San Juan lower river fly fishing with Resolution Guide Service

The lower San Juan river below the quality waters!

The Lower San Juan River Below the Quality Water. The lower San Juan float offers a great opportunity to see a part of the river seldom seen. It is a 10.5 or 13 mile float (depending on launch used) through private water. The banks are thick with Russian olives and salt ciders, the river is swift in most sections and is surrounded by beautiful farm land. In the state of New Mexico the stream bed belongs to the land owner, so wade fishing this section of the river is almost impossible. We can, however, access this wonderful fishery with the aid of a drift boat or raft. With a float trip you can access up to 13 miles of this section with few other people.

The fish in the lower river are mostly brown trout and love dry flies! A common setup for the lower river is a #12 stimulator or caddis and a bead head dropper. The browns and rainbows on this section are hot fish putting up a great battle, and their willingness to take dries make it a memorable day. The average fish on this float will be about 12-15" with plenty of fish in the 18-20" class as well. Nymph fishing and streamer fishing can also be excellent on this stretch.

Most of the really hot dry fly action happens from about mid June-August or until we start to get some heavy summer rains that tend to silt up the lower river. The caddis hatch is one of the best times to float this part of the river. The caddis will most often start to hatch soon after the spring high flows drop back to around 600cfs. As the caddis start to slow down the yellow stone and PMD hatch starts into full swing allowing even more great dry action. Baetis and midges are around almost all year in good numbers as well. The common plan on this float is a starting time around 10-11 and fish until almost dark, as the caddis hatch is at its peak near dark. It is a longer day than the upper river often lasting 9-10 hours. The lower river fished well into October last year! Winter and early spring can be good as well but the river is much more unpredictable at this time, as cold nights and spring snows can cool the river down to much for productive fishing.

"I've fished the San Juan for 20 years and my first lower river float trip with Resolution Guide Service had to rank near the top of my best days on the San Juan. It is like a whole different river. The scenery is spectacular, the solitude is refreshing, and the fish are strong and beautiful! Leave the crowds behind and find your little piece of fishing paradise on the lower San Juan River. You won't regret it!"

-- Mike Mora (a.k.a. Ifly4trout) Fish the lower San Juan with RGS!

Booking Your Trip on the Lower San Juan: All guided trips through Resolution Guide Service include full instruction and a hearty lunch. Our trips include all your flies, many of which are ties unique to Resolution. You'll need to bring your own waders, polarized sun glasses, seasonal fishing clothes, and a fly rod. We recommend an 8ft or 9ft, 5wt or 6wt rod with matching weight forward or double-taper line. We also rent quality rods, reels, waders and other gear. Please reserve these in advance of your trip.

Wade or Float	1 Person	2 People	3 Persons	Also check out: San Juan Quality Water Trips and Durango Area Guided Fishing Trips
Full Day (9+ hrs) 12 mi. Lower River Float Below Quality Waters	$410	$500	Requires 2 guides
*Prices include: All flies, tippet, weight, indicators, and lunch*. Prices don't include: NM fishing license, gross receipts tax, or gratuity.

The reason for the extra cost on this float is the amount of time spent on the river along with a high cost to us for our trucks to get shuttled to the take out (25 min. one way). It is a float that is a wonderful trip for people new to the sport of fly fishing as there are few people and willing fish, but is a little better choice for the angler with a few trips under their belts, as accurate casting and ability to undo allot of your own tangles and tying on your own flies in the event of a break off will be expected of you. It is a excellent trip for expert anglers as it can allow you to test your skills as well as see a new section of the San Juan. We are not permitted to anchor on this section or touch the bottom in any way so at times the guide might not be able to help you tie on a fly or help you with a tangle if the boat is in a swift section.

This section of the river is much more susceptible to run off from rain, so the back up plan is often to float or wade the quality water section of the river. If a heavy rain happens the lower section can be muddy for 2-3 days making fishing very tough. The river here is truly wild and fishing it makes for a unforgettable day!

Toll Free: 1-888-328-1858
Alternate: 505-632-5717
steve@sanjuanworm.com