The San Juan Worm

 

The San Juan Worm.

Spring rains and the snow melt in the Rockies raise the rivers and creeks spilling into adjacent grassy banks carrying sediments and organic matter slightly muddying the waters.  The San Juan worms dwell in the dewy, muddy banks along our rivers and streams.  As the rivers rise, these aquatic worms and terrestrials are often dislodged and washed into waters and become a highly nutritious food source for the trout.

San Juan Worm in various colors.

The San Juan worm are extremely effective because they imitate one of the natural food sources of trout.  These worms are often brown, bright red, or pink in color resembling the appearance of annelid worms found in riverbeds.  Trout are opportunistic feeders particularly in rapid water conditions where food sources are plentiful.  The San Juan worm pattern is designed to imitate these worms typically tied with chenille and hook to resemble the simple, segmented body of a worm.  

Worms, worms, worms!

Many aquatic worms are hermaphroditic, meaning they have both male and female reproductive organs. They are able to reproduce both sexually and asexually.  Sexual reproduction involves the exchange of sperm between two worms, while asexual reproduction often involves fragmentation, where a part of the worm breaks off and regenerates into a new worm. This is an amazing characteristic of many aquatic worms are their ability to regenerate lost body parts!

The worms start their life as an egg.  The eggs are often laid in clusters of the substrates in freshwater rivers, streams, and ponds.  They are encased in a gelatinous substance that provides protection from predators and from environmental conditions.

Trout spaghetti.

After a period of incubation, the eggs hatch into larvae.  The larval stage is not much different from the adult form in many annelids, but they are smaller and less developed.  In the juvenile stage, the worms grow resembling as an adult.  Their diet consists of decomposed plant vegetation and animal matter.  During this stage with feeding and growth, their skin is shed multiple times as they grow in size.  Upon maturity, these worms are fully developed and ready for reproduction.

The San Juan worm has rated as one of my favorites to fish.  An incredibly, easy tie and so effective!  This is especially true during our runoff season with high flows on the freestone rivers and tailwaters.  See you on the river!

This cutthroat trout took my San Juan worm.