Back from the San Juan

[Phil Lilley]

Fresh from the road... just wanted everyone to know we are back. Will work on pics and report later for everyone. It was a great trip with friends, beautiful scenery but alittle tough on the fish catching side. Three of four days were sunny and little wind. The last day (Thursday) was cloudy and breezy and the trout bit! It was fun.

More later....

Guess I can go ahead and report... but no pics from me!!! Sorry but I deleted them off the camera before I transfered them to the computer. What a sick, sick, SICK feeling.

We arrived Monday morning at Abe's at 7 am, driving through the night 16 hours from Branson. Brian Shaffer, Rolan Duffield and Chuck Puckett and I made the first leg to El Reno, OK and there met up with John Johnson and his friend Randy.

We started fishing at the Braids, an area where the river fanned out through small islands of trees creating shoots and pools, all holding trout. Crowds weren't too bad at all so we filed in and started feeling our way around. I showed the novices a few tricks and we were fishing.. not really catching though. I was an experimental day with a few trout caught- we were tired from the trip so we called an early day of it.

Tuesday and Wednesday were more of the same. We explored some stretches I had not gone to back in June and did fair. Everyone had trout on and there were a few landed. Nothing huge- 3 pounds about the biggest. Rolan found a good shoot called the Cable Hole and camped there Wednesday, catching quite a few rainbows and hooking many more. #20-22 barbless hooks don't stay in fish's mouths very well. Weather Monday-Wednesday was sunny and calm- 35-40 in the am and 60-65 daytime. Wednesday we did get a good midge hatch mid day which woke up the fish a bit.

Thursday was by far the best day- cloudy and windy and cooler... midges came off all morning into the afternoon. John and Randy hooked and John landed several rainbows just below the upper line in the 4-6 pound range. Rolan, still at the Cable Hole, did the same. I caught my biggest rainbow of the trip in the fast shoot below the dam on a 3/32nd oz black jig- yes I took my spin cast and did very well thank you!! I caught 25 trout Thursday on a jig in different areas and conditions, mainly on black but did well on sculpin too.

We all headed down to the Braids to finish out the trip mid day- Brian and I walked to the ramp and saw dozens of rises in the wide, slow moving water there. We waded out and started casting #26-28 black emergers at them and had a blast. We both missed, hooked-lost, landed dozens of rainbows and a few browns before the hatch slowed to a tickle. I tried my jigs and caught a dozen more. At dust, the hatch started again- they had to drag me off the river to leave for home.

All and all- the scenery was breath-taking... the trees were at peak (very late like the rest of the country), weather was nice (would rather it be cloudy-rainy-windy but that's how it goes) and the fellowship was the best. Would we have caught more fish by staying on Taney? Going to the White, Norfork, Current, 11-point or NFOTW??? Probably but it wouldn't have been the SAN JUAN RIVER- would it.

[admin]

Pics of the trip sent by John Johnson. They were scanned.