are obviously long gone.Between swimming breaks, we found the fish still holding on their summer patterns. We jigged up a few lake trout from 70-100 ft and some rainbows from about 30-50 ft. The graph showed good concentrations of both trout species on rocky points with steep drop-offs and usually both species were present at the same location- one stacked above the other. Lures like tube jigs tipped with sucker and minnow jigs (Gulp minnows) are productive for lake trout, but the rainbows preferred the Gulp minnows and hit while we dropped down to the lake trout.Smallmouth bass provided the most excitement (especially for the kids) and they were hovering in the shaded portions of the shallows (see pic). A quick/accurate cast to these areas almost always produced a strike, and depending on the angler's reflexes, also produced a fish. We caught several bass up to 1 lb while casting single-tailed Yamamoto grubs (earthtone colors) on a 3/8oz jig head, using a stop/go retrieve. It amazes me how kids love to catch bass. I sense it's the ability to cast, work a lure, get lots of strikes, and the fight those fish present once they're hooked. One things for sure, they are a great opportunity to get young anglers more excited about fishing.We made a big meal out of our catch, including all species caught (see pic), and there's nothing better than fresh fish on the grill to conclude a day of fun on the water. Being the weather is supposed to hold in this pattern for the next week, the fishing will remain great. In the meantime, the boating crowds will only get smaller.....