The San Juan is known for it’s big rainbow trout and it’s small flies – really, really small flies.  The San Juan is on of the best rainbow trout fisheries in the US and fishes wall year round.  The average size rainbow in the four mile quality water stretch is 17-18 inches.  This river attracts many fisherman.  You’ll find the river crowded most days even in the dead of winter.  The fly fishermen on the San Juan are generally friendly even though they may not follow the best fly fishing etiquette.

Special Regulations and Fees
The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish instituted special regulations on the San Juan. Make sure you know where you are on the river as different regulations apply to different stretches of the river.

Management of the San Juan starts at the base of Navajo Dam and extends downstream 17 miles to the U.S. Highway 64 bridge at Blanco, New Mexico. The upper 4 miles of the tailwater immediately below Navajo Dam is managed as Special Trout Water.

This section is divided into two management units, each having different fishing regulations. The first 0.25-mile section is managed with a catch-and-release fishing regulation with a tackle restriction of artificial flies and lures having a single, barbless hook. The next 3.75-mile reach has the same tackle restriction, but allows a daily bag limit of one trout with a minimum size limit of 20 inches.

Immediately below the Special Trout Water section, regular New Mexico statewide trout regulations apply. This section extends downstream approximately 3.3 miles, from the end of the Special Trout Water section to the confluence of the San Juan River and Gobernador Arroyo. In this section there are no tackle or size restrictions, and the daily bag limit is five trout.

The third reach, the Lower River, begins at the confluence of the San Juan River and Gobernador Arroyo and extends downstream approximately 10 miles to the U.S. Highway 64 Bridge at Blanco, New Mexico. The quality of trout habitat in this reach has improved with the higher spring releases from the dam that started in the early 1990′s, resulting in improved habitat that supports trout populations in the managed tail water section.

San Juan Fly Patterns

Midges	Griffiths gnats (16-22), Grizzly Midges (16-22), Midge Pupae, gray cream read, black, brown, midge emergers, black and peacock (20-26)
BWO	Parachute Adams (18-20), Thorax BWO (18-20), Pheasant Tails (18-20), WD40 (18-20), RS2s (18-20), Hares Ears (18-20)
Pale Morning Duns	Cream Parachutes (14-16), Rusty Spinners (14-16), Thorax PMD (14-16)
Caddisflies	Elk Hair Caddis (16-18), Partridge Caddis (16-18)
Annelid Worms	San Juan Worms in red, orange (12-16) or Red Hots (18-20)
Trout Eggs	Eggs in orange, pink, yellow glo bugs (12-16), bead eggs (14-16)
Leeches	Bunny Leeches in black purple and olive (8-12), Wolly Buggers in black and olive(8-12)
Terrestrials	Daves Hoppers (8-12), Fur Ants in black (14-18), Deer Hair Beetles in black (14-16)

New Mexico Department of Fish & Game
(505) 827-7905
Toll-Free 1-(800) 862-9310
Web Site: http://www.gmfish.state.nm.us
Applications and Permits

http://www.wildlife.state.nm.us/apps_permit/index.htm

New Mexico River Flows
Web Site: http://nm.water.usgs.gov/

New Mexico Department of Tourism
Web Site: http://www.newmexico.org

New Mexico State Parks
Web Site: http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/PRD/index.htm