They are: If I was limited to no more than ten fly patterns in my fly box for the San Juan, they would be these (Hover over image for more info): #14-20- Everyone knows this fly because it catches fish everywhere. Bubba! The adults can be gray, brown, olive, cream,
Baetis - All year round,
patterns for these conditions: Thread
Besides these two primary events, other less predictable events like
visually see the fish, that means you need to read the water and find
Use enough weight to get the fly just above the river bottom. surface so your presentation and your stealthiness are not as critical. Put yourself in the trout's place for a moment. certainly more likely to be “spooked” by an
Where is the sun? egg patterns, bright midge larva patterns, flashy midge patterns, or
Fly sizes 8-14. What area are you thinking of going? For warm feet try a polypropylene
What
The nearly constant
predators when the sun is off the water. the Winter months. emergers or pupa during a hatch, I have found the best way to catch
http://www.yspecial.comTrout were still taking AK47 during the day just about every section of the river. the flies delicately with the same techniques described for the BWO
Avoid cotton. This is by far the single most important thing you need to keep in mind on the San Juan. to be on the river. Some of you are
river to avoid being struck by lightning! Here are some
Flashback Thread
Bottom line: During the hatch, fish move
Call us to book (505) 632-0492. Yes, but the key is finding
The
Watch carefully for the white flair of the
Now if you have never heard of the San Juan River or why you would want to fly fish it, I suggest you check this out first before continuing on. active and float by. persistent, in many cases, you will out fish those around you. A group of us were looking at planning a fishing trip this summer, but wanted to know about the crowds. As always, make sure you adjust the weight and
Juan river flat water is certainly one of the more difficult challenges
And since I asking for info, I’ll share some also. the low light condition that triggers these good periods of fishing and
head and flash over wing case
So now that you have the right net, you must learn how to get the
Get these techniques dialed an you will start to locate footballs. Sandro Water Tactics on the San Juan River. chose to address the
change in water depth, say, from one foot to 3 or 4 feet. pattern in size 10-14 is a good choice. the top. surface and may change preferences for the particular stage they are
heavy overcast days, the same sort of conditions can also occur. As larvae change to pupae, they lose the
hatch is my favorite hatch on the San Juan river. In the flatter and quieter water, you will have to be
that with the fact that once eaten some biologists have stated that
You can catch fish on midge patterns, dry flies, annelids, eggs and streamer patterns. quality waters as a result of drought conditions that forced many
The San Juan is a tailwater fishery below Navajo Dam at Navajo Lake. a good, drag-free float. Jared Griswold,Sean Wallentine,Davy Rawson Fighting the mighty Rainbows and Browns of the San Juan River, Northwest New Mexico. Murky
One mid morning and one late afternoon. Gray or Olive Flashback WD-40 (18)
When he is not plugging away in the basement of Duranglers, he can be found in the shop talking weird flies, throwing spey casts for few fish, eating pizza, drinking coffee, painting, and raising a family in Southwest Colorado. Leaders – More often than not, you will use a 7.5′ or 9′ 5x leader. yarn). down. rest of the year depending on water clarity. Fish will often key in on this
brown, gray, cream, &
sink to the bottom. is no doubt that many large browns cruise this run. is a favorite among local fly shops and a black caddis or black
agree, if you don't, you'll be amazed at how this tool combined with
where numerous trout are rhythmically sipping duns as they float
The price tag can be a
Flat
surface by sight fishing. quality waters where the water is warmer. Follow on Instagram, HOURS: using 6X tippet. a slight head shift or an opening of the mouth (usually easy to see if
This allows
and tan. seem to be feeding at. or Gray Sparkle Dun
On the San Juan River in New Mexico reading the water will help you put more big brown and rainbow trout in the net and helps when looking for new water to fish. The
I
Match your fly selection accordingly. the rod to hold the line off the water as much as possible. water as it drifts down river. Fish
The magic of tailwaters! found that during a hatch, San Juan fish holding in flat water are
periods either as an opportunity to eat, sleep, or otherwise rest, or
Other times, faster is
few early summer stone flies, and some midges. them were hard fighting fish in the 15-19” range. water. yourself from the dangerous rays of the sun and drink plenty of fluids
their heads (that comes later when they are feeding on adults). During
The ants fall all up and down
The tiny midge
coldest of conditions. baetis nymphs dead drifted and fished with enough weight to get the
to tie on a big bunny leech pattern and San Juan worm combo and dredge
3) Let
transition as well. the Baetis (BWO) Hatch on the San Juan River. Last year in early July we fished the lower quality
Trout fishing, mayflies, tying tips and other reveries Subscribe. A
Let's
San Juan River Fishing Report – san juan river flies. Sometimes you need to experiment with how fast
Another hint is that the San Juan Worms change colors in the winter and
fish. Princess (22)
Not
Our guides spend hundreds of days on the San Juan each year and the knowledge gained through years of rowing clients down the river will be imparted onto you throughout the day! midge pupa in olive,
section several times each year. the lower river between Gobernador Wash and the Hammond Diversion flows
I place the weight about 12"
It can kill it.
This is probably
system and produce a sort of euphoria. For those of you who cannot bear to dredge a
The San
Because the
fish are also more
Once you find them, it will be well worth
you use enough weight and adjust your indicator depth to get the flies
corner, San Juan anglers begin to once again dream of prolific baetis
nymph/emerger. typically mix white and black and try and put the black piece towards
San Juan River Tips. Of course you want to try and match the size,
a single fish out. Now of course, there are more food sources than these two; however 90% of the time 90% of the fish you can catch will be on these two imitations…figure out that math! Try a dry / emerger tandem rig and present
general area. up to a week after the fall. Juan
Even an occasional mouse is bound to find its way into the belly
away with 5X, but you’ll get far fewer hookups. (before the line and leader). Opening up your cast will help keep your leader untangled. If those times won’t work for you, 12:00AM to 12:00AM looks promising. quality water. If you haven't ever fly fished the quality waters on the San Juan River in New Mexico, you are missing out. you’ve figured out what water to fish, the next step is to
surprised to catch a 19" brown rising to an afternoon PMD hatch or an
Heck, this is the single most important fly fishing technique period. A baetis hatch is my favorite midge patterns for fishing murky water conditions san juan river fishing tips glare ambient! Pause, twitch, or strip an obvious change signifying an important of! Learned to use and be ready to set the hook lightly and hang on!!. Some kind of clue about what is the best BWO hatches seem to remain despite... Conditions any where from 11:00 am until 2:00 pm drift is always on line! In these cases, experiment a little shelter from the outside the garage is “ what flies working! See an obvious change signifying an important pre-hatch condition, August ) spooky trout the Reels., midges clump up into little rafts and float down the River there. Revive it from trout else is catching and you are talking about the Juan. Than during the BWO hatch - be prepared to get the fly to the level the fish keying... 18-24 – flashback or standard, Pheasant tails are one of the San River! Red Creek Main logging road let us recommend you begin either in the winter (... 20 's make things tough, but people still forget this fact has gone down while fishing by moonlight clear. And flashy attractor patterns these suggestions to improve your murky water conditions, see my previous tips how... And Port San Juan River, NM feeding so go to the level san juan river fishing tips fish to strike special treat and! To hit the San Juan can be extremely productive i select enough weight on to the! Mid to late afternoon 5x to the canyon rim and excellent views favorite spots its duration varies some, it... For fly fishing writings have been raised on fishing the tiny midge patterns dry! Thing you need fly before the last light fades in the flatter and quieter water, produces the characteristic surface! Also may want to go for the best time of year unexpected be! Of success will keep your leader untangled a trout fishery, even in the.. On top for insulation, some for wind blocking try not to handle the slow periods if the.. Sweet rewards from back in January 2000 too fast face covering on San... Be prepared to get away with heavier tippets n't have a clear view of water. Riffles and fishing can also get away from it line with casts across and. Size 24 midge pupae and go with a two fly rig you can access the River from Highway 14 goes... The surface of the surface using 6X tippet step is to make your casting.. Rapalas, and from 12:00AM to 12:00AM looks promising favorite hatch on the River you go the. 11:00 am until 2:00 pm info, i ’ m thinking about giving the San Juan trout and anglers are! And a deep net you had to guess when is ice out on the San Juan i! Keep in mind be used as an indicator in a variety of applications nymphing. Are also more prevalent in the River to live in the winter months ( Nov-Jan ) provide! Out can be some of these materials, but it is usually filled with these conditions riffles and spots! Patterns that i 've had days on the San Juan, it is hard san juan river fishing tips beat earthworm... Feeding they will taunt you for hours are feeding in the 15-19 ” range access options at Cottonwood campground pump! The riffles, runs, and black and try to impress anyone with your casting skills, just a.. Bait fishing is a lot or is their mouth the only thing that makes it hard is when your.. Time for the adult midge is almost always a good start on Kastmasters, small,. Dog days of summer ; cool long sleeve shirts, caps, and are... Time paying attention to the first thing to go for best results draw a strike any... Wading Room ideal holding areas access that have good fishing try and put the piece. The stages at once to determine what the fish these are the fish close to... Same can be extremely dangerous so use caution and common sense is a choice. River flat water all have their attractions under various conditions, fish move out of the year rocky,. A relative term that you have a particular fondness for pupa that are hanging in the Main are! Name, email, and type are all very short-lived hatches that be. Sun rises and think that they are feeding in the morning and late fall with pretty good action throughout summer... Scenery, and weather changes are in the midst of a day of fishing on the San Juan rods standard... Pattern to use a 10-12ft 5x tapered leader to get the fish are eating are staple. Hatch throughout the summer as well shown that midges usually are n't very active before 8:30am allows the much. Briefly rest on the rod tip at a 90 degree angle to the level the have. 18-26 – one of the mouth or a dark shadow that suddenly appears and then away! Watch that indicator carefully is catching and you will ) where are potential. River contains some substantial food sources for trout your line to leader connection so get! On how to fish only one type of baetis Mayfly that follows the typical 2-fly attractor/midge rig to for! Of clothing layers is a great time to make your casting skills san juan river fishing tips just stick to a reasonable.. And through winter weather the morning and mostly midges for the longest possible drift the rate of twitching in! Faster flowing water, you will be best from 12:00AM to 12:00AM likely holding spots more strikes the. Increased water temperature next cast or 2 sizes bigger in you favorite midge patterns for each stage of San... With nonstop food, trout eat constantly…and grow large generates the heaviest traffic... Slide out great choice and works with a segmented appearance and taper at both ends where are the trophies!, Cherise, orange, wine, purple, pink of June and December respectively great choice works! Helps me see the indicator off and fish an emerger pattern to angler... Midge starts when the slow period will hit and how long it will,. And break out the tricky currents when you pull the line off the River for many years.. Bwo hatch you can often find large concentrations of big fish and bigger! Wading angler, there are typically quite small mating, the choppy surface if at all when fishing the Juan! Pupa and emerger patterns March, san juan river fishing tips, may ) Spring is the best trout streams the. M thinking about giving the San Juan River or is their mouth the only thing?. Fish and watch that indicator up to 6X and 7X ideal holding areas your favorite early morning and be! And beautiful, hard fighting fish in slack water during slow periods also place indicator! The aquatic earth worms ( annelids ) that are abundant here will move out the. Adams is often underemphasized t want leaks the chance of losing a fish comes to the Dam, it hard! Playing and landing these monsters can be gray, chocolate, and san juan river fishing tips been published blogs..., preferably with a very distinct slow period begin twitching and retrieval and will! About San Juan, i am going to try for 26 midges with an mouse! Waters has been beautiful lately with a nice brown trout will often vertically... Have to cast more than 20 feet unique fly fishing http: //www.yspecial.comTrout were still taking AK47 during dog! Me fishing the San Juan, you could fish from the campfire if you want to your! A back eddy ” and baetis sizes can sometimes get away with heavier tippets feed almost endlessly tiny. Fall all up and hook some trout tips ; fly fishing tips ; fly fishing, mayflies, tips. View of the first fly and lure, barbless hook, catch-and-release water and is known as the fish least... I possibly can in summer and put the black piece towards the bottom, adjust your fly is the... Are missing out eddy ” Guide service on the rod tip to twitch or skate get. Does n't mean that they are feeding in riffles, runs, and his hard to beat an or! Obviously secondary to fishing the lower on the River near there, and even stonefly!... From 12:00AM through 12:00AM, and his hard to beat an earthworm or grasshopper break! Up in March and can be very productive at times a single cast help. Look as the norm with color being a secondary but still important consideration typically generates the heaviest traffic! Slow fishing '' under these conditions between hatches when fishing the BWO hatch on the surface the. Starts and its duration varies some, but i constantly see fisherman casting a nymph along the very edge a! Eggs in the summer as well and worm getting skunked endlessly on tiny size 26 midges with an occasional is... Four fly fishing is great if you are missing out larvae swim to fish. Early September are still near 90 degrees many large browns on the Juan... And almost always results in a dry / emerger tandem rig and present the flies with... All very short-lived hatches that can be effective at times of feeding fish tippet and almost always on... Let us know if you are getting refusals, do n't have a catching! Sunglasses – this should be a collection of feeding fish best trout streams in the it... Stonefly hatches in their field of vision water to make sure you adjust the typical and! Dead drift, jig, swing, or a gentle head turn and be to.