San Juan Spring

[Bruce Day]

A long hard winter, so we closed it out with a fishing trip to the San Juan in New Mexico. Snow covered passes through the mountains coming and going, but once there, temps up to 68, sunshine and lots of fish. Many trout in the 20 to 25" range. Dick Dow and I each caught 10 to 15 trout per day. One day had lots of wind.

[Richard Flanders]

I love rivers like that where you can wade for miles. Sorry I had to miss that trip Bruce.

[Dean Romig]

Now that's a wind knot! :shock:

Is that a CDC Caddis pattern?

[John Dallas]

I'm calling it an egg fly. Hard to cast with that big indicator.

[Bruce Day]

With a wind knot like that, the clippers resolved the problem. Heavy wind one day.

Many fishers there use indicators ( bobbers) that size. I was using an egg fly. The top producers were San Juan worms and egg flies, size 22. Some were successful with streamers, I was not.

[Mills Morrison]

Once again, great photos! Thanks for sharing

[Richard Dow]

Thanks for posting pictures Bruce. This was another great trip to the San Juan. My departing and returning weather was just the opposite of yours. 88 degrees in Fullerton when I got home.
Bruce and I caught 22-24 inch rainbows in one hole about 2 minutes apart. Mine was in the net and he was hooked up or I would have thought they were the same fish. Lowest temp. 27 degrees at night and highest 67 during the day.

[Dean Romig]

27 isn't bad fishing weather.... I woke up one morning in the tent on the West Branch with 1/4 inch of frost on the inside of the tent.

[Richard Dow]

The fish don't mind the weather. Can't say the same for me sometimes.

[Todd Kaltenbach]

Bruce, did you fish your Parker Hawes rod? Looks like you and Dick had a good trip, I hate that I couldn't go. You know how it is for us youngsters who still work. Great pics like always.

[Bruce Day]

No I did not, Todd, but should have taken it. I fished two 5 wt bamboo rods, a 7'9" Jenkins and an 8' Gary Howells. Dick fished a 5 wt Sage graphite.

[Eric Grims]

I have good memories of the San Juan . Had a trip years back where everywhere we traveled the water was the color of coffee. Got to the San juan and it was the same muddy water color and very depressing. Looked out the camper the next morning and the water was crystal clear. Caught rainbow, cutthroat, and a hearty brown on my birthday. Big medicine all around.