The San Juan River is good for fishing! But it's not easy.
Sight-fishing is key, you need to watch the fish, not your indicator. And it's important to explore all the sections of the river, not just the standard holes with circling fishermen in other boats or on the edge. There is so much river to explore!
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Let Chris Gallegos, one of the San Juan River's top fly fishing guides, teach you how to fish the San Juan River. After guiding fishermen of all experience levels for over 12 years on this river, Chris knows all the secrets to catch fish on this world-famous river. He loves to teach and shares his knowledge on his guide trips so you'll walk away with more fishing skills every time. You'll learn how to spot the fish in all the sections of the river, and understand what it looks like when they turn and take a fly. You'll learn how to hook up better so you don't miss the fast takes on this river.
San Juan River Fishing Spots: This famous New Mexico river has an infinite number of great spots to fish. Fish are everywhere in this river, you don't need to be on a boat or be at a certain hole to net fish. Explore the river on your own, or hire a guide, but make sure to see all the parts of this river – each section has it's own charm and you can learn a lot from fishing all sections of the river, shallow to deep, fast running to slow. The more you fish the river, the more you'll learn. Experience is king when it comes to catching fish on the San Juan!
San Juan River Fishing Report Even on windy or stormy days, you can catch fish on this river. It's all in how you present your fly, and if you keep an eye on the fish and recognize takes. Going out on a fishing guide trip, whether on boat or on foot with Chris will help you learn how to understand fish and set the hook with more consistency. Regardless of your skill level you're sure to learn a lot on any trip!
Fishing on the San Juan is good for most of the year. Spring is a nice time to fish the San Juan River, as fish start to actively feed – midge patterns, dry flies, annelids, eggs and streamer patterns are all great in the spring. Summer is also a great time to fish the San Juan, fish are active and taking mayflies, caddis, scuds, annelids and terrestrials like ants. Fall is also a great time of year to fish the San Juan River – the valley's Cottonwoods turn gold, the temperatures cool off, and fish aggresively feed on midges, annelids, scuds, terrestrials and mayflies. Winter too, can be a great time to fish the San Juan, there are less fishermen on the water, and the water temperature stays consistent due to the fact that it is coming out of the dam, so fish and insects are active even in the winter months. It's great to fish the river year-round as you'll find different sections and techniques to help land fish throughout the seasons. The San Juan River is beautiful and fishable all year long.
Read more of Chris's top San Juan River Fishing Tips »
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