cooler weather, great fishing

After a fantastic month of fishing the Rio Grande, Animas and San Juan with old and new friends the monsoon season is apon us bringing cooler temps, cloud cover and great late summer fishing.

Midges are still the name of the game near the dam on the Quality Water section of the San Juan, A.M. hatches of size 22 and 24 light gray and black midges remain prolific in the Catch and Release, Cable and Upper Flats while down river PMDs, Hoppers and Pseudos (small blue wing olives) provide great dryfly and nymph fishing, especially from Simon Canyon to the Last Chance riffle. We have also experienced a few good ant falls in the morning following evening rains, these ant falls have to be experienced to be believed, big rainbows and browns greedley feeding on size 10 drys, anything black. Yesterday my old friends and 18 year fishing clients Nick Benzley, Jim Toia and myself floated the lower Juan, from the Village of Navajo Dam, downstream to the Hammond diversion and landed several fish, including a 20in. rainbow on a hopper and a 22in brown on a black bugger and were the only anglers on the nearly 8 mile stretch of water.

The Animas is its usual self acting as a fickle freestone. Fishing is good as the sun comes up and as the sun goes down. Big attractor drys on the surface and  size 16 flashback PTs below should do the trick. The "Animal" also supports a healthy sculpin population and is one of my favorite streamer fisheries.

Come down and experience some of the best fishing in the west with the areas best and most experienced guides.

Tip Up, AC