Water flow: 475cfs
Visibility: 48 inches
Water temperature at mid-day: 42 Degrees F
Water condition: Clear
Best time of day to fish: 11:00am to 5:00pm, Blue winged Olives!!!
Best stretch: Texas hole to baetis bend
Best access point: Baetis bend parking lot.
Fly fishing hatches in order of importance:
The best fishing in the morning will be with a small egg pattern to a red larvae. You can find fish eating midges as well, dark colors have been best. Size 22 and 24 black, brown, dark grey and olive.
THE BLUE WINGED OLIVES ARE BACK!!!! from 11:00am to about 5:00pm. Grey, olive and chocolate have all been catching fish in the fast water! Fish are looking for them on the surface from lunch to about 4:00pm.
Streamer fishing has been good at night or first thing in the morning!
Egg patterns are going to be good attractors for the rest of the year.
“Must-have” fly fishing patterns in descending order of importance:
| Fly Name: | Fly Color: | Fly Size(s): |
| Midge Selection | Grey, olive, cream, | 22, 24, 26 |
| Midge | cream, brown, black | 22 to 26 |
| M And M Midge Pupa | Grey, olive, cream | 22 to 26 |
| Wd-40 | Grey, olive, brown | 20 to 24 |
| Red Hot Nymph | Red? | 20 to 24 |
| Cdc Mayfly Emerger | grey, olive or brown | 22 and 24 |
| Bunny leeches | brown, green, natura | 4, 6 |
| Midges all day! | Grey, olive and crea | 22,24,26 |
| egg patterns | Yellow, peach, pink | 14 and 16 |
| Streamers | brown, olive, black | 4, 6 |
Orvis-Endorsed guides nearby: Fisheads of the San Juan
Fish species: Rainbow and Brown trout
Fishing season: Year Round (Prime: March – November)
Nearest airport: Albuquerque, NM (2.5 hr) or Durango, La Plata Airport, CO (40 min) or Farmington, NM (40 min)
Recommended fly fishing leader: 9 Foot Leader
Recommended fly fishing tippet: 5X Tippet Size
Best fly fishing rod: 10′ 5 Weight Fly Rod
Best floating fly line: Trout WF
Real-time water flow data from USGS:
| The fish are really keyed in on color! I am fishing an egg to a bright red larvae in the morning. Switching to the red larvae and a chocolate may fly nymph in the afternoon and back to the egg and larvae in the evening. The fishing has been awesome! The may flies are larger and the trout love them fishing mayflies will be productive from 11:00 to 4:00. The dry fly fishing has been great in the afternoon!! Use size 22 dark green or blue-grey BWO’s. Make sure the wings are small and dark in color, the fish will be picky. A parachute adams has worked well if you darken the wing with a marker, fish don’t like the white! Egg patterns are working well in the morning, pink and peach have been my best colors. Tie them about the size of a pea or even a little smaller. Try stripping streamers in moving deep water. You will find that there are aggressive brown trout staging there before the spawn. |
Best Fly Fishing Techniques & Tips |
| Try fishing a small egg, peach or pink in the deep fast runs with a red or orange larvae. Make sure you have enough weight to get things to the bottom and remember that eggs don’t sink as fast as other flies so you will need more weight than usual. I have also been fishing an orange egg lately, its been productive in the morning and evening. The BWO hatch is getting stronger every day! Baetis live in fast water so look for them in the riffles at the top of holes and at the bottom of holes in the tail out. Fish are eating grey, olive and brown nymphs in these places, again it just depends on the day so have them all. You may have the chance to see fish on top during this time as well. A parachute adams or comparadun should do the job. The may flies are green and are about size 22. Use dark colored wings as the fish are turning away from white wings. If you can’t see this try a marker fly about 12 inches above the baetis. This is one of the best times of the year to fish streamers. Mornings, evenings and into the night or cloudy days will be the most productive times. |
7-Day Fly Fishing Forecast |
| OK, winter fishing is here. There was ice in the guides yesterday. This is the time of the year for hardy fisherman with good gear who like to fish alone. Winter fishing on the Juan can be excellent and if you are ready for the weather you won’t be disappointed. Fishing was as good today as any other day this year and there was hardly anyone around. It was windy and 45 degrees but don’t you think its worth it? Good luck to all the Fisheads out there, Chris |