For the fly fisherman who can bear the cold weather, the San Juan in Colorado and New Mexico brings out the primitive need to search for food as approaching winter threatens the life supply.  If you have a need to see trout rise while snow flakes slowly drift from the clouds above the San Juan gives unmatched performance with remarkable results.    For those with planes there are airstrips available near the river.

What can I say?  The winter season can offer the “tough” fly fisherman some of life’s most treasured moments.  I have traveled to the Andes in South America (see Archives for fly fishing Argentina) to fish in November on occasion (just as their Spring time is about to break through), but with a lot less expense, and travel complications, not to mention language barriers, the San Juan looks a lot more promising, and you can still be fishing the good old’ USofA and putting money into the national economy

 “Over 80,000 trout in 4.25 miles! There are few rivers in the world where you can catch trophy trout year-round on a fly.  Thankfully, I live, work, and fish on one of them.  The San Juan River is a wide, slow, clear tailwater that's fed by the mountain snows of the San Juan in south central Colorado. 

Over the last decade the river has become famous for its large number of selective rainbows, cutbows, and browns (averaging 17 inches).  This is in part because the tailwater stays a consistent 45 degrees Fahrenheit regardless of the season.  So the bugs keep hatching, and trout keep feeding.  In fact, I've seen blizzard hatches and bobbing trout heads in January on the San Juan.  The plain truth is the San Juan fishes great 12 months out of the year.  It doesn't matter whether you are floating or wading with us.

As far as the bugs of choice, we spend a lot of time sight fishing dry flies or emergers to working trout, rather than fishing the infamous San Juan worm.  Still, variety being the spice of life, one of the wonderful things about fishing this tailwater is that over the course of a day, you can pretty much run the gamut.  Dry flies, emergers, nymphs, and streamers all hunt up fish on the San Juan.

So, this year when you are planning your fishing trip, think about the San Juan!   It is a year-round fishery that is second to none.  Heck, that's the reason I live here.” chris@sanjuanworm.com or Toll Free: 1-888-320-5639

The Sandstone Anglers Journal
Fantastic fall fishing is here again!

Hello and welcome to the Fall 2004 edition of the Sandstone Anglers Journal. The Sandstone Anglers Journal is a quarterly newsletter that features news and techniques for fishing one of the greatest rivers in the world, the San Juan.  For those of you who are new to Sandstone Anglers Inc., we are a guide service and outfitter on the San Juan River in northwest corner of New Mexico. We offer guides, lodging packages, schools and flies for the San Juan. We have been featured on ESPN2 “Wal-Marts Great Outdoors” and will be featured in OLN’s “Fly Fish Television” early in 2005.

If you’re unfamiliar with the San Juan, our river has more than 10,000 fish per mile that average 2-4 pounds. It was named number one in the southwest by Field and Stream magazine in it’s “Top 25 fishing spots in the US”. The San Juan is also fish-able 365 days a year in the mild New Mexico climate.

The fall is a fantastic time to fish the San Juan. Starting about mid September and continuing through November, fall in this part of the country comes slowly. The weather slowly changing as the daylight gets shorter. Leaves slowly turning color and staying a little longer. But the fishing does the exact opposite, it gets better. Down right hot! September starts out with traditionally warm weather, but change is in the air. The hatches in September really  get the fish excited, as the cooler air arrives. Baetis mayflies love the cool weather of fall, and this hatch really gets going in September. The hatch continues to be great through the last weeks of November and even into the winter months.

Midges are always a staple on the San Juan, and the fall is no exception. October and November really sees a tremendous hatch of a large variety of midges. During these months, especially on overcast days, you can dry fly fish all day long. With midges in the morning and mayflies in the afternoon. Granted these fish are challenging for most fishermen, but they will still rise all day long.                        

Fall is also when fish start to prepare for spawning. All the fish in the river , Rainbows and Browns, will start to spawn during the fall and continues through the winter. The fish use the abundant fall hatches to bulk up for the rigors of spawning. This is a great time to see the big fish on the prowl!

Speaking of seeing big fish, the fall is wonderful time to stalk fish feeding in shallow water. Sight fishing as well as dry fly fishing is our specialty at Sandstone Anglers. While other guide services row you around and around in the Texas Hole, we will do our best to sight fish any chance we get. There is nothing more fun than seeing 3+ pound rainbows feeding on tiny midges, and watch him eat your fly!

Fall weather can be unpredictable, so take our advice and be prepared. September should see day time temps in the 60’s to 80’s and lows in the 40’s to 50’s, with about a 10 degree change per month. We are at 5700 feet above sea level, so weather can change in a hurry. Dress in layers, and avoid cotton whenever possible. Polyester and fleece are good choices. Sunscreen is a must, even in the winter, with 30+spf a good choice.

Fall fishing on the San Juan is about as good as it gets. If you haven’t fished here in the fall, you’re missing some wonderful things. The beautiful scenery, abundant wildlife, as well as some of the best fly fishing for trout in the US. You owe it to yourself to fish the San Juan during the fall, you won’t regret it!”

Why not combine a “chance of a life time” hunting and fishing trip all into one?

Photo Credits:

     Aztec Anglers Guide Service

     Ifly4trout

Tight lines and happy traveling.