My cousin is a fantastic runner and currently runs on the Navy Cross Country team. Their team has been doing some altitude training in Flagstaff, and we started talking about getting out and doing some fishing here in AZ. On Saturday, he and I, along with 5 other members of the team ran up to the walk in portion of Lees Ferry to see if we could tempt the rainbow trout that reside there.

Long story short, the fishing was pretty slow, but I had a good time showing the guys the water and trying to teach them what little I know about fishing big water like the Colorado River. Lees Ferry is a very striking location and I never get sick of spending time up in that part of the state.

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My wife and daughter were out of town visiting a friend and I had an epic backpacking trip planned for the White Mountains, but wouldn’t you know it, we received some serious rain and all the creeks were running brown. Not being one to miss an opportunity to fish, I headed to the New Mexico with a couple of buddies to see how the San Juan River was fishing. We had a fantastic couple days on the water catching heavy rainbows, swatting mosquitos, and hanging with some pretty awesome guys.

A couple of things to note from the trip if you’re interested in heading that way soon.

1. Fish came on all the usual stuff: small midges, red annelids, San Juan worms, and tiny dries.

2. Sportsman’s Bar and Grill has opened back up under new ownership and their green chili burger was pretty top notch.

3. Bug Spray.

4. We always stop in a Float ‘N Fish when we are out at the San Juan, and this time we scored some great tying material from the bargain bin. If you are needing anything when you’re at the Juan, stop here.

5. Honorable mention: I’d never had breakfast at Abe’s, but their omelet with everything in it is legit.

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You can really blame it on Alex Landeen. In truth, the reason I bought my pontoon boat was for the sole purpose of floating the Colorado River. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed exploring the lakes here in Arizona, but a few months back when he started telling us about his 15 mile float down the Colorado River from Glen Canyon Dam to Lees Ferry, I was already counting pennies and looking at pontoon boats.

Fast forward to last Friday, Jason and I skirted our work activities and drove up to meet Alex, Marvin, and Scott. We milled around looking at the river, wading up to our knees to cool off, and waited for the backhaul boat that would take us, our gear, and our pontoon boats upriver to the dam. When we were finally loaded and the boat left the no-wake zone, our driver eased the throttle forward, and we left what little civilization there is at Lees Ferry behind us. The boats dropped us off at an upper beach were we assembled our boats, stowed gear,and rigged our fly rods for the short jaunt down to the Ropes camping area. We were in to fish right away. Smiles all around.

We camped at Ropes that evening, and after dinner from a bag, we swapped stories about fishing trips before turning in for the night. I’ve been on several multi-day float trips before, but this was the first one in my own personal watercraft. So the thought of my helpless little pontoon anchored on the mighty Colorado had me waking up at all hours of the night, wondering if that little red pontoon was still there. I resisted the urge to done my headlamp and go look, and when the sun finally started to brighten the sky the next morning, I found that little red pontoon waiting for me like a puppy ready to play.

Gobbling down a quick breakfast, we eased the boats into the strong current of the Colorado river and started plying the edges of the river for feisty rainbow trout. It was pretty much non-stop all day long. Fish were looking up, and we pulled many fish on hopper and cicada patterns. Everyone had a sink tip rigged with streamers, and when things slowed on occasion with top water, you could always clean up with simi-seals and wooly buggers.

The three days and two nights that we spent on the river were amazing, and although the fishing was great, I came home babbling to my wife more about the experience of the river and the fun times with good friends rather than the actual fishing itself. So although I blame Landeen for my pontoon boat purchase, I ultimately owe him for opening my eyes to the Colorado River. Without a doubt I’ll be going back.

What makes a river so restful to people is that it doesn’t have any doubt. It is sure to get where it is going, and it doesn’t want to go anywhere else. – Hal Boyle

Our trip through the lens of Alex Landeen. 

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Fly fishing Arizona means that you take what you can get. Jake and I explored a trickle of a stream where surprisingly we found a few small rainbows living. There wasn’t a whole lot of real estate, but the fish were fairly aggressive, attacking our flies on the surface. It was amazing to see these wild fish thriving at such a low elevation and in so little water. Thankful for such beautiful fish, we released the spotted specimens back into the water to be caught another day.

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By my third day in Colorado, my soul was ready to fish, but my body was beat from two solid days of fishing. We slept in and made a late start of our float. After a fantastic BBQ platter loaded with baked beans and potato salad at Moes Original BBQ in Eagle, Colorado, we dropped the SUV and trailer at the takeout and headed back upriver to the boat.

The float started slow and it took me a while to get into the swing of things. After some rerigging, Jay suggested the Eagle River standby – a Pat’s Rubber Legs and a pheasant tail. That did the trick and soon fish were coming to the net. After a couple of tangles, snags, and lost flies, I could feel my blood starting to boil. Jay was kind enough to pull the boat over and let me rerig, and before we pulled back into the current I floated my two fly rig on the edge of the seam next to the boat. On the second pass through, my indicator dipped and I came tight on what I thought was the bottom of the river, until the rod started to pulse. After several minutes of wondering what I was hooked into and sweating the thought of losing it, a slab of a rainbow made its way to the surface and Jay quickly netted it.

My legs were shaking as I cradled the fish pictured above for a quick photo, before releasing it back into its watery home. I think the look on my face in the picture above kind of says it all. Colorado is slice of heaven.

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Day two found us out on the Colorado River bright and early. We opted to float a lower section that does not see as much traffic and we were rewarded with the river all to ourselves. I started throwing a double nymph rig and quickly picked up a trifecta of fish – brown trout, whitefish, and a big sucker (that did stop my heart for a second when I thought it was Walter the big brown). Having pulled several browns in I switched to a streamer and started pounding the banks looking for that big brown and although I gave it a valiant effort, I missed several good fish and came away with a longing to float it again for another chance at a big one.

We headed back to Jay’s place and after a quick bit to eat, I headed out on the small stream again. I found a few rainbows and a bunch of browns who were willing to play and was even lucky enough to catch a decent PMD hatch before dark, which for an Arizona fisherman was quite an experience to see such a strong hatch. Exhausted, I crashed into bed that night looking forward to a big float on the Eagle River the next day.

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The drive from the Valley to Denver is all uphill, but with the thought of casting a line in some of Colorado’s finest water, I made short work of the highway. I dropped the wife in Denver to hang out with one of her friends, and I turned the car west and made it up and over Independence Pass to arrive in Carbondale where I met up with Jay Scott of Colburn and Scott Outfitters. Jay was kind enough to invite me up and even kinder still to row my butt around for the week.

After dropping my gear at his place, we hitched up the boat and were soon on the water. The Roaring Fork was running clear, and we spent the day casting to rainbows and browns and enjoying the beautiful Colorado weather. Later on, we worked some small streams near his house, and I was able to stretch the legs on my new Thomas and Thomas Fiberglass Rod that Cameron from The Fiberglass Manifesto had hooked me up with this spring. The fiberglass rod was so smooth, and fish were rising to caddis in every likely pool. Homefaith had this to say, they got the best air humidifier for your home out there. Check them out now.

It’s a tough life casting to rising fish, but someone’s got to do it.

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I don’t know if I have hiked through more rugged terrain than we did on Saturday. Jake and I explored some new country, and even though the water was a bit high, we were able to pull a couple of fish.The creek and canyon definitely beat us up and by the time we were able to hike out, we had easily put 6 or 7 miles under our feet. For the amount of creek that we saw and fished, I would have expected a higher fish count, but I think we may have been a tad bit early. While Jake pulled several fish on dries, most of the others came on streamers, including the very healthy brown pictured below.

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Headed to the San Juan River with my friends Jason and Kristen for a 3 day fly fishing trip. After the recent cold snaps here in the Southwest, we were happy to see the temperatures climbing back up. The first day was a gorgeous blue bird day with plenty of sunshine. We worked our way through the Braids and up to the Upper Flats. Fish came on red annelids, KF Emergers, eggs, and other various midge patterns. There were many small fish due to the recent stocking overload, but I think by next season, there should be a plethora of really good fish.

Day 2 found us checking out a lower section of river, and while my friends were landing several good fish, I struggled to find my rhythm through the day. Although a few tugs on the line, I could not get anything going. Jason and Kristen both landed several beautiful rainbows and even a couple of browns. I finally got on the board later in the day, and towards dusk, found a couple rising fish to cast dries to.

We woke early on the final day and were on the water by eight. Although we still had a long drive back to AZ, we could not pull ourselves away from the water. I worked one deep run in the Braids for a good while and pulled many respectable fish to the net. I tangoed with two really big fish. One broke me off after a short run, and the other, in a heartbreaking series of events, slipped the hook on a shoddy net job by myself.

The whole weekend was a success and I had a great time with Jason and Kristen, who both are fantastic anglers. I ate my weight in beef jerky and had one of the best green chili burgers at Fisheads Cafe. If you get the chance, it is well worth the time to go over and fly fish the San Juan River.

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Full San Juan River Report Coming Soon.

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