Juan Flows Are Dropping: 780 to 440 and Still Falling
That day
Water
San Juan below Navajo Dam
Weather
Showers and thunderstorms, high 72
Flow
440 cfs
Water temp
46°F
Feeding
Mid column
From the owner's notes
San Juan below Navajo Dam, year round. A tailwater that stays in the forties all year, so it fishes when everything else is frozen or blown out. Tiny flies: midges size 22 to 26, baetis 20 to 24, and annelids, red or pink, size 10 to 14 in the deeper water. Eggs in the fall when browns spawn. Long leaders, light tippet, and a good drift beat everything else. Flows change with dam releases, so check the gauge the morning of.
Right now
Animas River at Durango
1,800 cfs
45°F, as of Oct 31, 4:30 AM
San Juan River below Navajo Dam
240 cfs
51°F, as of Oct 31, 4:15 AM
Flows
780 cfs on Tuesday, 440 Thursday morning, three cuts in three days. Give the fish a day to settle after each drop, then go fish the newly defined seams.
Flies
Go small and go light. Midge larva and pupa in 24 to 26, gray and chocolate RS2s and foam wings in 22 to 24, 6x fluorocarbon, and less weight than you used last week.
The flow is still moving, so check the gauge before you drive. Once it holds steady for a day, expect very good fall fishing: lower water, concentrated fish, small bugs, light tippet.
