First Trip to The San Juan:

After many unfulfilled and scraped plans over the last 10 years, In late June of 2022 I finally made my first fly-fishing trip to the world-famous tail-water section of the San Juan River in Northern New Mexico. I was fortunate enough to meet up with a buddy of mine who is intimately familiar with this unique fishery and he was gracious enough to show the me the ropes for a few days on the river. Although the fishing was very slow by this river’s legendary standards, and it was bloody hot as well, I still came way very impressed with its potential to produce a lot of very big and strong Rainbow and Brown trout.

As far as my success on this inaugural trip to “The Juan”, I did manage to pick up a few fish on a float trip down river one evening. Floating down river in a drift boat with a super knowledgeable fly-fishing guide was very relaxing and a great way to see and feel the vibe of the river up close and personal. You can see some photos below of the float with a few nice Browns picked up by my buddy, Clay. I was also pleasantly surprised by the abundance of wildlife I saw heading down river including Mule deer, Beavers, Turkeys, Ospreys, and a Bald eagle.

Understanding The Environment:

The tailwater section of the San Juan River is a unique ecosystem that also has common characteristics found on other tailwaters in the Western USA. As a result of the water being released from the bottom of the Navajo Dam, the river maintains a fairly consistent temperature and provides an ideal habitat for cold water loving trout. And like other tailwaters, the flows are subject to changes because of seasonal demands. I was told the ideal flows for fly-fishing and wading are about 1,000 cfs but they are occasionally bumped up to as high as 4,000 cfs. By the way, this is strictly a catch and release fishery only with artificial flies and is actively managed by the New New Mexico Dept Of Game And Fish.

Flies & Gear:

Because of the chilly water, the average temp is approximately 45 degrees, you definitely will want to bring and wear waders when wading out along the banks or exploring the many channels along the river.

As far as rods, A lightweight, fast-action 5 or 6 weight rod in the 9 to 10-foot range with a weight-forward floating line seems to be a good all around choice.

With midges being a major source of fish food on this river, Its recommend to bring a variety of small midges and small emerger patterns. We are talking about midges and emergers in sizes from 18-26. Consequently, with these small flies it is also recommended to try using fluorocarbon tippet in 5x to 7x size when nymphing to increase your chances of establishing a natural drift and fooling these very selective and educated trout. A 7.5 to 9.5 foot 5x leader seems like a good choice leader wise.

Its worth noting, there are a few very local and convenient fly-shops near the Old Abes Motel right off Navajo Dam road that are well stocked with all the top producing flies so its a good idea to stop by and patronize these businesses when you visit. There is also a fun and friendly bar in this same immediate area called “The Sportsman” that has good food and that I highly recommend visiting for a cold beer…or two.

As far as attractor flys, the venerable and the rivers name’s sake San Juan worm is always a “go to” top fly on this river. I personally did not use a worm on this trip, but I am very farmilar of how effective it can be on tailwater fisheries. I have read that egg pattern can alos be veru effective.

Streamer Fishing:

On my first visit I actually did a lot of streamer fishing as my buddy was trying his best to put me on one of the massive Brown trout that prowl these waters. I had a 7-weight rod set up with a sinking tip leader and was chucking and stripping in a huge articulated white streamer. We spent a lot of time drifting near and past some overhanging banks in the early evening till sundown but other than a few follows no Browns in the net. I did pick up a few decent Rainbows though…

Dry Fly Fishing:

I did get a chance to cast some dry flies to a few rising trout on a float down river one evening. I forget the main fly we were using, but I believe it was a small Parachute Adams type fly. The action was very sporadic as we drifted down river but I did manage to hook up with one Rainbow. I was told by a a very knowledgeable guide we were with that this time of year there can be some great Blue Wing Olive hatches occurring that can produce some excellent dry fly-fishing on the San Juan.

Conclusion:

Although my first trip to the San Juan was relatively short and with only limited success because of the slow fishing, I have already decided that I am putting this fishery on my yearly list of fly-fishing trips because of its potential. Its a beautiful river and its clear to me that you have a real chance here of hooking up with 18 to 20 inch plus fish on a regular basis under the right conditions.

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Ray casting to rising trout on an evening float on the San Juan River.

Clay Striping streamers up against the banks with Duranglers Guide, Pat Garland. I highly recommend Pat. You can follow and contact Pat @ timefliesanglingllc