Whether you want to fish with our gear, your own equipment, or plan to DIY the San Juan, here is a recommended list of gear for the river. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us!
Clothing
The San Juan River is a year-round fishery, and what to wear greatly varies by the season. Your guide will be in touch leading up to your trip to go over weather and ensure you're properly prepared.
- Spring: Bring layers as the weather can change throughout the day.
- Summer: UV-Resistant clothing, sunscreen, and sunglasses.
- Fall: Bring layers as the weather can change throughout the day.
- Winter: Layers and a comfy winter coat, thermal underwear, gloves, and beanies.
Waders
The San Juan is COLD. Even in the hottest summer days, you can risk hypothermia wading around the Quality Waters, especially if you are in the BOR section close to the dam. Waders are a must. If you do not own a pair, let us know, and we can get you set up with a rental pair.
Rods
For general fly fishing on the San Juan, you'll be covered with your standard 9ft 5wt or 9ft 4wt. We generally like softer rods to protect the lighter tippet we typically fish. For floating, we personally use a lot of 10ft 4wts as it makes mending a lot easier. For streamer fishing, we are big fans of 7wts as we tend to fish larger patterns and sink tip fly lines. For euro nymphing, 3wts in 10 - 11 ft are preferred. We really like the 10.5 and 11ft rods as they make it easier to get drifts in some of the wider sections of the river where wading can be difficult.
Reels & Lines
This is probably one of the few rivers where a smooth drag is crucial. Playing large fish on small flies is commonplace on the San Juan. Having your drag sputter during a fight can torque a small hook or break 6x tippet.
Getting Here
The San Juan River is located in Navajo Dam, NM. The two closest airports are Durango (DRO), 50 minutes and Albuquerque (ABQ), 3.5 Hours away. Albuquerque is the closest large airport to the San Juan, and the drive is almost entirely on highways. Flying into Durango is a great option, but be warned that during the Winter and Spring months, weather delays can impede your travel.
