San Juan River Fishing Report — August 7, 2026

As of this writing, August 7th, the Bureau of Reclamation has increased flows on the San Juan River below Navajo Dam to 850 CFS.

This is still a very good wade flow, and we’re extremely fortunate to have cold water on the San Juan right now while many rivers across the West are dealing with warmer, more stressful conditions.

Fishing has been very good, and August is giving us a little bit of everything. Right now you can realistically spend the day streamer fishing, nymphing, and finishing with dry flies.

Early Morning Streamer Fishing

The early morning streamer fishing has been great.

We consider June through roughly the middle of October our peak streamer season on the San Juan, and August is right in the heart of it.

The San Juan is an extremely cold tailwater, and during the summer the warmer daytime air temperatures bring the water temperature up just enough to get the trout more active while still keeping the river cold and healthy.

If you want to throw streamers, we’ve been getting started early and taking advantage of that morning window before transitioning into other techniques as the day develops.

Afternoon Dry Fly Fishing

The afternoon dry fly fishing has also been very good.

We’ve been seeing plenty of midge activity later in the day, along with fish willing to eat terrestrials. For anglers specifically interested in dry fly fishing, starting later and fishing through the afternoon has been a very productive program.

Some of our better terrestrial patterns have been:

• Fat Alberts
• Small Chubby Chernobyls
• Dead Chickens
• QuickSight Ants

When the fish get picky, don’t be afraid to go small.

We’ve been fishing size 26 parachutes, small Griffith’s Gnats, cluster midges, Fore and Afts, and smaller Cracklebacks when the trout start getting selective.

Pay attention to the fish. If you’re seeing noses, backs, and tails, there’s a good chance they’re feeding higher in the water column and it may be time to lose the indicator altogether.

Nymph Fishing

Nymph fishing continues to be very good, especially throughout the wade sections of the Quality Waters.

Those fish have been extremely buggy, and small midge patterns continue to do a lot of the heavy lifting.

Some of the better flies have been:

• #24 Foam Wing Emergers — chocolate and gray
• #24 Bead Wing Emergers — chocolate and gray
• KF Emergers
• #26 midges when the fish get especially picky

One of the more important things we’ve been seeing is fish moving through the water column throughout the day.

Don’t get stuck fishing the same depth from morning until afternoon.

Early in the morning, we’ve been starting in the lower third of the water column. As the bugs become more active, start working your flies through the middle of the column. Later in the day, when you see backs and tails and fish actively midging, you can sometimes fish as shallow as six inches below the surface.

Adjust your depth and weight throughout the day based on what the fish are doing.

Water Temperatures

We’re very fortunate to have cold water coming out of Navajo Dam.

I’ve been taking temperatures throughout the Quality Waters and have seen the river reach around 44 degrees during the hottest part of the day.

Further downstream, outside of the Quality Waters, I’ve seen temperatures range from around 43 degrees up to 55 degrees.

That’s something anglers should keep in mind. The further you get away from Navajo Dam, the more influence the air temperature has on the river and the more sensitive those trout can become to changing water temperatures.

Overall, though, the San Juan is in a great spot right now.

The trout are happy and healthy, the water is cold, and the fishing has been excellent.

Throw streamers early, nymph through the transitions, and keep the dry fly rod ready for the afternoon.

We hope to see you sooner rather than later. Whatever you want to do on the San Juan — within reason — let us know. We’re happy to help.