Practical note
Green River fishing checks below Flaming Gorge
This named Green River reach combines size-based trout limits, method restrictions, split access management, and live-condition checks.
Official path
Open the current office, form, or map
Forms, deadlines, office instructions, and maps can change. Confirm the step on the current public page.
Before fishing the Green River below Flaming Gorge Dam, check four things separately: your Utah license, the rule for the named reach, the manager for your access point, and same-day river conditions. A person age 12 or older needs a Utah fishing license. Someone under 12 may fish without one and take a full limit. Free Fishing Day changes the license requirement, not the rest of the fishing rules.
The 2026 Utah Fishing Guidebook gives the Green River from Flaming Gorge Dam downstream to the Colorado state line in Browns Park, including Gorge Creek at Little Hole, its own rule. The trout limit is three: two under 15 inches and one over 22 inches. Trout from 15 through 22 inches must be released immediately. Only artificial flies and lures are allowed, and you may not fish from a boat with a motor.
Burbot, northern pike, smallmouth bass, and walleye have no limit on this reach. They may not be released and must be killed immediately. Those details come from the current DWR guidebook, not an access-site page. DWR also keeps a revisions section for changes made after publication, so check it before each trip.
The river corridor does not have one access manager. Ashley National Forest administers the Green River section within Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area below the dam. Farther downstream, Indian Crossing Campground in Browns Park is a Bureau of Land Management site handled by the Vernal Field Office. Use the page for your exact launch or campground to check parking, fees, fire restrictions, and closures.
USGS station 09234500, Green River near Greendale, can show timestamped discharge, gage height, water temperature, and specific conductance when those readings are available. The observations are provisional and may be revised. They do not tell you that a launch is open, a boat trip is safe, or the fishing will be good.
Before leaving, open DWR’s current guidebook page and read the fishing revisions. Save the rule for this reach, confirm the manager for the access point you chose, and check the timestamp on the Greendale station. Keep those live checks separate: a valid license does not settle the water-specific rule, and a flow reading does not settle access or safety. For the statewide license and current-rule route, use Utah hunting and fishing licenses.
Official sources
Reviewed against these sources on July 29, 2026.
- Utah Division of Wildlife Resources - Fishing license rule R657-13
- Utah Division of Wildlife Resources - Current guidebooks and revisions
- Utah Division of Wildlife Resources - 2026 Fishing Guidebook
- Ashley National Forest - Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area
- Bureau of Land Management - Indian Crossing Campground
- U.S. Geological Survey - Green River near Greendale
Connected places
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