The Green River

 Dalton and I took off Friday after work and headed for the Green River in Wyoming. This was our maiden journey to the much talked about and widely known trophy trout river and we were stoked to give it a try.

We pulled into the deserted camp ground right at dusk and and as we pulled in we noticed two huge owls sitting on a branch over looking the river. As we slowed down for a picture they flew across the river and sat on a bluff over looking the river. It was interesting because there were no trees on the other side so they were perched right on the ground and they sat there and hooted at us as we set up camp. 

Then.... I was out collecting wood and I heard some yelling and saw Dalton's spot light in the tree right above our camp. I ran back and he was a little shaken up and he had his new puppy Millie put away in her kennel in the truck. Dalt explained that the owl flew back across to our side of the river and was in the tree above camp looking to swoop down and take the puppy.... He had to yell and throw sticks to get the owl to take off....After that we both knew we were in a truly wild section of the U.S..

 We quickly built a big fire and threw some steaks on the grill.

 With a side of potatoes. 

 We found an old hollowed out piece of cottonwood and it was spitting huge flames out of both ends.

 A shot of Millie sitting by the fire after things calmed down.

That night we played a few tunes on the banjo and hit the hay early mostly because we were running low on wood and it was so cold out. Way below freezing. We didn't sleep that great because of the cold and the wildlife surrounding our trailer. In the middle of the night we heard an animal cry out (maybe a rabbit) right next to our trailer and that was followed by several hoots in a row. The owls had made a decent size kill and all of the dogs went nuts!!!!

Once morning came around we picked up camp and took off on some dirt roads we had heard about. We ended up on a massive bluff over looking the river. We got out of the truck and walked to the edge to take a look. The river was big. intimidating. Crystal clear and wild. Just then as we were contemplating our chances three golden eagles came drifting up the bluff using the wind gusts to climb in altitude.  Then two bald eagles appeared and did the same thing. Down on the river we could see the Osprey's working the river for fish. We did not see a single human being anywhere...

What a sight it was.

Now we set out to fish....

 I got lucky and caught a fish on my first cast. Then it got quiet for a while. We waded out to an island and worked up and down a big bend. Kokanee salmon were all over the place spawning (some dead and some alive). The action would get hot and then cold and we fished for about 5 hours.

 Out of the 20 fish we caught, we caught 1 Brown,  1 Cut Throat, 3 White Fish, and 15 Rainbows. The river seemed to be very healthy and we didn't even scratch the surface. I can't wait to give this river the attention it deserves...

A nice rianbow catching his breath after release.

 Most of the fish we caught were fairly small but I finally hooked a huge Rainbow in a fast shallow run. 

 Nice and fat.

 Another shot

 We took a measurement and he was 20" on the dot.

Last shot.

This fish really wore me out and was a challenge to get in.

Later that night at home I was in bed at about 8:30.... The sleepless, cold night and the elements on the river really put me down for the count. I have a new zest for fly fishing and I haven't stopped thinking about the possibilities this river holds.

Thanks,

Chris Giles