"Once more into the breach, dear friends, once more," - William Shakespeare

"Once more into the breach, dear friends, once more," William Shakespeare, from Henry V. The next two days here will be the final hurrah for quite a while for many folks to have a shot at fishing the Juan. On Wednesday at 1:00 am the BOR will begin its ramp up over the following five days to a 5,000 cfs flow that will last approximately 31 days, with a twelve day ramp down to 500 cfs. Acqua alta the Italians call it—(high water) although that phrase is a term used in Venice to describe the exceptional tide peaks in the northern Adriatic Sea, combined with prevailing winds known as the sirocco which produces flooding in the Venetian lagoon. I digress, but you get the picture. It will dramatically change the character of this river as we know it now, in the short term, but at least we won't be walking around the town of Navajo Dam with our pant legs rolled up to our knees for the next month, or so, I hope. As a fisherman, I have mixed emotions about Acqua alta, the selfish side of me will miss being able to wade almost anywhere I want, casting about for trout; the more sensible side of me knows that it's a necessary evil and in the long term it's going to do wonders for the aesthetics of the river, and the health of the fishery. Once the dust settles at 5,000 cfs and the water clears, I'll probably visit a couple of spots I know I can still access by foot, maybe fish out of the boat with a couple of guides I know. There'll be a few trips up to the lake to toss poppers to smallmouth, perhaps a trip or two up to Colorado to visit some water up there that I haven't seen since last year. It'll be okay, I'll get through it, and when the water starts to drop again, I'll have a whole new river to fish, a better river, a prettier river, with lots of hungry fish in places I haven't been able to fish in four years. It's a good trade-off. In the meantime, we've got a photo contest going on here at Abe's with some great prizes for the top five submissions. You can check out the details on our Facebook page and submit your entries of your favorite shots of the river, or fish, to: photos@sanjuanriver.com. Contest ends June 10, 2016. Please bear in mind that we emphasize the utmost concern over the proper handling of all fish and advocate that you always use the best practices when taking photos and releasing fish. Done properly, your fish should always be kept in the net, in the water, until you are absolutely ready for the shot— always wet your hands, gently lift the fish with plenty of support underneath it, snap a picture and get it immediately back into the water. The entire photo part should only take a second. These wonderful creatures are our livelihood and our passion and each and every one demands your utmost respect. Once the water reaches 5,0000 cfs, there are still opportunities to fish here, and although the wading part is limited, the fishing from a boat with an experienced guide can be very good. If you would like more information or would like to book a guide, please give us a call at 505-632-2194