Planning a Trip to the San Juan?
Our lodge offers guided fishing and comfy rooms right on the river.
Quick Fishing Overview
- Flows: 890 cfs
- Water Temp: 40s (℉)
- Clarity: 5ft visibility
- Nymphing: Great
- Dry Fly: Good
- Streamer: Decent
- Weather: Sunny. AM: 60s. PM: 80s/90s.
- Lower River Guide Trips: We're offering them! Just let us know.
Summary: The weather has finally cooled off, and we're easing back into the 80s. As the water clears more and more, we're noticing a few trout heads breaking the surface. It's time to grab those dry fly boxes because we expect that cloud cover this week
will help. We've seen some, but not a lot, of dry fly action in the Quality Waters. The area where we've seen the most is the Village section. Some basics like a size 18 or 20 Parachute Adams will get the job done. The risers have tended to be on the smaller side, maybe 10 inches or so, but they're still fun. We expect the other fish will follow their lead shortly, and the dry fly fishing will improve across all fish sizes and river sections.
Flows and Weather
Detailed Report by River Section
The Quality Waters
Overview: We're waiting for this section to get a bit better on dries, but we've still been able to find a few risers in the slower water and get them to eat some ants and small Comparaduns. Continued clouds should help improve the hatches and the fish's willingness to feed. Until then, rigs are a great choice. Use patterns like red midge larvae, midge pupae in black or olive, and mayfly patterns like RS2s in black or gray. Sizes 22 and 24 are the mainstays right now.
Tips/Technique: Keep an eye out for tailing fish. It may look like they're feeding on the surface when, in fact, they are feeding just below it. You can see their tails break the surface rather than their heads. To catch these fish, use a nymph rig with only a foot or two between the indicator and weight. When fishing this way, we usually keep the weight light, often fishing just a #7. A small indicator is also key. A tiny cork or pinch-on indicator works best.
The Lower River
Overview: This is still the section to fish if you want solitude and brown trout that fight. It hasn't been as great for dry flies as it normally is in the summer, but it is improving. It doesn't mean you should leave your dries at home; it's just best to plan on fishing nymph rigs while also being ready to cast a dry if you spot a riser. Larger bugs are the name of the game out here. Griffith's Gnats, hoppers, ants, beetles, and Elk Hair Caddis all work on this section. Since we got sand deposited in this section recently, try red, orange, or burnt orange worm patterns for your top fly and a Pheasant Tail or Baetis fly in size 18 as your bottom fly. Fish depths of 4 to 6 feet if you can't see the bottom.
Tips/Technique: With the sand deposit that came in after the rainstorm, you can fish them with a worm and heavy weight. The goal is to get your rig to drag bottom a bit. Since the bottom of the river is sandy, the rig isn't likely to get stuck. If the indicator slows, give the line a firm downstream mend to pop the weight and flies off the bottom. They will then sink back down before you give the rig another mend. This up-and-down motion off the bottom can drive the trout crazy and entice some nice eats!
The Village
Overview: The Village has been fishing quite well. We've caught a few smaller trout on dries in the slower water. Try ants and Parachute Adams here as well, in sizes 18 or 20 for each. If you are willing to take the time to hike away from the parking lots, which are where this section gets stocked, you'll encounter larger fish. A lot of these have been brown trout that hang in some faster-moving water. While many are in the 15- to 20-inch range, they are strong fighters and are fun to bring in. Nymph rigs with worms and Pheasant Tails have worked best here. The fish have mostly been closer to the river bottom, so err on the side of more weight. Dry fly fishing has been so-so at best here. If you want to avoid a nymph rig, try streamers in some of the faster water.
Tips/Technique: For streamer fishing, we tend to still use floating lines on this river. Once our cast lands, we give the streamer a solid 15 to 20 seconds to sink and vary our retrieval patterns. We'll use long, slow strips for one cast, then try faster, shorter strips on the next. Play around with it and see what the fish like that day.
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.