Catch and Release | Pack it in Pack it Out | Leave No Trace
"We are prone to speak of the resources of this country as inexhaustible; this is not so." - Theodore Roosevelt
Please be a good steward of our precious resources.
East Fork of San Juan River Fishing Information
East Fork Section - near Pagosa Springs, CO
The East fork of the San Juan is on e of the most accessible sections of the San Juan in Colorado and sees a decent amount of pressure from all kinds of anglers. The river is beautiful and has a real southern Colorado feel to it. The river is rich with insects making it a fun place to fish and test your fly selection skills. With plenty of structure including large log jams and boulders, the river structure is dynamic. The river has a medium to high gradient through its course providing pocket water, deep pools and all manner of fishing water. This kind of variety is not as common to fish and provides a unique challenge learning to adapt to each section to maximize the success of each place fished.
Traversing the river can be difficult in some spots and easy in others, so find a place that is right for your skill level and interests. Rainbow trout make up the majority of the trout in the river, though all four species do exist in the river (that I’ve heard from 2nd hand, trusting sources) but 90% or more of the trout will often be rainbow trout. Dry flies and nymphs will take the majority of fish, though streamers at the right season and time of day can do well also. Dry dropper is probably the best set up for fishing most of the river, but be prepared to switch up often as the river changes and fishing a dry dropper through a 2-4 ft run will be much more effective than in a 12ft slow pool. Adjusting the depth of your dropper is important to finding the trout where they are wanting to feed. Find the pattern and depth for the day and you can find a lot of fish.
If you find that you aren’t enjoying the crowds on this section of river, there is plenty of water to try out nearby. From in town in Pagosa springs up along wolf creek or hiking along the west fork of the san juan, there is plenty of water to be had. In addition, the upper section of the east fork is much harder to access and has less pressure. Same is true with quartz creek and there is some great scenery up there to enjoy as you fish in near solitude. Be sure to check out the map on the main page of the river explorer to check out what is around this area, you are only a short drive from the rio grande valley and 100’s of other options there too. Lots of water in this area as you can see, take some time exploring to find your new favorite spot. Explorers are rewarded with solitude and at times, even better fishing than the pressured areas.
<p>Fly selection is pretty standard to what you would fish around most of Colorado. Think freestone rivers and super small tailwater bugs are usually not as necessary (though will work if that’s what you like). Every time I’ve been up there I just throw a size #10 yellow stimulator with rubberlegs and then trail a jig style frenchie below and never seem to struggle catching fish during the summer and early fall months. With that said, there are a lot of insects up here and trout can get particular, so having a bug seine in order to catch insects underwater and see what is active in the river for that day can turn a mediocre day around and put a lot of fish to net faster than just randomly guessing from your fly box.</p>
<p>Midge and smaller mayflies in early spring when the river opens up produces well, with larger stoneflies and caddis becoming important as summer comes in. See our fly selections below and buy or tie a few that fit what you like to fish. You can also just use the fly selection below as a guideline to organize your own box.</p>
Fish: Some Small-Sized Fish
Popularity: Medium
Difficulty: Medium
Accessibility: Easy
Best Techniques: Dries & Nymphs
Best Seasons: Spring - Fall
River Type: Small Freestone
Fish Types:
Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Brook Trout
Dog Friendly: Yes
Located in the San Juan/Dolores River Basin near Pagosa Springs, CO
Hatch Charts
Knowing what flies to use is only have the battle. You have to know when the insects are active on the water and when it's likely the trout are feeding on them. Refer to our hatch charts below to understand when the insect categories and some of the possible hatches on the river.
Midge Hatches
Midges hatch year round, but their importance is from September through winter into April. During the warmer months, the trout often focus on larger insects as they are more active on the water like mayflies, caddis and stoneflies.
Aside from Blue wing olives, mayflies are active most commonly from May to August in Colorado. There are many different mayfly hatches found on most rivers and the most common are listed below.
Blue Wing Olive: September throut winter to April
Colors: Green/Olive
Sizes: #16-24
Pale Morning Dun: June to Mid September
Colors: White, Yellow
Sizes: #14 - #20
Caddis Hatches
Caddis hatch starting early in May and continue to the end of October.
Colors: Olive, Green, Yellow, Tan, Orange, Brown and Black.
Sizes: #10 - #20
Stonefly Hatches
We have some great stonefly hatches in Colorado and while not all rivers carry all species of salmonflies, you can often fish stonefly adult patterns with confidence from May to September. Start off in bigger sizes and get smaller till September hits (size 8 - 16)
Golden Stone: June to August
Colors: Yellow, Tan
Sizes: #8 - #14
Yellow Sally Stonefly: Mid June to August
Colors: Yellow, Tan
Sizes: #12 - #18
Terrestrial Activity
Terrestrials don't hatch since they are out of the water, but they can have importance starting in Mid April and ending in September.
Fly selection is pretty standard to what you would fish around most of Colorado. Think freestone rivers and super small tailwater bugs are usually not as necessary (though will work if that’s what you like). Every time I’ve been up there I just throw a size #10 yellow stimulator with rubberlegs and then trail a jig style frenchie below and never seem to struggle catching fish during the summer and early fall months. With that said, there are a lot of insects up here and trout can get particular, so having a bug seine in order to catch insects underwater and see what is active in the river for that day can turn a mediocre day around and put a lot of fish to net faster than just randomly guessing from your fly box.
Midge and smaller mayflies in early spring when the river opens up produces well, with larger stoneflies and caddis becoming important as summer comes in. See our fly selections below and buy or tie a few that fit what you like to fish. You can also just use the fly selection below as a guideline to organize your own box.
These are the the top flies we sell for this river. Use the hatch chart above to know what flies you will want to have in your fly box during your adventure on the river and then select the flies here 30 days before your trip to get them at a great price. All of our flies are hand tied to each order to ensure quality and to keep our prices low for you.
Click on a fly below to select a size and color for purchase.
Our fly assortments make fly selection easy. We take our entomology knowledge and years of fly fishing experience on these rivers to bring you the right fly patterns, including the correct colors, sizes and quantities to set you up for success. A good selection of flies will prepare you properly for anything the trout may be eating on the river and our fly assortments are specifically curated to maximize your success. Take a look at the assortments we provide below and add one to your box today. Use coupon code AST50 for $50 off and free shipping on these as well, just to help make fly fishing a little more affordable!
Click on any of the pictures to see what flies, colors and sizes we recommend in each assortment.
View our access map for the East Fork of San Juan River and learn public and private access points as well as other notable features around fly fishing this river. We include headwater and confluence data and in an effort to not "hotspot" river access points that are better than others, we list every access point available. This serves two purposes. First, it keeps us from hotspotting, which is just showing the best spots and bringing unwanted and harmful attention to the specific access point. The second reason is while we want to help you catch fish and find great places to explore, we don't want to spell it all out for you. If you get it all spelled out, we're doing the exploring, not you. Missing out on the journey of exploring places to fly fish is one of the more enjoyable aspects of fly fishing. While not everyone has time to go explore everything in person, we provide some of the top level data to help you know if something is worth your time, then pass it off to you to explore and find your own adventure. Now enjoy the info, if you're on this page then this river is worth exploring! Go out and find some memories.
East Fork of San Juan River Tips & Resources
Use these epic resources to get ready for your adventure. Whether you're planning your trip, learning your insects, improving your fishing with expert tips or getting detailed resources from the USGS streamflows or DoW, we got you covered to help you find the river and find the success you want.