Flaming Gorge help

[thegreenhornet]

I have never fished the Gorge and would like to try it this year. I would like to catch Macs, Rainbows and/or Kokes. Looking at soft water in May or June. I am not asking for your honey hole just want to know where to start.
[bobsuspicious] would you recommend Utah or Wyoming side?
[bobsuspicious] it is a huge body of water, should I use a guide?
[bobsuspicious] should I limit to just one species of fish?
[bobsuspicious] is there anything you wish you knew before your first trip?

Thanks in advance for your help. (I do have a boat that can handle big water)

[2knots]

I’d fish the Wyoming side and launch at Buckboard, they usually have a tourney around the 12th of June (FYI for crowds) I haven’t ever fished it before the tourney, early season you’ll find kokes very high in the water column and may not see them on the FF. We have caught a lot of bows on the Koke gear early on and small rapalas are very effective if you want to run 1 rod for bows. The Mack’s (mostly pups) are terrors on the green Koke gear so we stayed away from that color for the most part. If you choose to launch at Buckboard, straight across the lake and then south along that bank holds kokes, at the south point where it opens up head toward the bluffs (Big Bend) to the southwest on both sides of the river channel (follow channel on your chart plotter) as this can be very good. From the bluffs down lake on the east side about a mile is the Breeze Hill area (more bluffs but not as high) and this can also be very good. Watch the wind it can get really nasty especially if your at Breeze and need to get back to Buckboard across the big bay. I’ve always had better luck at 1.6 to 1.8 on the gps at the gorge, it’s a “fast” lake imo
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[thegreenhornet]

Thanks for the information.

[Jmorfish]

Have your Wyo. license if fishing on that side, or a reciprical stamp if you'll just be on the Gorge...and have your mussels cert. permit for your boat before you go...I've enjoyed going in by Brinegar's ramp, then trolling the Skunk Cliffs area, or Lowe's Canyon area....nice kokes....and you can always camp out anywhere off that dirt road leading down to Brinegar's boat ramp....
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[liketrolling]

Do a search on BFT and you will find what you need to know it may take 4 of 5 days reading

If you have fished for Kokanee at Strawberry the lures that work there work at FG
you need to know how to read your fish finder to know how deep the kokes are
the pup lakers are under the kokes. lot of things work for laker pups spoons are one of them, rainbow, white, green.

WY Side has the biggest kokanee
It depends on what time of year, on where the kokes are
buy a fish-n-map of FG look for the boats some guys know what they are doing some don't there has been times at one spot kokes were all over. go there the same time the next year and no Kokes.

The big lakers are hard to catch and it takes time to find them
there are some post on here you may learn something.
If you have downriggers go after Kokanee when you get your 3 kokes go after the laker pups
If you don't have downriggers then go after Rainbows are you can jig for lakers.

go here march 14 to 17

https://www.sportsexpos.com/attend/saltl...schedules/
see all the Fishing Workshop, Presented by Velocity Fishing Intl
they will sell you some setups, and may even help you.

look at some of my old post you may get some Ideas
I did not fish FG a lot last year because Strawberry was better.
and you can keep 4 kokes and less money for gas.
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