[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
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May 17, 2017 Fishing Update!
fishing report[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”143″ gal_title=”May 17, 2017 cheesman reporting 99 cfs”]
Good evening Folks!
Well, I’m all settled in at my new job and new residence, so lets get right back to the reporting! If you have been a regular follower of my fishing blog, you would know that I have been doing much of my reporting for the last year from the Decker’s main bridge area, along with the last 6 month or so, mainly on the lower Decker’s/Trumbull sections of the river, at “Hole in the Wall” With a new Chef position in the area and my current residence allowing me easy access to the World Famous, Gold Medal waters of Cheesman Canyon, I’ll be spending the next 6 to 9 months focusing on this section of the South Platte River. For those of you who are not familiar with the Canyon, let’s spend a few moments discussing the wonderful tail-water fishery the Canyon represents. Cheesman Canyon is a tail-water fishery ,meaning the river is dammed, with the river flow being controlled by hydraulic gates, and regulated by the Denver Water Board. This is done to account for the use of millions of gallons of water each day, by the millions of Front Range residents throughout the Denver Metro and surrounding communities. Cheesman Reservoir is one of the most technical rivers in the state to fish, and can be quite difficult to put fish in the net. However, with a little bit of knowledge and a good presentation, it can also be one of the most rewarding. Home to some rather large trout, Rainbow and Brown trout reaching sizes of 20+ inches are common. In addition to the world class fishing, this stretch of river is known for its abundance of wildlife and true Rocky Mountain beauty. Don’t be surprised if you happen to see in one day, Mule Deer, Elk, Moose, Bear, Mountain Lion, Eagles, and much more! well. With that being said, I’ll still continue to provide the daily numbers, bug report, and results from Decker’s area, but will be mostly fishing the canyon on a daily basis. Cool, with that out of the way, let’s get to the reporting! I’ve spent the last two weeks fishing the canyon daily, with pretty good success, but let’s first get you up to speed with what’s going on with the river. Currently, flows from the dam are at 101 (cfs), with a similar flow through Decker’s and Trumbull, excellent clarity, and a water temperature of 41. Most of the time in the last two weeks I’ve been nymphing throughout the day, but we’re still seeing quite a bit of blue-winged olives, some caddis, and emergers all day long! so be prepared and have your dries and Rs-2’s ready! As I’ve transitioned from fishing the Trumbull area daily to fishing the canyon, I’ve been focusing on my depth and presentation above all else! If there is one thing I’ve picked up on the most, I’ve learned to adjust my strike indicator and amount of weight, before changing my flies. In addition to these two critical items, my approach to the fish has also improved, as I’ve learned the value of a stealthy approach to the fish. The fish in the canyon seem to be a little spookier and tend to like the pocket pools you’ll find throughout the flats. Working with the usual flies, I’ve had relatively good success with the rojo midge, disco midge, jujubee (blue,purple, and black), the chocolate thunder, and the ever reliable RS-2! On the emerging end of things, I’ve been catching several fish with a Barr’s emerger and the caddis nymph! With time not being on my side the last two weeks, I’ve been fishing mostly just up from the club, through the Family Pool, then up about a 1/2 mile. As we are starting to see fish paired up and spawning in the flats, I will spend most of my time in the next week or two, further upstream toward the dam. That’s all for today my friends! Hope you enjoy today’s picture gallery, as it represents the last two weeks in the canyon, Decker’s, and Trumbull! Since relocating to the Canyon, I’ve already met several really cool people along the river and I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible, as I head into the second season of recording life as I live it, here in the beautiful South Platte River Valley, Decker’s Colorado! Until next time, have a blessed day!
Chris
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May 3, 2017 Decker’s/Cheesman Canyon Fishing Report
fishing report[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”142″ gal_title=”May 3, 2017 Cheesman canyon living there now”]
Good Evening Everyone!
Welcome back to www.livedeckerscolorado.com and my daily blog! Well, I’ve made the move to the Canyon, and I’m starting to fish it daily! Before I get further into the report for the Canyon, let’s talk a bit about the general conditions we’ve currently got here on the South Platte. As of just a few moments ago, we’ve got 118 (cfs) below the dam, at Cheesman, with a slightly higher flow at 130 (cfs) through Decker’s/Trumbull. The weather the last two evenings has been mixed, but the sun finally came back out this evening, as I walked into the canyon at about 5:30 this evening. I started out this evening on the Wigwam end of the Canyon, working my way only about 4oo yards upstream from the Wigwam club, as I was having pretty good success on a stone fly, trailing a grey Rs-2. The fish were holding mostly in the riffle, feeding aggressively on pretty much anything passing by! Sticking to the faster moving riffles and working my upstream, I manged to hook into about 4 fish, both on the Stone and the Rs-2. The fish were sporadically rising, on what appeared to be small midges and a few BWO’S. As darkness fell upon me around 8:oo this evening, the lazy sipping continued, but nothing really materialized, as far a as a full on rise! Early in the day, we did see a bigger rise on dry’s, as the front moved in and the wind started to blow a bit. It’s looking like sunny skies and increasing warmer temperatures as we head into the Mother’s Day Weekend. Expect big crowds of Anglers at both Cheesman and the Decker’s area over the weekend. So, if it’s solitude and open water you’re looking for, you may want to consider fishing other parts of the state this weekend! However, if you are coming to the South Platte River Valley this weekend, be sure to check out the rest of www.livedeckerscolorado.com, where you’ll find everything you need while here. Links to local lodging, dining, camping, and and all the other important information you’ll need for a great time in Decker’s! Today’s picture gallery is from the last two days in the canyon, where I’ll be spending most of my time that I fish for the next 7 months or so! That’s all for today my friends and I hope to see you in the Canyon soon!
Chris
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April 27, 2017 Update on www.livedeckerscolorado.com
Cabin Rentals, camping, Fishing Conditions, fishing report, hiking, lifestyle and fitness[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”140″ gal_title=”April 27, 2017 just moved to wigwam club”]
Howdy my friends!
Well, I’m back and ready to start the next year of www.livedeckerscolorado.com! My apologies for the absence of the fishing report for a week, as I have relocated and am now living a few miles upstream from Decker’s, working in the World Famous Cheesman Canyon, where I’ll be reporting from daily for the next six months. I will still be providing all the same river flow, weather, bug, and fish updates for Decker’s and Trumbull, but I will be adding the daily factual information for the Canyon, along with what’s working for me to catch the trout. Cheesman Canyon is one of the best and most beautiful places to experience a day of fishing in Colorado, with large Rainbow and Brown trout that are rather keen to a good presentation. In addition to providing you very useful information on a daily basis, my goal is to become a better fly-fisherman myself, focusing on identifying the hatch and improving my technical skills. I hope you join me each day, as I will at least try to get out on the river to observe the fish and conditions each morning. I’m thrilled to begin fishing the canyon daily and reporting my results and findings to you each day. Exciting times ahead for us folks, as the website will be relaunched around the 4th of July. The new website will still have the daily fishing blog, but there will be a new look, with lots of exciting features to help you, the reader, navigate your way around one of the most popular recreation destinations in the front range foothills! Our “Things to do” page will be packed full of new and updated links to the most visited areas of our region, along with a live MLS listing of local real estate for sale in the valley! We will also be adding a much broader range of information pertaining to current fire, flood, and other safety warnings and updates. In addition to all of these incredible new features, we will be offering several advertising opportunities and platforms for local and regional businesses! When we created www.livedeckerscolorado.com almost a year ago, we had no idea the reception the site would receive. To date, we have a daily blog following of over 2,000 subscribers and have had several blog stories and photographs picked up by the local news affiliates in Denver and Colorado Springs. We are thrilled to be able to be the first and only informational and tourist website for Decker’s and the entire South Platte River Valley. It is our hope that you, the reader, can continue to help spread the word about www.livedeckerscolorado.com, by sharing our blogs on social media, “liking us” on Facebook, and following me on Instagram (Platteriverguy). We here at www.livedeckerscolorado.com also want to take a moment to thank everyone who supported the idea of creating a website for our area, joined us as an advertising business, and continue to promote and celebrate life in the South Platte River Valley. Our goal, each and every day, is to make the South Platte River Valley more accessible with accurate maps and links of our area, provide up to date and accurate safety and outdoor recreational information, and offer the local and regional businesses of the South Platte River Valley, a way to advertise and promote their offerings and services! All in one convenient hub! We look forward to a bright and sunny future, in what I believe, is one of most beautiful and historic areas of the great state of Colorado!
Thank you All!
Chef Chris
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April 16, 2017 Happy Easter-Fishing Report
Fishing Conditions, fishing report[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”139″ gal_title=”April 16, 2017 Easter sunday, new car”]
Happy Easter Everyone!
Good morning from sunny and warm Decker’s, Colorado! It’s a glorious Easter Sunday here in the South Platte River Valley. Temps are already in the low 50’s, and climbing fast! Getting you quickly updated, let’s talk a little about the flow. We saw an increase on Friday, going up from about 130 (cfs) to about 150, currently in Decker’s/Trumbull. Just up stream, at Cheesman Canyon, where I will soon be living, fishing, writing, and cooking daily, we’ve got a similar flow of 153 (cfs). As a result of this bump in flow, the clarity is a little bit off, but has cleared up considerably since the increase. I did, however, feel the effects of this bump yesterday, as I took a few minutes before work and threw a flew flies in hopes of taking a bigger brown or cut-bow, feeding on worms and stone flies in the somewhat murky water. The fish were holding deep and it took me making three additions of weight to my nymph rig in order to get down where the fish were feeding. I also switched over from the previous set up to a longer leader, switched out my indicator bug to a stone fly, and added a Barr’s emerger and trailed a black zebra midge. Before long, I found the feeding population of trout, deep under a bubble line that had formed along a funky eddy that continuously was fooling me, by pulling my strike indicator into a series of whirlpools! With a little persistence and attention to the depth, the faster water didn’t keep at least 8 fish from taking either one of my three tasty choices! On the bug end of things, I’ve been seeing considerable increases in the dry fly hatches occurring throughout the day. Big BWO’S, sometimes in size #18 range, can be see covering the surface of the water, especially in those overcast afternoons with a slight wind, wow! The fish were just gorging on these on several of my outings over the last couple days! Underneath, tons of Baetis patterns are working. The amount of Stone flies I’ve seen coming down the river on a continual basis have been impressive. This has led me on several occasions to stray away from the ever dependable, “Pat’s Rubber Leg’s” to the Stone Fly, leech, or even the Slump Buster as my indicator fly. On the nymphing end of things, I’ve not strayed far from the Rs-2, however, I have had pretty good success with the black version of this bug, where 90% of the time I’ll find myself using the grey, tan, or brown version. The Barr’s emerger has been my second bug on the set-up for the last two outings, while following up with a variety of smaller size midges, such as the juju, miracle, red/black zebra, disco, and chocolate thunder. As most of you are aware, the fishing right now is pretty hot, so the bug selection, although important, isn’t as important as the basic good drift, with the right weight and distance! So come on up and try your luck on some of the best Trout fishing the State of Colorado has to offer! That’s all for today my friends, Happy EASTER and I hope to see you on the river soon! Chris! Hope you enjoy the shots from the last few days!
Chris
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April 11, 2017 Fishing Report-Decker’s, Colorado
Fishing Conditions, fishing report[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
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