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The San Juan River is a spectacular waterway where many values of the BLM – maintaining wildlife habitat, preserving cultural resources, and providing world-class recreation experiences – intersect. As boaters paddle down these mighty waters, they pass through deep canyons that contain geologic history, culturally significant Ancestral ...
- Texas Hole – Infamous
- Three Island Run – Tough to Wade, Perfect to Float
- Lower Flats
- Upper Flats
- Why The San Juan Is Perfect For Fly Fishing
- What Kind of Fish Are in The San Juan
- Favorite Flies For The San Juan
- Hatch Chart For The San Juan
- Best Stream Flow For The San Juan
- Recommended Fly Fishing Setup
I didn’t see folks fighting, but any time you have trout “stacked up” like they are in the Texas Hole you’ll have some tension. The absolute best spot is just of the small island closest to the parking lot. Often a guide will send someone out early to “claim it” until a client comes down to the river. During many of my trips I wasn’t able to jump i...
If you were to define the perfect run the Three Island Runs is it. One seam after another, the key is to drift deep and recognize the structure before your on top of it. This section is tough to get to if your hiking in. It can be done, but you’ll be crossing some sketchy areas only to find out it’s nearly impossible to get a decent drift, in the b...
In the Lower Flats the river slows and widens out. I was on this stretch once just after a light rain. Then something amazing happened – Flying Ants! Like a switch, the trout turned onto dry fly ant patterns. I caught a bunch of brown trout and lost a trophy in the mid-20-inch area easy. It’s easy to talk about how big the trout are when you don’t ...
If you’re looking for some adventure, upriver from Texas hole is an area called the Upper Flats. Some of the biggest trout are taken out of this area, but with big reward, you’ll need to be okay with some adventure. Look for the BOR parking and access signs along 511, you’ll scramble down an embankment on a switchback then hike a half mile through ...
Excellent Public Access
With nine public access points and campgrounds in the tailwater area, you won’t struggle with finding a spot to cast a fly. The entire area is BLM land and is open for public use. Perfect for a day of hiking and fishing. Link to New Mexico Fishing Map https://nmdgf.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=4af365eb03524e229de3eaf815fd56ca
Wade Fishing
Don’t let all the drift boats let you think you’ve got to float this river. Yes, you’ll get the best shot at catching 50-plus fish in a from a drift boat, but lots of areas are available to the wade angler. The Texas Hole is a perfect example.
Float – Like Bumper Boats
I’ve never seen so many drift boats launched as quickly as on the San Juan. In the span of an hour, I saw over 40 boats dropped in….. Deep nymph fishing is best from a boat. Getting the fly far enough out in front of the boat to drift through the best runs for the LONGEST drift is the most effective method on this river. Drifting down the “Juan” is the perfect day trip in a drift boat. The distance isn’t so far as to make the trip uncomfortable. The facilities for taking out are great and you...
The river is managed as a brown trout and rainbow trout fishery. Thousands of pounds of catchable (10 inches plus) are stocked in the river annually. The consistent cold water and steady stream flow are perfect for the bugs and trout.
I’ve said it a bunch of times in this article. You’ve got to fish tiny flies, I know this might be new to you and it might be difficult, but these trout are eating tiny bugs. If you can master the tiny midge game in these waters you’re going to be rewarded. Use big heavy nymphs as a point fly to get the offering down into the strike zone. Yes, you ...
A note about ants, after a rain the hatch starts. This can be some of the best dry fly fishing on this river.
The best fishing conditions can be found right in the range that of 300 and 400 cfm. Luckily this is right in the range that the flow is managed to. Sometimes you’ll seasonal spikes, especially in mid-summer. Trust that the weather isn’t going to kill a trip because of flow conditions.
Nymphing Setup
Longer rods are nice, I used a 10-foot, 4-weight nymphing rod. My TFO Drift worked pretty well here. That extra distance allowed me to pick up the long leader and drop it into likely holding water. You’ve got to think about your nymph getting down to the trout and if possible tapping them on the nose. Heavy nymphs to drag down your midge and baetis patterns are a must. I used a 9 foot 5x tapers fluorocarbon leader with 4 feet of 6X fluorocarbon tippet. This provided nearly 13 feet of leader t...
Dry Fly Setup
I love casting medium-fast dry fly rods, so you’ll see me using my 9-foot, fiberglass 5-weight. I purchased a fly rod kit from Epic Fly Rods and built mine. Most 9-foot, 5 to 6-weight rods will work perfectly. If you have a 7-weight, that’s going to be fine. With a weight forward floating fly line, I tied on a 6X, 9-foot nylon tapered leader. From that, I attached my dry fly. Again, think small, size-22 BWO and size-24 Griffiths gnats. I start adding 6X or 7X tippet after changing out 3 or 4...
- Determine your trip length and group size. One of the significant upsides of running the San Juan is you have various put-in and take-out points to choose from, allowing you to right-size the trip length to your situation
- Choose your timing and apply for a permit. River permits for the San Juan are managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which limits boater group size to 25.
- Choose campsites. From Sand Island to Mexican Hat, no campsite reservations are needed (unless you want to camp on river left, in which case you’ll need a Navajo permit; see the contact info below).
- Plan your put-in and shuttle. The launch site at Sand Island Recreation Area, about 3 miles west of Bluff, Utah, has a full range of amenities, including
Below is a map of the San Juan River tailwater in New Mexico. The map of the San Juan Riveri below Navajo Dam includes popular fishing holes, camping area and walk-in areas. You can see where fly fishing spots like Texas Holes, Upper Flats, Baetis Bend and more are located. Tight Lines. If you would like to book a guide please see our rate and ...
The San Juan River makes a series of tight turns - goosenecks - below this viewpoint. The river has carved a deep canyon here, dropping about 1,000 feet below the viewpoint. Geologists say this erosion has uncovered a rock record exposing some 300 million years of time. This state park offers spectacular views of the goosenecks, officially known as an entrenched meander. Accessibility: This is ...
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GUIDES, RENTALS, SHUTTLE PROVIDERS, & ACCOMODATIONS: For info on these services call San Juan County Visitor. Services at (800) 574-4386 or visit www.utahscanyoncountry.com. The BLM provides a list of all permitted San Juan River Commercial Guides. The BLM does not endorse or recommend any specific guide or guarantee their services.
