San Juan River

[Ryan Miloshewski]

Hi Everyone:

I will be in Farmington, New Mexico in August and I want to fish the San Juan River. Has anybody ever fished near there? If not, does anybody have any contact information of local guides/fly shops I could visit while there? Thanks in advance!

Ryan

[Greasy B]

I can’t offer any advice other than show up early, empty your bladder and claim a spot. Don’t forget to stop by Abe’s hotel, fly shop and restaurant. 

[netboy]

Abe's fly shop can set you up with a guide as well as local fishing conditions and what's working. If you want to try it on your own the best advice I can give you is think small. I'm talking 7x tippet and tiny midges, size 20 down to size 28. The catch & release area holds some really nice rainbows and decent browns. 

[netboy]

Oh my, I forgot to mention that a great day tour nearby is Mesa Verde National Park. It is a bit west of Durango and very well worth the visit. Here is a link... Really worth the effort. And then don't forget the Million Dollar highway which runs from Durango to Silverton. Absolutely the best scenic highway you will see. And then when you get to the end of that pack your fly rod and visit Ridgeway park (Pa co chuk puk area). Very nice little tailwater with some pretty nice trout that really like PMD's during the summer.

Dangit you are making me want to make another trip up that way. 

https://www.durango.org/discover-durango/mesa-verde

[Terrierman]

22 minutes ago, netboy said:

Oh my, I forgot to mention that a great day tour nearby is Mesa Verde National Park. It is a bit west of Durango and very well worth the visit. Here is a link... Really worth the effort. And then don't forget the Million Dollar highway which runs from Durango to Silverton. Absolutely the best scenic highway you will see. And then when you get to the end of that pack your fly rod and visit Ridgeway park (Pa co chuk puk area). Very nice little tailwater with some pretty nice trout that really like PMD's during the summer.

Dangit you are making me want to make another trip up that way. 

https://www.durango.org/discover-durango/mesa-verde

Next time I am in that part of the world I will pause in Ouray for at least a couple of days.  Mesa Verde is not to be missed.  We stayed a few days at Ancient Cedars which is directly across the highway from the entrance.  Nice sunsets. 

[Ryan Miloshewski]

Great information @netboy and @Greasy B! Really appreciate the help. I've heard small is the way to go. I'll be out there for work so I'll have some free time in the evenings so it should be doable. Heading to Durango one day as well, so that's perfect.

[Foghorn]

Wife and I stayed at Abes's several years ago and the folks at the fly shop there were very helpful. Scuds,midge, egg patterns that work in the midwest work well on the San Juan also. Drove to Farmington for some supplies and laundry and toured the Aztec Ruins there. Peaked our interest enough that we took one morning off from fishing and went to the Salmon Ruins . Later on our way North to Yellowstone,we stopped at Mesa Verde. Made for a nice trip.  

[NoLuck]

The best info I got is, when it starts to storm, get off the water as quick as you can. That place has some of the worst lightning I've ever seen.

That and make sure your net is big enough for those fish.