April 11, 2017 Fishing Report-Decker’s, Colorado
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”138″ gal_title=”April 11, 2017 alternator,dries, and big cutbows flow 140″]
Good Evening!
No messing around today my friends, their is just too much good information to share with you today! Let me tell ya a little bit about the weather and current river conditions first. Currently, flows through Decker’s and Trumbull are right about 125 (cfs), clarity is off just a bit, little bit cloudy and some moss to deal with, nothing big, mostly just small clumps of moss and the occasional branch and pine straw. Wind has been hit or miss the last two days, but when it’s blowing, it’s blowing! Sunshine continues tomorrow, with high temps again reaching the upper 60’s here in Decker’s. Looking nice heading into the rest of the week, with a slight chance of rain over the weekend, but it’s not going to be a system. Winds look calm, in the 5-10 mph range, with high passing clouds and plenty of sun. Ok, all that out of the way, let’s talk about what’s going on with the Trout. Around a little automobile difficulties and a potentially excruciating walk home from the middle of the forest, I was still able to get in quite a bit of fishing the last two days. Each day I’ve been out on the river in the morning and either taking a small break around noon, or fishing straight through. This really allowed me to watch the river and the fish change throughout the day, making note of slight to dramatic changes in fish behavior based upon several factors. Early on it was nymphing, as the blue-winged olive hatch, nor any midge hatch had not yet occurred. Tossing a brown Stone fly, followed with a grey RS-2, and trailing a black zebra midge with a small flashback. There’s a good picture of this bug in today’s gallery. I caught several fish on this bug, and then the mid-morning sipping began! Recognizing what appeared to be the classic “sailboat” wings on the water, I switched over to the double dry rig of a size 20 Baetis Zinger BWO, then trailing behind it, with no weight, a size 20 Adams I tied about 12 inches behind. This rig killed it for about an hour straight, pulling fish consistently off a bubble line over a deeper hole, that had fish jumping for joy over my bugs! Moving into the later afternoon, after lunch, and back on the river around 2, the action was back underneath, and with the amount of brown Stone Flies I’ve been seeing floating by my legs, I figured the “Pat’s Rubber Legs” was a logical choice for an indicator bug. With this tied on and following with this time, the size #20 Barr’s Emerger (olive mid section), and trailing the juju-bee midge, this combination proved quite addictive to the big cut-bows that were hanging on a deeper shelf in some faster, narrow runs along a granite wall. I was able to net two large fish in less than 15 minutes with this combination. As the afternoon wore on, some shadows were being cast, the wind picked up, and the Blue-winged olives were beginning to descend to the water’s surface, to the delight of the “Bug starved” Trout! As you can expect, it was time for the smaller dries, size #22 Bwo, trailing the same juju-bee midge I was trailing behind the Barr’s earlier. Caught about a dozen with this combination and called it an afternoon around 5! The fish were still rising, but so was my blood sugar! Had to eat and write this blog! That’s all I’ve got on the fishing for now folks, hope this helps you a bit when you make a trip to the Decker’s area! Until next time, have a great evening and I hope to see you out on the river soon!
I would also like to take this time to thank a couple of people/businesses that I had to rely on over the last couple of days! I would first like to thank The Towing Company of Bailey, Colorado for their professional, friendly, and reliable towing service that got me out of a pretty serious pickle from a broke down vehicle way back in the hills! If you are ever in need of a a tow anywhere in the South Platte River Valley, I highly recommend these folks! Second, I would like to thank the Gentleman who was gracious enough to pick me up as I was walking back the 12 miles or so back to civilization! He asked me not use his name on the blog, but I want to thank this man for his thoughtfulness for someone in a difficult and potentially dangerous situation. I also want to thank my neighbor, who without her help, by lending me a vehicle to meet the tow truck, I would have most certainly suffered more difficulty and stress. Thanks Kelly! One of the most interesting things I learned about myself today was the effect that the sport of Fly-fishing has had on my soul. Without getting to deep this late in the evening, I was able to take the stress of a broken down vehicle, a 6 or 7 mile mountain walk, the expense of the repair, and the worries of the “what next” to the relaxing waters of the South Platte River, where it was instantly washed downstream, along with any distress, anxiety, or ill- feelings of my previous dilemma. Now that my friends is living, and I am truly blessed! Sleep well and have a great night!
Chris
