The Green River now supposedly holds an abundance of smallmouth bass. Does anyone know if this applies to the area from the Colorado State line to Falming Gorge Dam? Are they coming down from the lake, or from downsteam to upstream?
I seem to remember something about bass coming down the Duchesne River into the Green.
I think they’ve done projects trying to eradicate them.
arent they advocating taking them all out as well as the catfish?
I guess you could say that. It is nearly impossible to get rid of them all. They are just encourging a large harvest to better control their numbers. If they get to many, they will be small stunted ones like most of the smallmouth in the Utah side of Flaming Gorge.
It sure is funny when people from Utah talk about bass perch crappie and just about any fish but trout they say they are going to stunt so catchem and KILLem…
The only reason they want them out is cause of Utahs so called endangered fish like the june sucker (Utah lake) and the bonytail and colorado pikeminnow and maybe others…[crazy][crazy]
Why kill of what will be a great fishery for fish that no one can or is aloud to catch…
Smallmouth Bass sure are a magnificent fish. I just heard for this year and last that the DWR says they are concerned about them in the Green River. I plan to fish a long stretch of it this summer. I would really like to see for myself what the situatuion is. How big are the smallmouth in the Green River now, if you fish there or know something?
Most are small with some up to 14" is all I know and most are from the border down to Green river not sure how far up they are..
Not too bad of a size, what about northern pike? Anything over 10 lbs?
I don’t know about them, the last thing I heard was a couple of years ago and they was getting some around 5 to 8 LB…
Even with these weights, I still look forward to going there this summer.
I have yet to catch a northern pike in Utah. If there are small smallmouth
and many of them, I wouldn’t be surprised if the pike are feeding on them.
It is generally believed that the smallmouth bass in the Green River originated from the Yampa River in Colorado. They were stocked in Elkhead Reservoir which is not very far upstream from the Yampa. They have done very well in Elkhead and have escaped to the Yampa River and continue to move downstream. From my experience, the highest numbers of smallmouth in the Green River occur downstream from the Yampa River confluence to he confluence of the Duchesne River. Smallmouth bass are also escaping out of Starvation Reservoir over the spillway and through the outlet. I have caught them in the stilling basins below the dam. As for size, i haven’t seen many fish over 12". The densities aren’t nearly as high as you would find in Starvation or Flaming George. If you find the right spot it can be good fishing. I have had the best success in the area around the Split Mountain boat ramp in Dinosaur National Monument.
Gee, hookngrinin, you have provided very useful information. Say, how is the fishing for the other species in the Green River where you have fished? How “clear” is the water, for the period around June-September, after most of the snowpack has melted and things have settled down? Any particular baits you have high success with?
I used to live out that way and fished the Green all the time. Echo Canyon was where I always did the best for the smallmouth, which would make sense if they did come down the Yampa. I’ve always been able to catch pike in the spring at the mouth of any creek that had clear water flowing in, but since the eradication project decent sized pike became very scarse. My best catfishing holes were always right at the mouth or near the mouth of the man made “rookeries” in the horseshoe bend and stirrup areas of the green. Once again since the eradication big fish are hard to come by. It’s been several years since I’ve fished it, but the last few times I did, I didn’t catch a single decent fish, but the population of small fish had exploded, I really wouldn’t be surprised if the smallmouth population has exploded to fill the niche left by all of the eradicated large predators.
The Green River near Jensen downstream to the Duchesne River confluence is great for catfish although most are small. I have done well using dead minnows to catch catfish. For smallmouth bass I fish any structure (rocks and brush) and use 2 - 3" curltail grubs in green, pearl and pumpkin color. I really haven’t targeted northern pike but fishing for northerns is best in the spring and in the mouths of tributary streams like Ashley Creek, Brush Creek, Stewart Lake inlet and outlet. In the spring, you also have a good chance to catch a Colorado pikeminnow in the deep runs.
The water can get quite clear in the summer if there are not any rainstorms up river in the drainage especially the Yampa. When there has been a storm, it can take weeks for the water to clear up.
Thanks again.[:)] Do you know if it is safe to go on the river in the area with a small boat and outboard?
If you are not experienced with boating on large rivers, I don’t recommend getting on the river until flows are low. When the flows are low you have to watch out for sandbars and submerged rocks and trees. The Jensen (below the Jensen Bridge) is a fairly safe area. There are not many rocks there. There is boat access to the river approx. 1.5 miles south of the Jensen bridge on the east side of the river. Send me a PM if you want more details.