The Green has seen water levels hit official runoff levels. More sightings of larger stone fly adults flying around have been reported; the fish just need to look up and find them once the water clears up a bit. Until then, expect heavy nymph rigs with lots of length and weight to work, as well as some larger streamers. The fish must eat, so anything that they can see that looks like protein they’ll eat.

The New Fork has risen dramatically in the past week, exceeding 3,000CFS. While fishing a river in this condition can feel intimidating, it’s doable with the right approach. Fish will sit in softer water in eddies and soft edges and will be eating. Worms are the primary diet of trout when the water is this high, and they will act on other larger, visible proteins.

The Green below Fontenelle is still holding steady as the reservoir fills up, so fishing has been extraordinarily consistent. Small midges and shrimp work well, as do small leeches and streamers. The water further south likely won’t begin to rise for a week or two, as there is plenty snow in the mountains left to melt.

The Bighorn River near Thermopolis has seen steady rises in discharge this week, somewhat stunning the fish. The next day or so, as water levels stabilize, should see fishing productivity go up. We have seen more small mayflies hatching and some larger bugs that should come into play in the next week during sunny days.