San Juan River Fishing Report & News
April has seen more than just rain showers. The beginning of the month brought more snow. It didn’t last but was not expected Temperatures are on the rise now and the fishing is good. The water is still murky but clearing a little. Some comments we have heard is the fishing is not good. Our San Juan river guides are catching 15 to 30 fish per day.
People wading on their own are finding it a little more difficult because of the water clarity. They can’t see the troughs where the fish are. People who know the river, know where they normally find fish. If you are unfamiliar with the San Juan river, try adjusting your weight until you reach bottom and then back off the weight to fish a little shallower. It make take a little time to figure out the depth of where you want to be but be patient. The fish are there!
Water flow: 500
Visibility: 24-36 inches
Water temperature at mid-day: 40 Degrees F
Water condition: Moderately Turbid
Best time of day to fish: All day long, best dry fly fishing from 11:00am to 6:00pm
Best stretch: The whole quality water section is fishing well!
Best access point: Texas Hole parking lot
Fly fishing hatches in order of importance:
Midges are hatching all day long. At the moment they are small, midge pupa and larvae, size 22 to 24, orange, cream and of course red have been my best. Small streamers and bunny leeches in light colors. The hatch is strongest from 10:30 to 2:00, then again in the last hour of the day. The midges are clustering so try fishing a cluster to a single dry midge. Black has been best. Try fishing BWO’s from 1:00pm to about 5:00pm. The hatch is best on cloudy days. Dark or light gray, brown and olive have been the best colors in a size 20 and 22. Both dry and wet patterns.
There is not much change in water clarity, Bunny leeches and woolly buggers are working well either dead drifted or stripping them. Black and olive have been best. Streamer fishing has been good. Small streamers size 10 or 12 in olive, black or brown. They are best fished first thing in the morning or late in the day and at night! Egg patterns and red and orange larvae are working. The best flies lately have been big mac’s in black size 20 and foam wings, black as well as dark colored pheasant tails.