Year round waters are fabulous spots where fly anglers can catch quality trout in the dead of winter. These waters like New Mexico's San Juan River offer a window of opportunity where anglers can fish virtually 365 days a year. Sure some days might be tougher than others, but when you plan ahead and choose a knowledgeable guide like Jeremy Nolan of Heads Up Fly Fishing (970-946-9313), all the pieces seem to fall in place.
Nolan calls the glorious San Juan his home river. Though he guides all over the Durango area, the San Juan, just a short drive to the south, is by far the most popular water in the region. Large trout can be seen all over the river. One a past trip with Jeremy, Tyler Hill of Durango and myself were able to fish from Texas Hole to waters 4 miles below Navajo Dam.
It didn’t take long to get into fish with a white leech/red midge. My first 17-inch rainbow was thick and put up a good fight. Things got pretty good for the first hour as Tyler and I were able to land 6-plus fish measuring 16 to 18 inches. Not bad considering we were in the middle of a full moon phase and Nolan said the last couple days had been tough.
After about eight fish or so, the sun began to shine and fish became more active. The 18- to 20-inch fish in 2 feet of water weren’t ready to hit hoppers but the shallow water around Three Island Run showed signs of life.
“When fishing dries here on the Juan, especially with clear flows, offer an upstream approach,” suggests Nolan. “These fish see lots of flies and even more leaders. The guys who present their offering fly first are going to get bit. As soon as you throw a midge, or hopper, you’ll want to throw an upriver mend to get the leader behind the fly, allowing the fly to drift naturally with no sign of your line.
“Even with hoppers here, you’ll want to cast ten feet up from feeding fish, mend the line behind the fly and have it ready six feet above a fish,” added Nolan. “Anglers should keep that in mind and they’ll catch more fish on big rivers where fish see lots of bugs.”
After a river-side lunch we focused on the lower river and threw hoppers as we pushed through the quick waters below ET Rock. A Schroeder’s Hopper and my favorite Joe’s Hopper worked for trout to 17 inches. This section of the San Juan proved more to my style of quick casts and even quicker takes as the fish have less time to scrutinize your fly. Nolan swears by the Schroeder’s so he was a little surprised to see me hooking fish with my Joe’s.
Overall, it was a great day on the water with a professional and experienced guide. It was my first time fishing the San Juan having spent most of my fly fishing time in the Eastern Sierra, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. I would highly recommend you get in touch with Jeremy if a trip to the San Juan is on your to-do list in the near future. If not, plan a trip in 2010. Feel free to e-mail him questions or to book a date (jeremy@headsupflyfishing.com) or click on his page Heads Up Home.
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