Full Day Combo Fishing Trip - San Juan River
Private Trip
Lakes/Reservoirs/Ponds Fishing
Fullday combo trip features wade fishing and float fishingExpert guide provides tackle, flies, drinks, and hearty lunchQuality Waters sections offer prime trout fishing opportunities
Picture this: you're standing knee-deep in the San Juan River at sunrise, watching the mist roll off the water as trout start their morning feed. By afternoon, you're drifting downstream in a drift boat, casting to rising fish in spots you could never reach on foot. That's exactly what you get with this top-rated full-day combo trip that combines the best of both wade fishing and float fishing in one action-packed day. Starting in Farmington, New Mexico, you'll work the renowned Quality Waters section with a seasoned local guide who knows every rock, riffle, and run where the big fish hang out. This isn't your typical half-day quickie – we're talking about a legitimate dawn-to-dusk fishing adventure that gives you the complete San Juan River experience. Your guide provides all the tackle, flies, drinks, and lunch, so all you need to bring is your fishing license and the desire to hook into some serious trout. Whether you're a fly fishing veteran or someone looking to step up their game, this combo approach lets you experience different techniques and water types that make the San Juan River a world-class fishery.
Your day kicks off early with wade fishing in the high-traffic trout zones below Navajo Dam. Don't let the "high-traffic" part scare you off – these spots are popular for good reason. The water here is consistently cold and clear year-round thanks to the dam releases, creating perfect conditions for massive rainbow and brown trout. You'll spend the morning working through pocket water, deeper runs, and the famous flats where fish cruise looking for midge clusters and emerging mayflies. Your guide will have you rigged up with the right flies before you even wet a line – think size 22-26 midges, pheasant tails, and maybe some egg patterns depending on the season. Around midday, you'll break for a streamside lunch before transitioning to the drift boat portion of your trip. The afternoon float takes you through sections of river that most wade fishermen never see, giving you access to undercut banks, deeper pools, and structure that holds the kind of fish that make for great photos. The beauty of this combo setup is that you're not just fishing one type of water all day – you're adapting to different conditions and learning techniques that will make you a more complete angler. Plus, floating gives your legs a break while opening up miles of prime fishing water that's often less pressured than the walk-in spots.
The San Juan River is all about precision and presentation, which means you'll be doing a lot of sight fishing with light tippet and small flies. During the wade portion, expect to fish with 5x or 6x fluorocarbon tippet – the fish here see a lot of pressure and they're not shy about refusing poorly presented flies. Your guide will likely start you with a standard nymphing setup using a strike indicator, split shot, and a two-fly rig featuring a heavier point fly and a smaller dropper. The key technique here is dead-drifting your flies through the feeding lanes while maintaining contact with your line. You'll learn to read the subtle takes and hook sets that separate successful San Juan anglers from the frustrated ones casting blindly into the current. When you transition to the float fishing portion, the approach shifts to covering more water and targeting specific structure. From the boat, you can work streamers along the banks, drift nymphs through deeper runs, and even throw dry flies during hatch periods. The guide will be rowing you into position while calling out rising fish and pointing out the subtle current seams where trout stack up to feed. One of the biggest advantages of floating is that you can approach fish from different angles and present flies in ways that simply aren't possible when you're wading. Your guide will also teach you boat-specific techniques like reaching casts and stack mends that help you get longer, drag-free drifts in complex currents.
Lake trout might be the target species listed for this trip, but let me tell you what's really swimming in the San Juan River – massive rainbow and brown trout that will test every bit of your fishing skills. The rainbows here are absolute rockets, averaging 16-20 inches with plenty of fish pushing into the mid-20s. These aren't your typical hatchery rainbows either – they're wild, stream-bred fish with the attitude to match their size. What makes San Juan rainbows special is their feeding behavior. Thanks to the consistent water temperatures and abundant insect life, they feed actively year-round, but they're also extremely selective about what they eat. You'll see fish rising in the flats that refuse a dozen different fly patterns before finally taking something that matches the hatch perfectly. The browns are the real trophies though, with fish over 24 inches lurking in the deeper pools and undercut banks. Brown trout behavior on the San Juan is classic – they're aggressive predators that will smash a well-presented streamer, but they're also opportunistic feeders that sip tiny midges in the film during the right conditions. Fall through early spring is prime time for big browns as they become more active in the cooler water temperatures. What gets anglers coming back year after year is the sheer number of quality fish combined with the technical challenge of fooling them. These trout have seen every fly pattern in the book, so success comes down to perfect presentation, reading the water correctly, and having the patience to work each fish methodically. The San Juan River consistently produces fish that would be considered trophies on most other waters, making every cast a legitimate shot at a personal best.
Here's the bottom line – this full-day combo trip gives you the complete San Juan River experience in a single outing. You're getting expert instruction, access to prime fishing water, and the chance to learn techniques that will improve your fishing wherever you wet a line. The fact that it's a private trip means you're getting personalized attention from your guide and fishing at your own pace without worrying about keeping up with other
Our 12-16 foot drift boat is perfect for working the San Juan River's productive stretches where wading isn't an option. This non-motorized boat moves silently through the water, letting you get close to rising trout without spooking them. The stable platform gives you solid footing for casting and fighting fish, while the quiet drift keeps you in tune with the river's rhythm. You'll cover water that sees less pressure than the popular wade-fishing spots, accessing deeper runs and undercut banks where bigger browns often hold. The boat handles two anglers comfortably, giving each person plenty of room to cast without tangling lines. Your guide will position the boat perfectly for presenting flies to feeding fish, then hold steady while you work rising trout. Between the morning wade session and afternoon float, you'll fish a variety of water types and see why the San Juan River produces some of New Mexico's best trout fishing.
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