The San Juan River, a world-class tail-water fishery, spills from Navajo Lake in northwest New Mexico. Big fish abound in this river and I routinely catch a handful of 19 inch or larger trout most days that I fish. The fish in this river grow an average of an inch a month primarily due to an abundance of aquatic insects ranging from the well-known San Juan worm to midges, baetis?, mayflies, caddis flies, black flies, scuds and so on. The most prolific insect on the San Juan is the midge, which hatch every day of the year without fail. The four and one-quarter miles of the San Juan River below Navajo Dam is designated quality waters and has approximately 80,000 trout averaging 17? to 18? in size with many fish exceeding 22 inches and larger.

The areas that are my personal favorites are the upper flats, middle main channel, the lower flats and lunker alley and when I fish the catch and release area I usually only fish the cable run section. The optimum flow to look for is 500 to 750 cfs and this information is readily available. I also recommend wading this river with wading boots which have cleats because the moss on a sandstone or rocky bottom can be quite slick.

Cable Run

The cable run is a rather small run just below the dam. A cable designates the area and crosses the main channel. The cable demarks the end of the catch and release section and rests on top of two posts about six feet tall. This run can be very difficult to fish but if you like a challenge fish it. Patience in this run is a virtue for sure. Leeches, such as an elk hide spotted leech or a dark bunny leech, have always worked best for me.

Upper Flats

The upper flats is a very large area spread out of the main channel. This stretch has slow lower water with a lot of deep braids running through sandstone bottom structures creating narrow channels. That?s where the fish are. This area can be very slick with moss so be cautious. Chocolate and gray emergers in size 20 and red or orange annelids in size 22 work well here. I have also had good results with a Griffith?s Gnat in size 22 or smaller to represent a cluster of hatching midges. This stretch can be a little tricky because of the bottom structure.

Middle Main Channel

The middle main channel is about 300 yards below the bottom end of Texas hole. The run splits into two channels and as you walk downstream you will be looking for the main channel on the right. At the head of the channel the water has back eddies on the opposite side. The main run is landscaped with large rocks and a sandstone bottom structure with narrow and deep braided channels, which hold a lot of fish. This area is popular also so my advice is if you want some solitude fish this stretch early. Some of the lower portion has deep drop-offs so be cautious in this stretch. Leeches and midges work best for me here.

Lower Flats

The lower flats are very similar to the upper flats accept it is more open. Both upper and lower flats can be a little tricky to fish at times. You need to do some creative line mending due to the flows through the braids of water. Be cautious wading because the bottom structures can be described as a corrugated metal roof with the high points less than a foot deep and the low points in some places waist deep. Use size 22 chocolate or gray emergers and size 24 red or orange annelids. Red San Juan worms are always good in the lower flats.

Lunker Alley

My favorite spot on the river is lunker alley. This area is at the bottom end of the lower flats and narrows significantly. It is a very long and deep run and there is a reason it is named lunker alley. Don?t be surprised if you see several large fish swimming at your heels all day...it?s very common. My favorite patterns for this area are gray bunny leeches, red or orange San Juan worms, red or orange annelids and chocolate emergers. The emergers and annelids should range between size 18 and 24.


From Albuquerque travel US 550 off I-25 north. This road takes you to Bloomfield, New Mexico. Head east at the Farmington hyway east and follow the signs to Navajo Lake state Park.