Fishing Reports

Dry dropper all day, smaller nymphs being the best.  Crystal PTs, zebras, and the like should keep you busy in deep and shallow water.  Elk hair caddis is the right searching fly, or a bug meister, and a hard hell ant trailing behind.  Some big browns are being SEEN as opposed to caught near Windy and in the quality waters.

Sargent still, and we're waiting for El Vado to drop.  Dry dropper's still doing it, though expect to see more on the nymph, at least during the slower hours of mid afternoon.  Swim the rocks and logs with streamers or dries, and accept that you will lose flies doing so.  Any rewards will be certain to compensate. 

Depends on the weather when you go. High water temps are a possibility into September, but some racecourse fish aren't minding too much as long as they're in the oxygenated riffles and rapids.  A PMD nymph seems to matter.  In the gorge at Wild Rivers, fish are mainly coming out from in front of rocks to hit swung nymphs, buggers and skated dries, especially if the water's dirty.  Not a lot of fish coming out of open water.  It's not that they're not there, though they might all be holing up under rocks, just that the murk may make your flies tough to see.  Camo buggers, red worms, golden stones, sculpins, and white flies might spark some interest.

Since many need qualification on my fishing ratings, I'm calling the Rio great because you should be fishing it.  You have this great big long river, five different species to catch, and food in many forms and plenty of hatching bugs.  Grab a six weight that can fish dries, some crossover patterns that fish for pike, carp, and smallies, bring your sunscreen and get out there and have a ball.
As for myself, I'm hoping to take an August trip into the Wild Rivers section and fish from early to late with all methods.  Midday fishing might not be too good (then again, it might), but I know they'll eat something (cranes, craws, minnows, mice, nymphs and dries) sometime.

Hopefully, you'll plan a Sargent trip for a cloudy day, since the bigger browns in there become more active and adventurous in low light conditions.  The water levels should be at July levels still, which means all methods, less spooky fish, and enough water for two anglers to fish without recycling each other's water.  Herky jerk streamers in the shadows of boulders and you might get a nice surprise or two.

The dog days are officially upon us.  The sky is bright, the didymo all over, and the fish are a bit lip sore from their summer thus far.  You will still catch fish, just expect more than the usual false charges from fish.  "Get back to me with a real drift," they'll say, or "What do you take me for, a skinny little brown trout?"
No matter that the answer to the last question would be in the affirmative, these fish think they're living in the San Juan at times, and one of those times is now.  Respond by fishing San Juan style, a size or two smaller in flies and tippet, thinner dressings with less hackle, a slower approach.  Micro mayflies are good go to's, PTs, patch adams, or ants.  Fish a Griffith's in the pools and you should do well.
As for the Monument, you might want to get the earliest start possible.  Now is also the time to take your three weight up the small tribs to hone your small stream game, as the refinements you pursue there will have great applications on big rivers later.  The high lakes, Katherine, Baldy, Johnson, and Stewart, would be lots of fun now that the monsoons have mellowed out.