San Juan River New Mexico

Brown Trout

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It may seem counter intuitive to find one of the great Trout Fisheries in the High Desert of New Mexico, and you might also thinks its crazy to wave a stick in the air, cursing the wind, snagging Russian Olive trees, and getting the fin (as my guide says) from a big trout. 

However, the San Juan River, outside of Farmington is exactly that: a great trout Fishery and it is worth the effort to fish.

Spring is starting to break through into the high desert and after above average snow fall the river is running high and fast.  Normal flows on the San Juan are 800 cubic feet per sec (CFS) and currently the flows are averaging 5000 CFS.  To add a bit more difficulty to the trip, are afternoon winds in the 20 - 30 Mph range. 

Despite the challenging conditions my guide TJ Massey consistently put me on Rainbows and Browns the 18 - 20 inch range and I landed 5 -8 fish per day.  We did hook twice that many, but its called fishing not catching. 

Colorful Rainbow

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Most of the great trout water is in the catch and release area, called the Quality Waters.  If your a novice or expert fly fisherman, TJ has fished this river since childhood, and it is well worth hiring and learning from him.

One of the best time of years to fish the San Juan is July.  But I have fished in tough conditions and have always managed to do well.  I have fished in February with snow on the ground, and in high spring flows in March/April. 

The area also offers hiking, and many other outdoor activities.  At least an hour south of Farmington/Bloomington area is the ruins of Chaco Canyon, one of the oldest archeological sites in the Southwest.