Explore the Fishery

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Tucked into the high desert of Northern New Mexico, Navajo Lake is one of the Southwest’s most underrated outdoor playgrounds.

The lake was created in 1962 with the construction of Navajo Dam on the legendary San Juan River. The reservoir helps store and regulate water for the massive Navajo Indian Irrigation Project, providing irrigation to tens of thousands of acres of farmland and supporting communities all the way downstream.

But somewhere along the way, something magical happened.

The lake quietly became an incredible fishery.

Today anglers come from all over to chase 11 species of fish, including:

Smallmouth bass
Largemouth bass
Northern pike
Brown trout
Rainbow trout
Kokanee salmon
Crappie
Bluegill
Channel catfish
Walleye
Carp

Just below the dam, the Quality Waters stretch of the San Juan River has become one of the most famous fly-fishing destinations in the world, consistently ranked among the top trout fisheries anywhere.

But the fish are just the beginning.

This landscape is layered with history and culture:

Ancient ruins and petroglyphs left by the Ancestral Puebloans

Towering sandstone cliffs glowing red and gold at sunset

Endless desert skies full of stars

Wildlife, geology, and nature lessons around every bend