I had two trips out on Navajo Lake last week. The fishing has been on the slow side with most of the water temps at 49 degrees. We did find some back, muddy water at 52. With the conditions being tough, we did still land some of our target species for those days. I was fishing with Tim Froelich who was out from NJ for a Merriam Turkey hunt. He tagged out on the first day with a nice TOM! Then he decided to get in a few days of fishing instead of just hanging out at camp, while his buddies were hunting.
Two of the Pike he caught were real nice. The bigger of the 2 had a 14-inch Kokanee Salmon in her throat, and still ate a 6-inch Mepps Musky Killer! Pike are pretty impressive eaters. We tried several times for Crappie, but just couldn't make them turn on. As the water warms to 55 – 60 degrees, the post spawn Pike bite will be on. The Crappie should improve when the water is consistently 52. It snowed for a few hours yesterday, that didn't help. Spring is in the air, and the post spawn Pike action should be on within 2 weeks.
Don't forget all of our new areas that we are fishing in the San Juan National Forest.
The streams of the upper San Juan are not at ALL like the San Juan in New Mexico. These unspoiled rivers and creeks start just miles above where we will be fishing. The 10,000-foot peaks that are still packed with snow in July feed these intimate rivers on their way to the Navajo Reservoir and then the Tail water section of the San Juan that everyone knows. Some of the many streams that we are permitted on through the San Juan National Forest are the West Fork and East Fork of the San Juan, Quartz Creek, Wolf Creek, Turkey Creek, The Upper Piedra, and the Rio Blanco. These streams are great for beginners and experienced anglers alike. We will access most of the fishing areas on foot or on a 4 wheeler. The fish average 8 – 15 inches and are eager for dry flies and dropper rigs. Small steams will often give the beginner fly fisherman many more opportunities to hook fish on the dry fly.
