Put a Fork in Me

I watched the weather report all week.  40% chance of rain, then down to 30%, then back up to 60% the day before we left.  Yes, put a fork in me.  I'm done planning these trips where the hatch is missed or Mother Nature unloads on us.  But, to the Fork we went, Henry's Fork.  With everything in the area blown out with high water and mud, our little section below Ashton Dam grew quite the crowd.  Gear Guide Wyatt became Oar Boy for the first 3 miles.  Then promptly kicked our butts with fish.  While he was busy snagging fish, I was trying to steady the ship with rain stinging my face.  Sweets just smiled and cinched down her hood.... she never complains.  Salmon flies?  Leave when you read this, and you'll hit it just right.  With the rain, we didn't dare bring the camera out, so these will have to do....

Did I mention it snowed the night before.  Here's the trout mobile just before we left Driggs

Cast...

... catch a fish...

...it's not that hard...

The Trouts didn't get the Memo

The Green River is famous for 3 of it's hatches; winter midges, Blue Winged Olives, and Mormon Crickets (Cicada's have been nonexistent of late, so we won't go there).  BWO's show up as early as the beginning of April and stick around well into June.  The Evening Hatch usually pays the hatch a visit around the end of April when fish are feeding off the top, without a care in the world.  Last weekend was our vist... and surprise.  We arrived with 20mph winds blowing knots into every cast.  We figured it was going to be a day of nymphing and lots of weight in the now 4600 cfs water level.  We fished all day and noticed there was something missing, the fish never fed on top.  Chalk it up to the wind?  There were bugs all over the water.  Day two, no wind, snow, sunshine, snow, no fish on top, and still bugs all over the water.  We managed to pick up fish... nymphing.... again.  C'mon, this is April 30th, there were bugs all over, what was up with the fishes?  This was literally the craziest BWO hatch I've seen on the Green.  Gear Guide Wyatt was pimping some new Simms gear and the new Rio Gold line, and was high rod for the weekend.  Fun? Yes.  Fish? Yes.  Bewildered? Yes.  Going back? Yes...... maybe terrestrial patterns in late May....after a morning of streamers and midges...

 Any wonder why they call it the Green River?

 The Baetis were doing their thing, the fish were not

 The Tree Sparrows were about the only thing feeding on top.  With the wind, they could hover close to the surface and pluck the bugs as they surfaced

 Gear Guide Wyatt with a nice toothy Brown

 This Brown put his shoulder into Sweets' Sage.