Need help! San Juan Planning

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Dungee

Dungee

Keeper of San Juan Secrets
So I know we just got back but planning for our next trip has already begun. With the early runoff most likely ruining good hope later this spring I think we'll try our first trip to the San Juan. I have a few questions I hope I can get some help with. As of now we are thinking the first weekend in May.

How dirty does Neskahi Bay (spelling? Area?) get? How big is the cha canyon Bay Area? Is there plenty of good fishing there as well? Where are some of the better places to camp? What do we need to watch out for? Or look for? How much gas do we need (going out of bullfrog) Our boat has a 27 gallon tank, four stroke 115 that does well on gas. Ideally we'd want to get two-three full days and we'd stay within the bays once there. Any and all input is much appreciated. Thanks!

Preston
 
Dungee Fishing said:
So I know we just got back but planning for our next trip has already begun. With the early runoff most likely ruining good hope later this spring I think we'll try our first trip to the San Juan. I have a few questions I hope I can get some help with. As of now we are thinking the first weekend in May.

How dirty does Neskahi Bay (spelling? Area?) get? How big is the cha canyon Bay Area? Is there plenty of good fishing there as well? Where are some of the better places to camp? What do we need to watch out for? Or look for? How much gas do we need (going out of bullfrog) Our boat has a 27 gallon tank, four stroke 115 that does well on gas. Ideally we'd want to get two-three full days and we'd stay within the bays once there. Any and all input is much appreciated. Thanks!

Preston
Click to expand...
We're tentatively planning on heading that way at about the same time (our first trip this year). We have been camping on the west shore just north of the mouth of the San Juan. There are several cuts/coves with places to beach a boat and set up camp. We tend to fish Cha Bay (large area) and up around Wilson Creek and have always caught plenty of SMB - later in the year plenty of stripers. My 150 hp Evinrude likes gas. Our tank holds 31 gal. and we always take another 30 and we'll use most of that by the time we get back to Halls. I like gas to spare for the "just in case scenario." Camping closer to your fishing area would help but we are partial to our "little spot." As to your other questions, I trust others will provide some detailed information.
 
I was wondering about fuel also - is there any reality to gassing up at Dangling Rope? Does the drive to the marina counter the benefit?
 
We are planning a annual trip the week of April 29 to may 7 or May 6 to May 14, We camp in the Neskahi area and fish the Bend, Neskahi and Piute. We catch SM,LM, Crappie, Striper and Walleye every year. Last year the two of use in one boat were landing over 100 fish a day(fish morning break for lunch and back at it in the afternoon/evening). The other boat was close to the same. One day last year we caught 32 SM in rain and the W word in about and hour. The two of use in one boat caught and kept 32 keeper SM for a fish fry. We mostly use single tail grubs and troll for stripers. With a single tail grub you can catch everything in all that area. With the early run off the dirty water should be just into Neskahi bay.

As for gas, I can't help much. We take the house boat at about 6mph from Wahweap to the San Juan(about a 10 to 12 hour run, one and a half days or one very long day). We take about 70 gals of extra gas for house boat to return and extra gas for fishing.

When you just enter Piute their is a hazard on the left( With the water level this should be well under water, last year was 2 inch's under water) but the is an island on the right just after that area that has a area out from the island to the main channel that might be just under water(last year was out of the water). Just before Neskahi wash there is a point to the right that extends out to the main channel for about 300 to 400 yards that might be just under water(last yeas was out of the water). All these areas are from last years trip and water level was 3592' and this year should be about 3600'
 
Waterman, when you say dirty water should be just into Neskahi do you mean that most of it should remain fishable? Or that Neskahi will be dirty so fish below it?
 
Dungee Fishing said:
Waterman, when you say dirty water should be just into Neskahi do you mean that most of it should remain fishable? Or that Neskahi will be dirty so fish below it?
Click to expand...

After fishing at Good Hope in the spring runoff, the San Juan at Neskahi Bay is a nice cross of green and murky water that is very fishable. The muddy water is upstream where the bay ends and the narrow Great Bend begins.
 
Sorry Wayne

Let me rephrase that. The water is green to light green and is very fishable. We troll as you start up the Great Bend from the first right to were it goes west and then just before it starts to turn north. The Striper trolling is great in that area and their is good grub fishing in the rocks on the right side as you start to enter the Great Bend.
 
You are going to love fishing on the San Juan. I checked the log from last spring and the water in Neskahi was clear/a little green stain on April 19 and again on May 23. Fishing was hot both trips using single tail grubs (purple, green pumpkin, blue pearl and chartreuse), spin baits and scatter raps. We have always caught stripers in deeper water N of Piute Canyon. As mentioned above, there are some shallow rocks N of the mouth of Piute Canyon and a really spooky one just after you enter Neskahi Bay. On our Fish-n-Map, the rock is about 3/8 mile NE of GPS location 65. We like to camp anchored off the island SW of bouy 22 and the island itself provides good camp sites (and nightly rock slides more than once). There is also good camping on the E and W shores of the bay around bouy 26, near the end of Neskahi Bay. (Bouys on the SJ don't have numbers but numbers are shown on the Fish-n-Map).

Gas is always a concern for us on the San Juan. The map and the trip calculator on our fish finder show it is about 38 miles from BF to the mouth of the San Juan and 61 miles from BF to bouy 22 in Piute bay. If we spend a week messing around the bay we do fine on gas (we plan on 3 MPG and have a 70 gallon tank). Last fall we went up to Alcove Canyon on the Great Bend, an additional 22 mile round trip, and did well for crappie but after two days of that we decided that if we were going to fish this area we would need to camp there. I don't recall seeing any good shore camping sites after leaving Neskahi bay going N.

It is about 18 miles from the mouth of the SJ to Dangling Rope, so if you were short of gas on the return trip Dangling Rope is 20 miles closer than BF. Last fall we made the 80 mile round trip from SJ Bouy 22 to Dangling Rope for gas but it doesn't really make much sense except that we wanted to see Rainbow Bridge again.

The petroglyphs a mile or so up Cha Canyon are worth the hike. After a couple 0f attempts we haven't yet stumbled across the petroglyphs W of Piute Canyon.

Have fun.
 
i usually hit up dangling rope for 5 days on the San Juan however it can be a really rough ride getting there. I bring 40 in the tank and 45 gallons with me. I usually get another 35 at DR during the week but I also enjoy going down there so I don't conserve as much as I could.

TR
 
The mouth of the Juan is about the same as the mouth of white. To get to the bend is another 20 miles. It's an awesome area. With the runoff there will be a lot of fishable area. It can get really clear.
As for gas in my bass boat running a 225 optimax I can make it there and back plus fishing for two days on one 57 gal tank with very little left. I'm running around 4K rims, max is 5400 with my current prop.Although we usually take two 5 gal tanks with us just in case. Last year we were forced to do it with only one as some butthead stole one out of the back of the pickup as I was walking out of the gas station and my friend was walking in .
Have fun
 
Here are a few fish from last year.
 

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This is a lot of good info. I keep promising my boys a trip into there but there has always been a lot of ifs. Sounds like it might not be a bad idea to start at wahweep gas up at dangling rope on the way in plus tote some extra fuel. Also going in that way gives you an easier option to fill up on the way out if you end up low on fuel. Hmmm...
 
WaterMan said:
Sorry Wayne

Let me rephrase that. The water is green to light green and is very fishable. We troll as you start up the Great Bend from the first right to were it goes west and then just before it starts to turn north. The Striper trolling is great in that area and their is good grub fishing in the rocks on the right side as you start to enter the Great Bend.
Click to expand...
Here is a Google Map of the area

https://www.google.com/maps/place/L...8c1bac2a22b08!8m2!3d37.0682619!4d-111.2433108
 
Just reading this and seeing those great photos tempts me. Yes it's a long run from either direction but it truly is another world on the San Juan. I have to admit that the water up there makes you appreciate the clear water of the lake, I keep waiting for that sickening sound of a rock hit when I'm in the upper SJ but the fishing is awesome.
 
Dungee Fishing said:
So I know we just got back but planning for our next trip has already begun. With the early runoff most likely ruining good hope later this spring I think we'll try our first trip to the San Juan. I have a few questions I hope I can get some help with. As of now we are thinking the first weekend in May.

How dirty does Neskahi Bay (spelling? Area?) get? How big is the cha canyon Bay Area? Is there plenty of good fishing there as well? Where are some of the better places to camp? What do we need to watch out for? Or look for? How much gas do we need (going out of bullfrog) Our boat has a 27 gallon tank, four stroke 115 that does well on gas. Ideally we'd want to get two-three full days and we'd stay within the bays once there. Any and all input is much appreciated. Thanks!

Preston
Click to expand...
made the trip a few times always take extra fuel,at least double what tank holds if the wind comes up can be a slow trip back using more fuel.
 
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