Jonathan Cook
October 15th, 2003, 11:41 PM
This past weekend I doubled my fishing days for the year by
spending 3 days on the San Juan. A friend of mine from church
had asked me to go with him, his 8 year old son, and a friend
of his from Tennessee. Once I knew I was out of commission for
the December SJ clave, I couldn't say no!
Bright sunny days didn't make the fishing easy, and being for
the most part late to the river in the morning and off early
in the evening probably didn't help. But we did catch fish.
The river was flowing in the mid-400s CFS.
Saturday we fished in the Upper Flats and the deep run just
above it. I seem to always do better in the deeper water. I
just can't stand watching fish refuse my flies time after time
in the shallow water, and I get fixated and end up wasting
time on a single pod of fish. After trying a few different
flies for a while in the deep water, I finally picked up my
first fish after about an hour, a nice 'bow probably not
quite 20". It took the #24 gray midge w/ black head I had on
my point.
The day was rather slow but I hooked up about 7-8 fish, and
netted three of them. All of the ones I saw took the #24
midge, except a brown of about 16-17" that took a gray scud
(a tip of the hat to Bruiser who offered that suggestion).
On second thought I might have netted 4, because I know I
netted two browns and I think I netted another bow.
On that first day my friend had hired a guide to help get his
son into fish. It paid off and the son hooked up on 3-4 fish,
and landed a couple of them, including the best fish of the
trip, a definite 20"-er, maybe a little more. It was a great
moment in the trip, us adults were all around him taking
pictures, and whoopin' and hollerin' when he landed it.
The second day we waded into the Kiddie Hole. After being
frustrated by shallow water pods for a while (I hooked up
2-3 but quickly lost them -- and again on a #24 midge),
I waded out to the main channel and quickly picked up and
netted a hard-fighting 'bow. I waded back 'cause we were
supposed to meet at the truck for lunch, but I was late
and they were already gone. Oh well! I walked down to the
Texas Hole, and after looking at the crowds I waded in just
above it, working my way over the main channel riffles.
I was a couple of BWOs in the air, and quickly hooked up
on 3 bows in the riffles above Texas Hole, landing one
about 18". It was a good thing he wasn't a runner or else
he could have just taken me all the way down into the Hole.
I worked upstream into the deep channel I had been at
earlier, and picked up another 'bow in there on an RS2.
Those afternoon fish were the ONLY fish I caught on something
other than a #24 midge (well, except the earlier brown on
a scud).
On the last day we went back to the upper flats in the
morning, and I netted 3 more fish, and hooked up on twice
that number. The wind came up real bad so we went back
to the camper for lunch, and waited it out. About 3pm or
so we went to Baetis Bend even though the wind was still
strong. After fishing a SJW and RS2 for a while with no
hits, I switched to a sinking line and chucked streamers
in Lunker Alley for a while, with only two short takes.
As the sun went down a pretty good midge hatch came off,
and after a while and having only about 20min of fishing
left for the trip, I took the time to switch back to
my floating line, rigged up a #24 midge (again!) and
quickly took my last fish of the trip in the riffles at
the end of Lunker Alley, a nice fighting 'bow of about
17-18".
By the end of the trip a #22 was looking awfully big!
Jon.
spending 3 days on the San Juan. A friend of mine from church
had asked me to go with him, his 8 year old son, and a friend
of his from Tennessee. Once I knew I was out of commission for
the December SJ clave, I couldn't say no!
Bright sunny days didn't make the fishing easy, and being for
the most part late to the river in the morning and off early
in the evening probably didn't help. But we did catch fish.
The river was flowing in the mid-400s CFS.
Saturday we fished in the Upper Flats and the deep run just
above it. I seem to always do better in the deeper water. I
just can't stand watching fish refuse my flies time after time
in the shallow water, and I get fixated and end up wasting
time on a single pod of fish. After trying a few different
flies for a while in the deep water, I finally picked up my
first fish after about an hour, a nice 'bow probably not
quite 20". It took the #24 gray midge w/ black head I had on
my point.
The day was rather slow but I hooked up about 7-8 fish, and
netted three of them. All of the ones I saw took the #24
midge, except a brown of about 16-17" that took a gray scud
(a tip of the hat to Bruiser who offered that suggestion).
On second thought I might have netted 4, because I know I
netted two browns and I think I netted another bow.
On that first day my friend had hired a guide to help get his
son into fish. It paid off and the son hooked up on 3-4 fish,
and landed a couple of them, including the best fish of the
trip, a definite 20"-er, maybe a little more. It was a great
moment in the trip, us adults were all around him taking
pictures, and whoopin' and hollerin' when he landed it.
The second day we waded into the Kiddie Hole. After being
frustrated by shallow water pods for a while (I hooked up
2-3 but quickly lost them -- and again on a #24 midge),
I waded out to the main channel and quickly picked up and
netted a hard-fighting 'bow. I waded back 'cause we were
supposed to meet at the truck for lunch, but I was late
and they were already gone. Oh well! I walked down to the
Texas Hole, and after looking at the crowds I waded in just
above it, working my way over the main channel riffles.
I was a couple of BWOs in the air, and quickly hooked up
on 3 bows in the riffles above Texas Hole, landing one
about 18". It was a good thing he wasn't a runner or else
he could have just taken me all the way down into the Hole.
I worked upstream into the deep channel I had been at
earlier, and picked up another 'bow in there on an RS2.
Those afternoon fish were the ONLY fish I caught on something
other than a #24 midge (well, except the earlier brown on
a scud).
On the last day we went back to the upper flats in the
morning, and I netted 3 more fish, and hooked up on twice
that number. The wind came up real bad so we went back
to the camper for lunch, and waited it out. About 3pm or
so we went to Baetis Bend even though the wind was still
strong. After fishing a SJW and RS2 for a while with no
hits, I switched to a sinking line and chucked streamers
in Lunker Alley for a while, with only two short takes.
As the sun went down a pretty good midge hatch came off,
and after a while and having only about 20min of fishing
left for the trip, I took the time to switch back to
my floating line, rigged up a #24 midge (again!) and
quickly took my last fish of the trip in the riffles at
the end of Lunker Alley, a nice fighting 'bow of about
17-18".
By the end of the trip a #22 was looking awfully big!
Jon.