Flaming Gorge Fishing

The Flaming Gorge area has some of the best fishing in Utah with a wide variety of fish species. This area is great for all experience levels--even inexperienced fishers usually catch fish here thanks to its productive waters.

Professional guides are available for trips in Flaming Gorge, the Green River and into the Uinta Mountains.

Fishing Flaming Gorge

Famous for its big trout (the record weighing in at 51 pounds, 8 ounces), you’ll come away with the best darn fish stories you have yet to tell.

You’ll also be able to catch Kokanee salmon, smallmouth Bass, and burbot.

Most of the local anglers agree that the best success comes while fishing from boats. Trolling and jigging (best fishing terms, amiright?) are effective techniques for the lake trout and rainbows. All kokanee are usually caught while trolling. Standard bass fishing techniques work well for the smallmouth, which are often caught by anglers working jigs and crankbaits along the lake’s rocky shorelines.

Fishing the Green River

The Green River below the Flaming Gorge Dam is a renowned brown trout fishery. Special regulations protect the fish and allow them to grow huge-mongous. Fly fishers love the river, but you can also find success with spinning gear.

Natural baits are not allowed.

Limited harvest is allowed.

Check the Utah Fishing Proclamation for the latest information.

Boats with motors are NOT ALLOWED to operate on the river.

Some anglers float down the river in float tubes or on a personal pontoon craft.

The river includes some mild whitewater. The rapids can range up to Class III, depending on flow rates.

You can also fish by hiking along the riverbank trails and wading into the river. Some fishers begin at the dam and fish their way downstream. Others drive to Little Hole and fish up or downstream.

The Browns Park area also attracts wade fishers. The number of fish per mile is lower in the Browns Park area, but there are still some big brown trout to catch.

The Green River is a pretty darn big river, so you can’t wade or swim across it. Don’t try. Seriously.

Other Waters

The Uinta Mountains have hundreds of fishable lakes and streams inhabited by hungry, hungry trout. Other hungry fish include cutthroat, brook, brown and rainbow trout.

At higher elevation lakes you’ll even find some arctic grayling and a few golden trout if you’re lucky.

Calder Reservoir, located on Diamond Mountain (south of Flaming Gorge), is a blue-ribbon fishery for cutthroat and rainbow trout.

Steinaker Reservoir (south of Vernal) is also a blue-ribbon fishery for rainbows, brown trout, largermouth bass, bluegill and green sunfish.

Winter & Ice Fishing

Flaming Gorge is slow to freeze because it’s deep. The upper lake usually freezes solid shortly after Christmas. On the Utah side, ice may form down into Lucerne Bay and possibly all the way to Sheep Creek during extra cold years. The area near the dam usually has boatable open water all through the winter.

You can catch lake trout, rainbows and burbot through the ice on the lake.

Fly fishing on the Green River is year-round. Trout aren’t as active during the dead of winter, but they can still be caught by anglers who adjust to their winter techniques.

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