The San Juan River, in northern New Mexico, is known for it’s world-class trout fishing. It includes 3.5 miles of “Quality Waters” with strict fishing regulations and a high density of fish. According to New Mexico Game and Fish, this part of the river has approximately 24,000 fish per mile.
Location
The first 1/4 mile of the San Juan River below Navajo Dam is off limits to fishing. The “Quality Waters” section, with its special restrictions, begins immediately after that. It stretches for 3 1/2 miles from Cable Hole to Crusher Hole. Many access points from both sides of the river enable anglers to cast from shore, wade into the water, or float.
Fishing Restrictions
In addition to requiring a New Mexico fishing license, the “Quality Waters” section of the San Juan River has other restrictions. These are considered Special Trout Waters (STW) which can have one of three designations, uniquely appropriate for New Mexico.
The 3.5 mile stretch of Quality Waters below Navajo dam is designated as Red Chili Water and is the most restrictive.
It’s catch and release only. And, anglers can only use artificial flies or lures with a single barbless hook. No more than two files or lures can be used on a single line. Learn more rules and information about fishing in New Mexico in the Fish and Game brochure.
River Access
The south side of the river offers the easiest access from Navajo Lake. There are five day-use areas with parking lots and paths that lead to the river bank. All of these day-use areas are part of Navajo Lake State Park and require either an annual park pass, a current receipt from camping in one of the park campgrounds, or payment of the day-use fee. The exception is the BOR Day Use Area. The BOR parking lot is near the highway on a ridge above the river. It requires a relatively long walk down from the ridge and across the flats to reach the river bank.… but its free!
Texas Hole is the most popular access point for fishing the Quality Waters section. It has a large parking lot, is a short walk to the water, and is the primary boat launch for floating down the Quality Waters section of the river.
The north side of the river is a little harder to access and isn’t appropriate for launching a boat to float the Quality Waters. But, I think it’s prettier than the south side... especially in the Fall. And, it's less crowded!
To access the north side of the river from the lake, you have to drive downriver on Highway 511 past Crusher Hole, and turn right on Highway 173. You cross over the river and turn right on County Road 4280. It’s a dirt road that leads up the other side of the river. At the end of the dirt road is Simon Canyon Recreation Area, right across the river from Simon Point Day Use Area. This area is not part of Navajo Lake State Park but it’s one of our favorite places to boondock, hike and fish in the Navajo Lake area. From the parking lot, it’s a short walk through beautiful cottonwood trees to the river. A narrow footpath leads up and down the river for several miles of fishing access in the Quality Waters section.
Floating
During our previous trips to the San Juan River, Tom did a lot of fishing but only a little catching. He knew he could do better. So, during our most recent trip, Tom booked a guided fly-fishing trip in hopes of learning some tips from a local expert.
We arrived at the river a few days before Tom’s scheduled trip and he immediately noticed the water was murky. He learned from other fisherman that Navajo Lake had recently “turned over" stirring up dirt and sending it downstream. This made the fishing even more challenging. Tom didn’t net a single fish during the two days before his float and he was afraid his upcoming trip down the San Juan would be a big disappointment. Fortunately his fears were unnecessary and he enjoyed a great day of floating, fishing, and catching!
The owner and head guide of About Trout guide service, James, picked Tom up from our campground early in the morning. They had a full day of fishing ahead of them and wanted to beat the crowd. They launched the boat at the Texas Hole Day Use Area and were on the water by 7:30am. They floated and fished around Texas Hole for nearly an hour before most other guide boats arrived.
As Texas Hole became more crowded, Tom and James slowly made their way downstream. Tom asked James to share tips on fishing the San Juan River and James was happy to oblige. Tom caught a lot of rainbow and an occasional brown trout. When they reached the pullout at Crusher Hole they still had some time left. So, James loaded the boat back up and they headed back to Texas Hole. Tom learned, from James, that on a normal day with good conditions, fisherman typically net about 20 fish. Even with the murky water and less than ideal conditions, Tom netted 16 trout. He’s already looking forward to a return trip where he can apply his newfound knowledge.
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