Float trip, South Fork or Upper Green

[Carpet Capital Shyster]

We’re doing our annual guys backpack fishing trip in the Wind Rivers and basing out of Pinedale. We are flying into Jackson Hole and have a day to kill. We want to do a float fishing trip on either the South Fork of the Snake over in Idaho or use an outfit out of Pinedale and float either the Green or New Fork Rivers. We’re not interested in floating the Snake in/around Jackson as we’ve all done that before. Anyone have experience with either option? Which should we choose?

 

[TheTone]

Floated the south fork a bunch. It can be great fishing or a challenge, just depends on the fish. Some pretty sections, a two day float and camping in the canyon section is cool. Can be pretty darn crowded out times even with guides being limited

 

[robtattoo]

The Green & New Forks are a complete shit show these days. Two Rivers out of Pinedale, at last count, had 16 separate guides & boats, all on the rivers at the same time. The fishing is not what it was, even 5 or 6 years ago. State biologist has put an outright ban on stocking anything but Colorado & Yellowstone Cutthroat. The big, aggressive Browns are all but gone, as are the Rainbows since they're no longer allowed to be returned. One of my best friends lives right on the New Fork. Literally 30yds from his front porch. I used to wade fish every time I went out & lost count of the 3-4lb Brown's I landed. This year, even in late October, there was never not a driftboat within sight of his house

 

[307]

The Green & New Forks are a complete shit show these days. Two Rivers out of Pinedale, at last count, had 16 separate guides & boats, all on the rivers at the same time. The fishing is not what it was, even 5 or 6 years ago. State biologist has put an outright ban on stocking anything but Colorado & Yellowstone Cutthroat. The big, aggressive Browns are all but gone, as are the Rainbows since they're no longer allowed to be returned. One of my best friends lives right on the New Fork. Literally 30yds from his front porch. I used to wade fish every time I went out & lost count of the 3-4lb Brown's I landed. This year, even in late October, there was never not a driftboat within sight of his house

That's too bad. Many of our best natural resources are being "loved to death".

From what I read, Covid fueled explosive growth in flyfishing, similar to "the movie".

I just returned from the Keys and there was a similar story there. Too many people and boats competing over the same pressured and stressed fishery.

Selfishly, I hope that many of these people fish for a couple of years and then there are a bunch of lightly used drift boats and fly rods available on the secondary market as they go back to whatever their hobbies were before Covid.

 

[Brontosaurus]

The Green & New Forks are a complete shit show these days.

Basically this.

 

[manitou1]

Leave it to guides/outfitters to destroy a resource. Has gone the way of Western hunting.

 

[Carpet Capital Shyster]

The Green & New Forks are a complete shit show these days. Two Rivers out of Pinedale, at last count, had 16 separate guides & boats, all on the rivers at the same time. The fishing is not what it was, even 5 or 6 years ago. State biologist has put an outright ban on stocking anything but Colorado & Yellowstone Cutthroat. The big, aggressive Browns are all but gone, as are the Rainbows since they're no longer allowed to be returned. One of my best friends lives right on the New Fork. Literally 30yds from his front porch. I used to wade fish every time I went out & lost count of the 3-4lb Brown's I landed. This year, even in late October, there was never not a driftboat within sight of his house

That’s horrible to hear. I guess Covid must have drawn a bunch of people over that way.