853 | San Juan River, Streamers, and Giant Browns with James Garrettson of About Trout
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
Dave Stewart
4.7 • 530 Ratings
🗓️ 10 December 2025
⏱️ 71 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
#853 Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/853
Presented By: TroutRoutes, Smitty's Fly Box, Four Wheel Campers
Sponsors: https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors
James Garrettson of About Trout takes us deep into the San Juan tailwater—well beyond the Instagram version—to show what really makes this river a world-class streamer fishery. He breaks down how big trout behave in frog water, why depth and stalls matter more than speed, and how his team consistently targets fish over 30 inches.
James shares the story behind a true San Juan giant, talks streamer setups, flow windows, guide etiquette, and why he spends every free day exploring the same river he's guided for a decade. If you've ever wondered how to fish deep, slow, technical water for outsized browns, this episode is the blueprint.
Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/853
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | From the frog water seams of the San Juan to the deep seven foot buckets where brown trout turned crazy. |
| 0:09.0 | Today's guest has built his entire life around understanding tailwaters that most anglers might think they know, but might not know well enough. |
| 0:17.0 | If you ever wondered whether trout in a high traffic river will eat 11-inch flies or how a tailwater famous for 24-inch midges can produce 30-inch-plus trout on articulated meat, this episode is your window to that world. |
| 0:32.5 | This is the wet fly swing podcast where I show you the best places to travel to for fly fishing, how to find the best resources and tools to prepare for that big trip, and what you can do to give back to the fish species we all love. |
| 0:43.5 | James Garrison from About Trout is here to break down why the San Juan is nothing like the Instagram version and why most of the myths are dead wrong. |
| 0:51.9 | We're going to find out how to fish streamers in frog water, |
| 0:55.5 | deep ledges, and hidden transition zones most anglers will pass. We're also going to get |
| 1:00.1 | into the truth about giant browns on the San Juan, including the one they tape 33 inches, |
| 1:05.6 | and we get the story behind that fish and how they put that together. And we're going to find |
| 1:10.7 | out why his crew loves seven weights, |
| 1:12.7 | heavy corin tips, huge flies, and long stalls. |
| 1:15.9 | Plus, James shares why, despite traveling and fishing |
| 1:19.0 | all around the west, he spends every free day back on the San Juan, |
| 1:22.6 | exploring micro-buggets, dissecting frog water, |
| 1:25.4 | improving that creativity, not convention, is what catches the biggest fish on the river. |
| 1:30.8 | All right, here he is. James Garrison. You can find him at abouttroutrout.com. |
| 1:37.1 | How's it going, James? |
| 1:38.3 | Hey, doing great, Dave. Happy to be here. Thank you for having me on the wet fly swing. |
| 1:42.5 | Yeah, man. This is, this is going to be fun. I know we were |
| 1:44.7 | talking just a second off air that you've been swinging some flies recently for steelheads. So we might |
| 1:49.7 | catch up with you on that. You're also an expert out in the kind of New Mexico area, the San Juan, a famous river we've heard a lot about. |
| 1:58.0 | And I think streamers, I also, you were talking off air that you, you guys had |
... |
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