GREEN RIVER – Spring and summer fishing in the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Green River Region is expected to be great this year, with the Flaming Gorge Reservoir and the Green River providing angers with abundant opportunities.

Anglers are encouraged to take advantage of the unlimited harvest of lake trout shorter than 28 inches at the Flaming Gorge Reservoir. 

“Angler harvest will be critical to recovering the kokanee salmon and stocked trout populations,” Robb Keith, the Wyoming Game and Fish fisheries supervisor in the Green River Region who retired in March after 30 years with the department. “Lake trout predation impacts on these populations are still really high. Trolling and jigging small lake trout this spring and early summer should be excellent.”

“Not only is there an abundance of lake trout between 17-23 inches in the reservoir, we are very concerned about the numbers of smaller lake trout less than 16 inches that we are seeing close to most of the cliffs which are adjacent to the river channel,” Keith said. “These small lake trout are great for canning, pickling and smoking.”

Keith added trophy lake trout fishing should continue to be good and similar to last year.

Keith said kokanee fishing at Flaming Gorge should be fair and similar to last year. Rainbow trout fishing improved last fall and this winter, so the expectation is positive this spring. Anglers should find several year classes of rainbows near shore in most areas, especially toward the backs of bays and on the big flats that are abundant north of the canyon section of the reservoir. 

Anglers should be aware of another trout in the gorge. 

“We keep hearing about and seeing pictures of Bear River cutthroat between 5-10 pounds. Although not numerous, they are out there,” Keith said. 

Trout fishing should be good to excellent at Fontenelle Reservoir this spring and into summer until water temperatures warm. Kokanee have been scarce through the ice this winter, but there should be a good number of fish between 15-17 inches with the occasional fish longer than 19 inches. Fishing for kokanee should heat up in May and will produce a nice summer fishery for boat anglers. 

The Green River below Fontenelle Reservoir continues to produce exceptional rainbow, brown and cutthroat trout.

“The Green River does not have huge numbers of trout per mile, but it has plenty of memorable fish,” Keith said. “The fish can be tough to catch at times and will tax the patience of the most experienced anglers, but it’s worth it when that big one grabs your fly, lure or bait.”

Viva Naughton Reservoir may be a little slow this year. No rainbow trout were stocked in 2023 due to poor water conditions at the time of stocking. Fish were stocked in 2024 and those should be close to 12-13 inches by June.

The tiger trout state record was caught from Viva Naughton each of the last two years, and prior to that it was caught from High Savery Reservoir near Baggs. Keith said the next tiger trout record is “undoubtedly swimming around” in Viva Naughton, High Savery or possibly the Kemmerer City Reservoir just downstream from Viva Naughton.