Planning a Trip to the San Juan?
Our lodge offers guided fishing and comfy rooms right on the river.
Quick Fishing Overview
- Flows: 1,000 cfs
- Water Temp: 40s (℉)
- Clarity: 5ft visibility
- Nymphing: Great
- Dry Fly: Here & there
- Streamer: Decent
- Weather: Sunny. AM: 60s. PM: 80s/90s.
- Lower River Guide Trips: We're offering them! Just let us know.
Summary: The first part of this week is looking pretty hot, but we'll be cooling off in the second half. The drought hasn't affected the fishing, as there's plenty of cold water coming out of Navajo Dam. The fish remain focused mainly on subsurface midges and Baetis.
The Baetis tend to be active in the afternoons, especially on cloudy days. We often fish midges in the morning and switch to Baetis patterns in the afternoon. Streamer fishing is decent, especially in the early morning and late evening. Dry fly fishing has been so-so. We're hoping for some more cloudy days to get the mayfly hatches going.
Flows and Weather
Detailed Report by River Section
The Quality Waters
Overview: Fishing remains primarily subsurface with nymph rigs. Fish the usual summer tiny midge and mayfly patterns, like red midge larvae, pupae in black or olive, or RS2s in black or gray. Sizes 22 and 24 are the mainstays right now.
Tips/Technique: We have seen lots of fish feeding just below the surface. Several of our guides have had success fishing nymph rigs with only a foot or two between their indicator and their weights. When fishing this way, we usually keep the weight light, often fishing just a #7. A good bit, but not all, of the fish are feeding this way, so be sure to take a moment to assess the spot you are fishing.
The Lower River
Overview: The lower river got a bit sandy due to recent rains, but it's still the best bet for peaceful solitude and has been fishing quite well on nymph rigs. Like the Quality Waters section, dry fly fishing has slowed down here. You'll still find the opportunistic dry fly eater, though, so be sure to have a few hoppers, ants, and beetles handy. We haven't seen much caddis activity, so for flies, we recommend terrestrials like hoppers and ants, as well as midge clusters and larger BWO patterns. A Parachute Adams in size 14 is a solid, safe bet.
Tips/Technique: Fishing 4 feet of leader between the indicator and the weight is a solid starting point for our current flows. If you're fishing a deep hole, increase that 4-foot distance in 8-inch increments to cover the layers of the water column.
The Village
Overview: Fishing here has been decent. Worms, bunny leeches, and Woolly Buggers in sizes 12 to 14 work well as your top fly. For a bottom fly, try a midge pattern or Pheasant Tail in size 16 or 18. This section is a very forgiving, less technical place for first-timers or newer fly fishers to get their bearings before venturing into the ultra-technical Quality Waters. There are still very productive honey holes holding eager but smaller-than-the-Quality-Waters trout..
Tips/Technique: 4X, whether for dry flies or nymph rigs, should be fine in this section. Most dry fly activity here will be in the afternoons and early evenings.
Current Fly Recs
You can purchase flies and licenses at our fly shop. Many are hand-tied by our guides themselves.
Sub-Surface Flies
| Name | Colors | Sizes |
|---|---|---|
| Vernille San Juan Worm | Brown, Black, Natural | 10 to 14 |
| Midge Larvae | Red | 16 to 20 |
| Rojo Midge | Gray, Olive, Brown | 20 to 22 |
| Mono Midge | Black, Olive, Brown | 20 to 22 |
| Foam Wing RS2 | Brown, Black, Gray | 18 to 20 |
| Bunny Leeches | Black, Olive, Gray, Natural, White | 6 and 8 |
Dry Flies
| Name | Colors | Sizes |
|---|---|---|
| Parachute Adams | Standard | 20 to 22 |
| Comparadun | Standard | 20 to 22 |
| Rosenbauer Parachute Beetle | Black | 10 to 24 |
| Cartoon Hopper | Gray, Olive, Brown Flash! | 4 to 8 |
| Ants | Black | 12 to 16 |
Planning a Trip to the San Juan?
Our lodge offers guided fishing and comfy rooms right on the river.