The fishing is excellent below the dam on the San Juan River, especially if you like throwing dry flies! Most days the BWO's are on the surface around 1:00 pm, you can start fishing grey foams, and chocolate foams around 10:30 am. My best set up in the afternoon has been a BWO dry (parachute, dun, no-hackle, sparkle dun) followed by a grey or chocolate fluffy. I keep the fluffy dry by putting it in dry fly shake. They will eat the fluffy in the film until about 4:00 pm, then they seem to mostly key in on the dry (emergence is over).
All of the local streams are still fishing very well after an early season snow storm dropped 44 inches of SNOW in 3 days. We had a mini spring run-off and now the streams are in great shape with water levels higher than normal for this time of year (which is great for the trout). We are still hammering them with hopper dropper rigs. Any dry dropper rig will get some attention.
Out at Sunset Ranch I have been throwing streamers looking for the big browns. Early November to mid-November is when the browns usually start pre spawn in our area. So if you are around, go chuck some streamers! I make out best with a tandem rig, first fly a smaller size 10 – 12 white streamer, then a foot back something bigger like a Nappy Head, or a Pop's Bugger. The best thing about November is the crowds are gone.
Tight lines,
Scott Taylor
http://highcountrycharters.com
970-946-5229
While you are in town make sure that you visit the following businesses!
Need Fly Fishing gear? See Pop's
Let it Fly
Located on Put hill, just West of Downtown Pagosa Springs.
970-264-3189
http://www.flyfishpagosa.com
Hungry for Adventure?
Pagosa Outside Adventures - Rafting, Biking, Kayaking, Tubing
Downtown Pagosa Springs
970-264-4202
http://www.pagosaoutside.com
