Big western rivers (wade fishing)
9′ rod, 5–6 weight, floating line · Rainbow and brown trout, whitefish
Open checklist
Navajo Dam & the San Juan
Navajo Dam is the small community below Navajo Dam on the San Juan River in north-west New Mexico.
- New Mexico · West
- 4 waters
- 11 guides nearby
- 4 shops nearby
- DRO airport · 25 mi
Photo credit
The San Juan River between the community of Navajo Dam and the dam, New Mexico, August 2015. Photo: Phil Slattery, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
More about Navajo Dam & the San Juan
Navajo Dam is the small community below Navajo Dam on the San Juan River in north-west New Mexico; Navajo Lake reaches north into Colorado, and the river runs on past Blanco and Bloomfield toward Farmington.
Waters around Navajo Dam
About this
Tap a water for its live flow, access map, regulations and hatches.
Catch and releasePhoto credit
The San Juan River between Navajo Dam and the community of Navajo Dam, New Mexico. Photo: Phil Slattery, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
San Juan River
New Mexico · 5 mi from Navajo Dam
Lake or reservoirPhoto credit
Navajo Lake from Navajo Lake State Park, New Mexico. Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Navajo Lake
New Mexico · 20 mi from Navajo Dam
Catch and releasePhoto credit
The Piedra River in Hinsdale County, Colorado. Photo: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Piedra River
Colorado · 23 mi from Navajo Dam
Special-regulation trout waterPhoto credit
The Los Pinos River in La Plata County, Colorado. Photo: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Los Pinos River
Colorado · 25 mi from Navajo Dam
Distances and official pages
The rivers, lakes or flats this hub is organised around, each with its straight-line distance from Navajo Dam. Within 40 miles a water's own page names this hub as near; a farther one shows its distance instead. Where a nearby guide names a water on its own website, we say how many do. Access, seasons and special regulations differ by reach: check the agency pages under license and rules.
- San Juan River5 mi from Navajo Dam in a straight line · named on 8 guide websites nearby
- Navajo Lake20 mi from Navajo Dam in a straight line · named on 4 guide websites nearby
- Piedra River23 mi from Navajo Dam in a straight line · named on 1 guide website nearby
- Los Pinos River25 mi from Navajo Dam in a straight line
All gauge readings
The first USGS gauge on each water: the latest reading, how it compares with that gauge's record for today's date, the 24-hour trend and the NWS flood stage. Open a water for what the level means.
Reading the gauges around Navajo Dam…
Meet local guides
About this
11 guide listings within 60 miles (9 fly-focused), fly-focused first. Unclaimed listings say so on their page: confirm licensing, rates and dates with the outfitter.
Blue Sky Fly Fishing Co.
Navajo Dam, NM · 5 mi
Float trips · Wade trips · San Juan & Navajo Lake
- Unclaimed
Born N' Raised Guide Service on the San Juan River
Navajo Dam, NM · 5 mi
Float trips · Wade trips · San Juan River
- Unclaimed
Piedra River Anglers
Pagosa Springs, CO · 46 mi
Float trips · Wade trips · San Juan & Rio Grande
- Unclaimed
Aztec Anglers San Juan River Guide Service
Durango, CO · 36 mi
Map listing: trips not confirmed
- Unclaimed
Fly shops nearby
About this
4 shop listings in the towns around Navajo Dam, fly shops first. Confirm hours with the shop before you go.
Fish around Navajo Dam
Species guides mention (7)
Counted from the species each guide lists on its own site. This is what guides advertise, not an agency species list or a promise of what you will catch. We hold no agency species page for this hub yet.
- Brown trout4
- Rainbow trout4
- Carp3
- Northern pike3
- Cutthroat trout2
- Bonefish1
- Crappie1
- Largemouth bass1
Things to know
Fishing license: New Mexico Department of Game & Fish
Fees on the agency page.
Fishing license: Colorado Parks & Wildlife
Fees on the agency page.
Getting there
DRO Durango La Plata County Airport · 25 mi
Regulations and access
Seasons, limits and access: agency pages.
Official license and rules pages
Buy the license from the agency and read its current regulations before you go. These links are the authoritative pages; nothing on this page grants or implies access to any water, and fees are only shown when read from the agency page on a stated date.
Nothing here grants or implies access to any water.
The Navajo Dam & the San Juan area
About this
The circle is the 60-mile area this page covers, around Navajo Dam. Tap a water for its page. Shops and guides appear where they publish a street address on their own website; all of them are listed above.
Map of the Navajo Dam & the San Juan area: its waters, shops and guides
Map of Navajo Dam & the San Juan: the 60-mile area this page covers, its waters, and shops and guides with an exact address.
Restrooms near Navajo Dam & the San Juan
Restrooms near Navajo Dam & the San Juan
Restrooms within 5 miles of the centre of Navajo Dam & the San Juan in a straight line, nearest first, with what anglers found when they went. The map says a restroom is there, not whether it is clean or open today.
Map of 6 restrooms near Navajo Dam & the San Juan
Skip the map; every place is in the list belowMap of 6 restrooms near Navajo Dam & the San Juan, numbered as in the list, with the town centre marked.
Restroom
1.4 mi away in a straight lineNot rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.
We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · open to everyone? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
- Is it clean?
- Flush or vault?
- Free?
- Open to everyone?
- Step-free?
Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map
Restroom
1.5 mi away in a straight lineNot rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.
We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · open to everyone? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
- Is it clean?
- Flush or vault?
- Free?
- Open to everyone?
- Step-free?
Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map
Restroom
1.7 mi away in a straight lineNot rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.
We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · open to everyone? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
- Is it clean?
- Flush or vault?
- Free?
- Open to everyone?
- Step-free?
Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map
Restroom
3.1 mi away in a straight line- Public (mapped)
Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.
We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
- Is it clean?
- Flush or vault?
- Free?
- Step-free?
Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map
Restroom
3.5 mi away in a straight line- Public (mapped)
Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.
We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
- Is it clean?
- Flush or vault?
- Free?
- Step-free?
Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map
Restroom
3.6 mi away in a straight line- Public (mapped)
Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.
We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
- Is it clean?
- Flush or vault?
- Free?
- Step-free?
Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map
Restroom locations and map details: © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License, read Oct 24, 2026. Ratings, answers and photos are members' own; who shared them is never shown, and every photo is reviewed before it appears. Visits older than 18 months no longer count. Distances are straight-line miles, not driving. Nothing here grants access to private land. Community guidelines.
Base yourself nearby
About this
Navajo Dam is a small settlement beside the river; Aztec, Bloomfield and Farmington, and Durango across the Colorado line, have more places to stay. We do not list or price properties. The search opens an outside site.
Nearest airports
About this
Distances are straight-line from the town centre, computed from OurAirports open data; distances by road are longer. Fares are never estimated here.
- DRO Durango La Plata County AirportDurango, CO · 25 mi · regionalSearch flights
- CEZ Cortez Municipal AirportCortez, CO · 66 mi · regionalSearch flights
- TEX Telluride Regional AirportTelluride, CO · 81 mi · regionalSearch flights
- ABQ Albuquerque International SunportAlbuquerque, NM · 134 mi · major hubSearch flights
Rough out the trip
About this
Set nights, anglers and guided days. Each line says where its figure comes from, and anything we cannot source honestly (guide rates, fares, license fees not read from the agency page) stays a link rather than a number.
Estimates, not quotes
- Fishing licenseSee sourceAgency page
Source
One per angler (2 anglers). Fees are set by New Mexico Department of Game & Fish; see the agency page.
Source: New Mexico Department of Game & Fish - Guided days2 rates pagesBlue Sky Fly Fishing Co.Born N' Raised Guide Service on the San Juan River
Source
1 guided day for 2 anglers. We do not copy guide rates: 2 guides near here publish a rates page on their own website.
Source: Guide websites (rates pages linked, never copied) - Find lodgingSee sourceSearch lodging
Source
Search places to stay near the destination. We do not list or price properties.
Source: Lodging search link - FlightsSee sourceSearch flights
Source
Fares are not estimated here. Search flights to DRO (Durango La Plata County Airport).
Source: Flight search link (no fares quoted)
No priced itemsUse the links for real figures.
How we estimate
Estimates, not quotes. Nothing here is a price from a guide, a property or an airline; confirm every cost with the provider before you book. No placeholder lodging range is configured for this region, and licenses, guided days and flights are never priced here.
Parks, forests and visitor offices
About this
For the non-fishing days, or the people traveling with you. Official sources only; what to do there is for their pages to say.
Gear checklist
About this
A wade-fishing checklist for big western trout rivers: a 9 ft 5–6 weight outfit, nymph, dry and streamer setups, waders, boots and a wading staff, with estimated prices by tier and where to buy.
Watch: wade fishing a big river
About this
Covering broad water and staying upright in it.
Public YouTube videos from established channels, chosen by us to support this page. Not sponsored; the creators are not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear.
Walk & Wade Streamer Fishing for Trout | Madison River MontanaEmbedded from YouTube · The New Fly Fisher · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
Not sponsored All videos on big rivers
Stories from New Mexico
About this
Trip stories anglers chose to share publicly, tagged with a water in New Mexico.
No New Mexico stories yet.
Sources for this page
All 8 sources
Guide and shop listings come from the Legendary directories (open map records checked against each business’s own website). Everything else links to the publisher below; this page copies none of their text. A destination hub organises discovery; it does not assert public access, current fish presence, guide availability or fishing conditions.
- New Mexico Department of Game & Fish: fishing licensesNew Mexico Department of Game & Fish
- Colorado Parks & Wildlife: fishing licensesColorado Parks & Wildlife
- New Mexico fishing rules and informationNew Mexico Department of Game & Fish
- Navajo Lake State ParkNew Mexico State Parks
- BLM Farmington Field OfficeBureau of Land Management
- New Mexico TrueNew Mexico Tourism Department
- OurAirports open data (airport locations)OurAirports, public domain
- Overture Maps places (guide and shop map records)Overture Maps Foundation, CDLA-Permissive 2.0
Links checked 24 Oct 2026. Not a claim of access or conditions.