San Juan or More Trout Lives Matter

[Bruce Day]

After the Green River in Wyoming and Utah we traveled south to northern New Mexico and the San Juan River, another blue ribbon trout stream that is notoriously hard to fish. The water is clear coming out of the Navajo Dam and rich in nutrients and insect life .

We did well, many rainbows each day from 12 to 18 inches and some in the 20-22 inch range.

We use a 5 wt rod ( I use a bamboo rod) with a 6x Tippett. The fish are cautious and we use midges of 24,26 and 28 size. Thus a heavy trout can easily break the line or straighten the hook. They are hard to tempt and hard to land. One of our crew brought into the net a 31 inch Brown. That is the fish of a lifetime.

Every time I go there I learn more. These trout can be difficult and subtle.





B