San Juan River

I actually learned to fly fish on the Juan and have spent almost 20 years, wading through the various sections of the river, in hunt for a trophy size trout. The most known sections of the stream are the Texas Hole, Cable Hole, Lower Flats, Simon Canyon, and the Upper Braids. The parking lot to these sections of stream tells me which place I'll wade into on any given day...the lot with the fewest vehicles.

If you haven't noticed, the only steam I name on my posts in my media accounts is the San Juan River. Mostly because everyone already knows about this river and the large trout that roam these waters. I will say today, the last few years have caused me not to be as enthusiastic about fishing this river as I once was. The crowds, fishing environment, and the closing of Abe's Fly Shop/Motel have all been a part of my losing interest in fishing this river. It just no longer has that magical appeal it once had with me.

I was visiting with a long-time New Mexico guide, not too long ago, when we started sharing stories of our times on the San Juan River. He has guided that stream for much longer than I've been a resident of New Mexico. I moved here in 2003. He shared with me that he had stopped guiding and fishing the Juan. I asked why and he just shook his head. It's a river that many long-time locals have come to realize...it's not as fun as it used to be. The romance with the river is gone for many of us. After a few years of pulling out large trout from the Juan, it loses it's appeal due to the crowds...and a trout environment that mostly requires nymph rigs to get a trout on a tight line (bobber fishing). And, I've evolved in my fly fishing to the point of despising an indicator, nymph rig...or any nymph rig for that matter. Don't even talk to me about Euro Nymph fishing...don't want to hear it.

Yeah, I'll continue to visit the Juan with friends and family, but I'm a dedicated dry fly fisher these days and will prefer to spend most of my time fishing the small streams of New Mexico.

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