San Juan Worm 01/18/2026 Photo Album

A must read is my 02/15/20216 post on San Juan worms. I am not very proud of this fact, but I have a long history with worms. I actually enjoyed reading my post again in preparation to write this blog.

Some anglers scoff at using worms for fly fishing, but they represent a protein rich food that is naturally available to trout. Do I like dredging worms along a stream bottom? It is not my favorite method of fishing, but if it results in fine, fat trout, I will not bypass the method. I am not a purist.

A Palette of Colors

Several times during the spring season I encounter turbid and high conditions, and these days find me tumbling a San Juan worm along a river bottom. A San Juan worm and a pheasant tail nymph were a lethal combination on the South Platte River in the 1990’s, but I rarely visit the Deckers area due to the heavy fishermen pressure. There are times, however, when I deploy the worm in other sections of the South Platte as well as other western rivers.

I counted all my San Juan worms of various colors, and I was pleased to learn that I did not need to supplement my supply for the upcoming year. As you will note in the embedded photo, I tie flesh, brown, red, pink and chocolate. A San Juan worm is one of the easier flies to tie, so skipping them was not a huge time saver. Nevertheless, it gives me confidence to know that I possess an adequate supply.