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San Juan River (Navajo Dam) Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The San Juan below Navajo Dam: 3.75 miles of catch-and-release Special Trout Water inside Navajo Lake State Park.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
1,470 cfs
Air / High
63 / 63 F
Wind
WSW 7 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 09355500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

San Juan River (Navajo Dam) asks for patience today: short windows, precise presentations. The river is running 1,470 cfs, on the rise. Today brings cloud cover, wind WSW around 7 mph, rising pressure near 1010 hPa and a high of 63. Water sits around 47 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:49 AM-11:49 AM and 10:17 PM-12:17 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutExcellent

In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown troutExcellent

Below 50Β°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

Tomorrow: Similar at 61 F with a rain chance. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

New Mexico requires a fishing licence from age 12, from $49.00 for residents. What a New Mexico licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing rainbow trout here? Check the size and bag limits with NMDOW before you keep anything. The season dates for New Mexico, read off the agency, are on the New Mexico seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from SAN JUAN RIVER NEAR ARCHULETA, NM.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 09355500.

4778681,2591,470 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 68 years of October 23

At 1,470 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 09355500 (SAN JUAN RIVER NEAR ARCHULETA, NM) is at the 88th percentile for the date: above normal. In half of the 68 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 553 cfs; the highest was 2,160 cfs and the lowest 170 cfs.

p10 338median 553p90 1,571

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 09355500; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp63 F
High / Low63 / 48 F
WindWSW 7-12 mph
Pressure1010.3 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain81% cloud, 59%
Sunrise / Sunset07:25 / 18:23
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (gauge)49 F USGS
Water temp (seasonal)~47 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish San Juan River (Navajo Dam) this week

Today is the pick of the week on San Juan River (Navajo Dam), at 3 out of 5.

Best day this week: today, Oct 23 β€” fair at 3/5, rising pressure behind a front, typically the slowest.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:49 AM-11:49 AM and 10:17 PM-12:17 AM
Minor period
4:12 AM-5:12 AM
Sun
07:25 to 18:23
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Showers, 15 mph
Rain chance
59%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on San Juan River (Navajo Dam): seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. In cold water rainbows use the deepest pools in rivers (Vermont), so slow, deep drifts there are the usual approach; Michigan DNR notes lake rainbows are also taken with bait or by jigging through the ice.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Spring along Great Lakes shorelines; low light and overcast days in rivers; fall spawning runs

A European trout first stocked in the US in 1883 and now fished in rivers and lakes nationwide; it tolerates warmer water than other trout, and mature stream fish feed mostly at night. Below 50Β°F, fish slowly through the deeper pools; in early spring on the Great Lakes, Michigan DNR notes browns are often caught inshore before other species start biting.

When to come: the San Juan River (Navajo Dam) calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 47 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~47 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks San Juan River (Navajo Dam) today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 59 F, wind to 15 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 69 F, wind to 13 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 69 F, wind to 8 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

New Mexico requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

New Mexico fishing license for anglers 12 and older. Navajo Dam to Crusher Hole Day Use Area (3.75 mi): catch-and-release, single barbless artificial fly or lure, no more than 2 flies or lures per line, no bait or chumming (2026-2027 New Mexico Fishing Rules & Info).

Access

Navajo Lake State Park day-use areas along the river (Texas Hole, Crusher Hole, Lower Flats/Munoz, Simon Point) and Cottonwood Campground. The park has a standing boil-water advisory for its Cottonwood water system.

About this water

The San Juan River tailwater below Navajo Dam, San Juan County, New Mexico; the USGS gauge near Archuleta is below the Special Trout Water.

Fishing San Juan River (Navajo Dam): the full guide

The Special Trout Water

The 2026-2027 New Mexico Fishing Rules list the San Juan River from Navajo Dam downstream 3.75 miles to the Crusher Hole Day Use Area as Red Chile Water: catch-and-release only, with artificial flies or lures on a single barbless hook. No more than two flies or lures may be fished on one line there, and disturbing the bottom to attract fish is illegal.

The fish

The New Mexico Department of Wildlife names the San Juan among the waters that give good opportunities for stocked rainbow trout and among the rivers with wild brown trout populations.

The park

New Mexico State Parks calls the San Juan a world-class fly-fishing destination and lists a campground, day-use areas and a river trail. Its San Juan River trail map names the Texas Hole and Crusher Hole day use areas, the Lower Flats/Munoz and Simon Point day use areas, Cottonwood Campground and the BLM's Simon Canyon Recreation Area.

Common questions

Can I keep trout just below Navajo Dam?

Not in the 3.75 miles from Navajo Dam to Crusher Hole Day Use Area: the 2026-2027 rules make it catch-and-release only.

How many flies can I fish at once?

No more than two flies or lures on a single line in the San Juan Special Trout Water, each on a single barbless hook.

Is the water at the park safe to drink?

Navajo Lake State Park has a boil-water advisory for the Cottonwood water system: boil water for at least 3 minutes or bring your own.

Is fishing good at San Juan River (Navajo Dam) right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Navajo Lake3 miVallecito Reservoir39 miHeron Lake54 miAbiquiu Lake74 miSan Miguel River86 miRio Grande93 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 09355500 β€” SAN JUAN RIVER NEAR ARCHULETA, NM
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:15 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 36.8239, -107.6481 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 8, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 8, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.