New Mexico Fishing Report for The San Juan River

Capt. Mark Nesbit
April 29, 2002
San Juan River - Freshwater Fishing Report

River flow is 922 cfs, visibility 6-8’

The increase in water flow has improved the fishing conditions through out the river. Sight fishing in the slow shallow areas with midge patterns is kicking butt. Buggers and bunny leeches working in the slow deep waters. The Beatis hatch is still happening in PM, best on cool cloudy days.

Last week I had a nine-year-old boy, catch an honest 24” male rainbow on a choc. Foam wing emerger #20. The river is fishing well at this flow, the slow back - waters are flowing good enough to produce great sight fishing. Yesterday I caught some nice fish on a #26 olive midge dry fly pattern. Took some big fish on olive woolly - buggers in the slow backwaters around cable hole.

The mornings have been nice; afternoons have been NM breezy. The winds should be dying soon. Fishing is only going to get better as summer is approaching, so book early with Blue Sky.

Upper waters, (Dam to upper flats.)

1. Midge larva’s- cream, chocolate, gray, red-orange #18-24’s

2. San Juan worm- burnt orange & standard worm brown

3. UFOs choc. & cream, gray #20-24’s

4. Gray RS-2s- #22-24

5. Desert storm #22-24

6. Emerging midge patterns, gray, cream & choc.pupas, KF’s #22-24s

7. Olive bugger’s in the slack waters below cable hole.

6. Shrimp and scuds 18-22’s

7. Blue wing olive #26

Main channel to T-hole

1. Orange spectre 22-24s

2. Gray & choc. Wd-40,p.t., RS-2, and foam wings

3. San Juan worms, various colors , worm brown being best

4. UFOs 20-24’s cream & choc, gray

5. Scuds gray #22s

6. Desert storm #22-24

T-hole to bait waters

1. Midge larvae orange, cream & choc. gray #20-24’s

2. Desert storm #22-24

3. Oregon cheese egg #16-18

4. Midge emerger, zebra & KF’s olive.& cream, gray #20-24s

5. UFOs choc., gray, & cream # 20-24’s

6. Beatis nymphs – pheasant tails, WD-40s #18-20

7. Beatis emergers, (choc. or gray) foam wings, CDC RS-2s

8. Natural bunny leeches, olive buggers

9. Dry fly Beatis patterns, parachute Adams, sparkle comparaduns, BWO thorax. #20-22.

10. #24-26 gray, olive, black, midge dry fly patterns

Blue Sky still has the hardest working, friendliest guides around.

Call for more info.

Until next time,

Tight Lines to all of you, Mark.

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