About 25 miles east of Aztec (and 40 miles from Farmington), Navajo Lake is the largest body of water in New Mexico and one of the top fishing destinations in the state. The reservoir sits in dramatic canyon country where the San Juan River was dammed in 1963. Two marinas, multiple boat ramps, and several campgrounds make it a well-organised destination for boating, fishing, and camping.
The San Juan River below the Navajo Dam is nationally renowned for trout fishing — tailwater fisheries like this, kept cold by releases from the dam's deep outlets, support exceptionally large and numerous trout year-round. Fly fishermen come from across the country. The 17 miles of designated quality water below the dam are managed for catch-and-release only in designated sections.