Green River electroshocking part 2 - more big fish and prolific hatches - with video

Here's part 2 of the Green River electroshocking report from Matt McKell, a fisheries biologist with the UDWR's Flaming Gorge/Green River Project. Shocking out of the Little Hole Day Use Area took place Wednesday night.

Green River Electrofishing Report, Part 2 – More Bugs and Fatter Fish OK, so there's no way I could have believed that the report from Monday night's survey at Tailrace could be topped, but last night at Little Hole was absolutely incredible. Again, the weather was about perfect, except maybe a little too calm...a little breeze would have pushed some of the bugs out of the way (see pic). Yes, they were even thicker than the night before! In fact, inhaling them was not even a matter of breathing deeply, you only had to open your mouth. But again, at least they weren't mosquitoes! The boat and shocking equipment ran perfectly and we were able to collect and work through a lot of fish pretty easily. Our total catch was slightly less than the haul at Tailrace, but still totaled 579 fish, including 360 browns, 205 rainbows, a couple handfuls of whitefish, and even a few sculpin. The big fish of the night was a brown that measured 19 inches and weighed 2.7 lbs. The longest rainbow measured just under 18.5 inches and weighed close to 3 lbs. The heaviest fish of the night was a rainbow that weighed just over 3 lbs, but measured 17.4 inches, an inch shorter than the longest rainbow. There was also a whitefish that was about the same size as the big brown in both length and weight. Overall, the trout were in super condition (see pics), particularly the rainbows, most of them looking like they were on the verge of bursting. Talk about healthy fish, and remember, these fish are from the river, not flat water! There have been many recent reports from satisfied anglers with comments about how the river is fishing right now. Combine that with our observations during these surveys the last two nights, and we're very pleased with the status of the trout populations in the river and excited about the outlook for this fishery. With so many healthy trout and their willingness to take flies and other lures, even in the presence of so many other food items, now really is the time to fish the Green River! Photos:Bugs (mostly midges) swarming our flood lights at Little Hole. Ian Kennedy, UDWR Technician, holds a chubby rainbow trout from Little Hole. Ben Kiefer, UDWR Technician, with a brown trout from Little Hole. Jerry Wilhite, a biologist with Western Area Power Administration, holding a mountain whitefish from Little Hole.