26 thoughts on “Tips on Fly Fishing the San Juan with MidgeMan

  1. @TimJimerson says:

    I didn't proofread mine proofread mine before I set it off a second ago. But this phone did not put what I said. If you're the Midge King, you should know the difference between an anole and a midge larvae

  2. @TimJimerson says:

    I'm sorry but if you're the b** king or whatever why don't you learn what those little things you call annelids are. An analyst is a worm, it starts as a worm lives as a worm and eyes as a worm. What you're saying are animals, or actually the second stage of a four-stage insect. They are Midge larvae not annelids.

  3. @marcjalbert4139 says:

    Nice video! Much appreciated deep dive into the aquatic details. I first fly fished the Juan in the early 70s (with minimal success, but I've improved in the last 50 years.) Going to float a couple of days with Jude on my next trip down – he's a righteous dude!

  4. @benfairbanks2307 says:

    Wow! size 24? Holy Moly! You guys must eat more carrots than me. I have a tough enough time tying size 18 on the water. Considering your success, I may have to invest in better optics & practice patience…☺

  5. @dragally1 says:

    I'll be there Thursday for a few days, been fishing it since 79. I've never fished up by the damn and I think I may just try it this trip. I'm 76 and not getting any younger, still pretty tho! lol

  6. @Bedwards333 says:

    I met Jonah on a cold windy rainy day in April in the cable hole. We exchanged a few ideas. Mostly his! Caught an unusual amount of big fish that day. 20-24 in. Had the place to ourselves as cold as it was. Good vid, great dude!

  7. @paigeloomis says:

    Nice job!! Good mix of scenery/fishing/tips. Have you ever tried tying on the tiniest of midges with a tiny nonslip loop knot to allow more movement? I do this with a ā€œslipā€ version by using a uni knot, which can be pulled back a tiny bit to form a tiny loop. It’s not ideal since it slips down to the eye on a hook up; bad to have any knot slippage on a big fish lol! Maybe someday I’ll get enough determination to learn a real loop knot for tiny stuff. BTW, I use the uni knot for all my rigging. Since it’s a slip knot, you can remove it from the hook bend and then tighten it to another hook bend. Comes in handy sometimes.

  8. @fdannybrown says:

    I grew up fishing the SJ since I was about 13. It's easy to take for granted how great fishing I've had my entire life. I live in Utah now and enjoy fishing the Provo but it's a different kind of fishing experience from the San Juan.

  9. @markhamilton3937 says:

    I was driving through the area last week (8/1/24) and had my gear with me so I took a couple of hours to fish the Simon Point access area. I've never fished the SJ but I have fished a lot of northern NM and southern CO streams and rivers. This was the first time I've ever been completely skunked for a two hour period! Not a single take. It was late morning – noonish on a 95 degree windless day and no obvious hatch was going on. I tried lots of subsurface patterns in some very fishy 48 degree water. Now I understand that my patterns were way too big. Thinking "big water/big fish", I was fishing size 14-18 nymphs/emergers under size 6-8 hoppers/indicators. I even tried an SJ worm pattern in frustration. Thanks for the great advice and video. I loved the river and the area so I'm heading back there soon for a longer and better kitted stay- including my high-powered cheaters so I can tie on a #24-26 to a 6x tippet! (I have some of the same issues as your Dad and I'm definitely watching the video he recommended for the Pitzen knot. )

  10. @troutman8495 says:

    I noticed you tie your tippet for the second fly to the bend of the hook of your first fly. Try tying your tippet to the eye of the1st fly instead of tying to the bend of the hook and you probably won't lose as many fish. Just a friendly tip. Tight lines.

  11. @mooney411 says:

    Fantastic video!! Thank you. I’m heading to Durango in a week and I’m planning to do a day on the San Juan. Looks like I’m gonna have to stock up on the smalll stuff!!

  12. @damianbengree8483 says:

    Hi, in May this year, as part of a vacation, I visited Albuquerque, reconnected with a wonderful friend who introduced me to this fishery, which is the fabulous SJ. We caught a load of browns and a few rainbows, including a PB for me a 7+ lb rainbow. Incidentally, the rainbow took thirty plus minutes to land as it gave me the run around. I wish I could fish the SJ more, alas being from New Zealand, the privilege has to wait until my next trip. Thank you for your video, the instructions, and for highlighting this beautiful river valley.

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