[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”133″ gal_title=”March 6, 2017 three solid days, drys are back, bwo]
Good Afternoon Everyone!
Welcome back! Been a couple of days of solid fishing, up here on the South Platte River, Decker’s, Colorado. Currently, it’s pretty blustery, with 4o mph wind gusts and temperatures in the lower 40’s! A mix of clouds, sun, and even a snow flurry or two have been seen throughout the morning hours and into this early afternoon! There are a few dedicated folks out on the river, too cold for this guy, but I did see a few cars parked along Platte River Road, on my way to Decker’s from Trumbull. Alright, right now we’ve got flows below Cheesman Dam at 90 (cfs), with a slightly higher flow of 95 (cfs) through Decker’s and Trumbull. Last week we finally saw a bump in the flow, which really got the fish going! Combined with the warm temperatures and the BWO hatches, it really felt like Spring a couple of days last week. Well, if you’ve spent anytime at all in Colorado, you know that the weather can change at a moments notice, especially during the spring time, when we sometimes see a 30 degree temperature difference from one day to the next. This does some interesting things to the fish as well. Last week, I believe it was Tuesday into Wednesday, we saw a cold front approach and the barometer dropped like a bomb! After living on this river for a couple of years, and observing the behaviors of the fish, it’s pretty obvious that this is an excellent time to be out on the river. For whatever reason, the hours leading up to the impending precipitation always get the trout feeding rather aggressively. After the front came through, so did the warm up! Thursday and Friday were also very productive days, as we have begun to see the emergence of the BWO hatch, along with some dry midge hatches occurring around 11:30 to 1:00pm, then again around 4pm. Thursday afternoon, with the wind blowing about 30 mph, I went out to a rise I haven’t seen yet this year. Quickly tying on a single BWO, I caught fish after fish, cast after cast, by throwing my fly upstream and into the current. By the count of three on most drifts, I was hooked up on a fish, almost guaranteed! This continued for a solid fifteen minutes or so, with the majority of the fish being small brown trout, in the 12-14 inch range. Friday was more of the same, with a focus this time on the “slump buster” a small streamer like bug, really just a small leech pattern, but proved deadly over the three day weekend of fishing! At first, on Saturday morning, I tied on the black leech, added a single BB split shot about 4 inches above the leech and presented the bug on a shelf that drops into a 4 foot hole rather abruptly. After just a few tosses of this leech, I picked up a rainbow making a b-line for the leech! Fish on! This was the fish I was trying to get the attention of, as the bigger bows and browns tend to hang off of this shelf, waiting for the impending meal. Mornings have been productive nymphing with lead bugs like the leech, Pat’s Rubber Leg’s, Egg patterns (rainbow’s are pairing up to spawn), and San Juan Worms. Middle bugs that I have been using and catching fish with have been predominately the Copper Johh (with blue and green middle flash, and plain), Pheasant tails, RS-2’s (tan and grey), WD-40’s(olive and grey), Barr’s emerger, and the Rainbow Warrior. A few of my favorite bottom bugs have been the buckskin midge, purple and blue juju midge, red zebra and red fire midge, and the grey RS-2 when the rise is occurring.
This will be my fourth season living on the South Platte River here in Decker’s/Trumbull, and I must say that based upon the amount of people that I’ve seen on the river daily this past fall and winter, I believe it’s going to be a busy season! Be sure to check out the rest of livedeckercolorado, as the SERVICES & THINGS TO DO pages are packed with tons of information about the Decker’s and surrounding areas. Where to camp, hike, tube, raft, rock climb, or rent a cabin. You can find it all right here! That’s all for today folks! Have a great day an I hope to see you on the river soon!
Chris
March 15, 2017 Fishing Report, Decker’s Colorado
camping, Fishing Conditions, fishing reportHey Everyone!
Back from my annual trip to South Florida for MLB Spring Training 2017! Funny, the high temperature here today in Decker’s was actually about 10 degrees warmer than Clearwater Beach, Florida the last two days I was there! More on the upcoming weather a little later, but let’s talk about the river a little bit. Flows below the Cheesman dam remain unchanged at 90.2 (cfs), with about the same through Decker’s and Trumbull. Clarity seems to be a little bit off, as I took a walk this afternoon upstream from the Decker’s Resort towards Lone Rock Campground, and notice that the faster moving water was a bit cloudier since I left on Friday of last week. Tomorrow is looking like another warm day, with mostly sunny skies and high temperature of 67 expected for Decker’s! Just a heads up folks, with all the warm weather a great fishing, there have been an increased amount of Anglers around the Decker’s and Trumbull areas. Please be careful driving, put the cell phone away, IT DOESN’T WORK! We’ve already seen two near fatal accidents this early in the season, and if the weather remains dry, look for increased traffic through the South Platte River Valley. Please use caution along river road, as this route is commonly used not only by myself and others as a cycling route, but there is heavy foot traffic, as well as wildlife along the roadside. After tomorrow’s outing, I’ll have a complete update on the bugs that are getting it done, plus an update on the conditions, to include the latest on the Jefferson County Burn Ban. Please check the daily fire update located at the beginning of the blog page, if you’re planning a trip to the Decker’s area to camp, as you will not be allowed to have a camp fire! I’ll be spending most of Thursday morning out on the river early, as I’m expecting an early dry-fly hatch of midges, as the temperatures are rising quickly when the sun comes over the range! That’s all for now my friends! Hope to see you on the river soon!
Chris
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March 11, 2017 Fishing Report, Decker’s, Colorado
Fishing Conditions, fishing report[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”134″ gal_title=”March 11, 2017 Sitting in TAMPA airport”]
Good Morning!
Holy Spring my friends! Snowiest month of the year, MY BUTT! Feels like an early spring for sure my friends! Alright! before I update you on what’s going on with the fish, let’s talk a little about the current conditions and the upcoming weekend, shall we? Today looks pretty good my friends, with partly sunny skies and a high of 54! Good news here people, the 60 and 70 mile per hour wind gusts days are behind us, at least for a couple of days that is! High temperatures for the upcoming week are looking pretty normal, with highs in the mid to upper 50’s for today and tomorrow, with a high of 64 on Monday! It’s looking pretty dry for the next ten days, with minimal precipitation forecast for the South Platte Valley. Ok, now for the river update! Flows remain unchanged since the bump last week. Currently, below Cheesman Dam, we’re at 90 (cfs), with a slightly higher flow through Decker’s and Trumbull, coming in this morning at 95 (cfs). Clarity is fantastic, “Gin” clear from the Canyon to the confluence. Water temperatures have been consistently 39-41 degrees in Trumbull/Decker’s. Ok, with all of that out of the way, let’s talk a little bit about what’s happening with the fish! Mother nature is certainly hard at work this time of year, as we have seen the early return of the BWO hatch, along with several nice morning hatches of midges that have really been turning the fish on early the last couple of days. Wednesday through Friday this week, I was in the river no later than 8:30 each morning, as the dry-fly action was non-stop from about 8:30-noon! Tossing a double-dry rig, made up of a single BWO, trailing a variety of emergers, we caught fish after fish, as the water has been a flurry of activity during these prolific early spring hatches! Not to worry, when the hatch subsides, it’s back to highly productive nymphing, with fish being taken with a variety of smaller midges and some baetis patterns! Up top, it’s been the San Juan Worm, Pat’s rubber legs, leech patterns, and I even took a nice cut-bow on a yellow egg pattern. Some of my favorites that have been doing the trick lately on my bottom bug have been the Chocolate Thunder, orange(fire) midge, Mercury Black-Beauty, olive and grey WD-40, Sparkle wing RS-2, Miracle Midge, and a clear bead head Rojo Midge. This is what I’ve got for today my friends! Looking into the weekend, it’s most likely going to be pretty crowded around the Decker’s Resort area and upstream towards Lone Rock Campground. With that being said, skip the crowds and get some solitude! Plenty of fantastic opportunities to try your luck downstream on some fish that don’t see as much pressure as the fish around Decker’s and the more popular areas! Honestly folks, follow the guides, they consistently will take clients downstream vs. the Decker’s Resort and upstream areas. Speaking of guides! If you’re new to the sport, or like me, and just want to break some bad habits, book a trip today with FLIES AND LIES, http://www.flies-n-lies.com. Whether you’re up for a full or half-day trip, these guys will get you on the fish! They are fun, knowledgeable, and professionals at the sport of fly-fishing! Also, if you’re interested in renting some gear for a day out on the river by yourself or with some friends, they’ve got you covered with a great line of rental gear and equipment for a day on the South Platte River, Decker’s, Colorado. Have a great day my friends and I hope to see you out there on the river soon!
Chris
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March 6, 2017 South Platte River, Decker’s fishing report
Cabin Rentals, camping, Fishing Conditions, fishing report[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”133″ gal_title=”March 6, 2017 three solid days, drys are back, bwo]
Good Afternoon Everyone!
Welcome back! Been a couple of days of solid fishing, up here on the South Platte River, Decker’s, Colorado. Currently, it’s pretty blustery, with 4o mph wind gusts and temperatures in the lower 40’s! A mix of clouds, sun, and even a snow flurry or two have been seen throughout the morning hours and into this early afternoon! There are a few dedicated folks out on the river, too cold for this guy, but I did see a few cars parked along Platte River Road, on my way to Decker’s from Trumbull. Alright, right now we’ve got flows below Cheesman Dam at 90 (cfs), with a slightly higher flow of 95 (cfs) through Decker’s and Trumbull. Last week we finally saw a bump in the flow, which really got the fish going! Combined with the warm temperatures and the BWO hatches, it really felt like Spring a couple of days last week. Well, if you’ve spent anytime at all in Colorado, you know that the weather can change at a moments notice, especially during the spring time, when we sometimes see a 30 degree temperature difference from one day to the next. This does some interesting things to the fish as well. Last week, I believe it was Tuesday into Wednesday, we saw a cold front approach and the barometer dropped like a bomb! After living on this river for a couple of years, and observing the behaviors of the fish, it’s pretty obvious that this is an excellent time to be out on the river. For whatever reason, the hours leading up to the impending precipitation always get the trout feeding rather aggressively. After the front came through, so did the warm up! Thursday and Friday were also very productive days, as we have begun to see the emergence of the BWO hatch, along with some dry midge hatches occurring around 11:30 to 1:00pm, then again around 4pm. Thursday afternoon, with the wind blowing about 30 mph, I went out to a rise I haven’t seen yet this year. Quickly tying on a single BWO, I caught fish after fish, cast after cast, by throwing my fly upstream and into the current. By the count of three on most drifts, I was hooked up on a fish, almost guaranteed! This continued for a solid fifteen minutes or so, with the majority of the fish being small brown trout, in the 12-14 inch range. Friday was more of the same, with a focus this time on the “slump buster” a small streamer like bug, really just a small leech pattern, but proved deadly over the three day weekend of fishing! At first, on Saturday morning, I tied on the black leech, added a single BB split shot about 4 inches above the leech and presented the bug on a shelf that drops into a 4 foot hole rather abruptly. After just a few tosses of this leech, I picked up a rainbow making a b-line for the leech! Fish on! This was the fish I was trying to get the attention of, as the bigger bows and browns tend to hang off of this shelf, waiting for the impending meal. Mornings have been productive nymphing with lead bugs like the leech, Pat’s Rubber Leg’s, Egg patterns (rainbow’s are pairing up to spawn), and San Juan Worms. Middle bugs that I have been using and catching fish with have been predominately the Copper Johh (with blue and green middle flash, and plain), Pheasant tails, RS-2’s (tan and grey), WD-40’s(olive and grey), Barr’s emerger, and the Rainbow Warrior. A few of my favorite bottom bugs have been the buckskin midge, purple and blue juju midge, red zebra and red fire midge, and the grey RS-2 when the rise is occurring.
This will be my fourth season living on the South Platte River here in Decker’s/Trumbull, and I must say that based upon the amount of people that I’ve seen on the river daily this past fall and winter, I believe it’s going to be a busy season! Be sure to check out the rest of livedeckercolorado, as the SERVICES & THINGS TO DO pages are packed with tons of information about the Decker’s and surrounding areas. Where to camp, hike, tube, raft, rock climb, or rent a cabin. You can find it all right here! That’s all for today folks! Have a great day an I hope to see you on the river soon!
Chris
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February 28, 2017 Decker’s Fishing Report
Fishing Conditions, fishing report[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”132″ gal_title=”february 28 2017 good 4th day of f;ow bump 90″]
Good Evening All!
Welcome back my friends, to the most up to date report on the South Platte River, Decker’s, Colorado! Before we get into the fishing conditions, let’s take a look at the next couple of days. We’ve got a nice warm up ahead of this weekend, with temperatures quickly rising, after a cold snap and snow showers we’ve seen the last two days. Flows remain kept a little higher than they’ve been most the winter, with the increase occurring on the 23rd, leaving us with 90.2 (cfs) below Cheesman Dam, and about 90-95 (cfs) through Decker’s and Trumbull. Now that it’s been a couple of days since in the flow increase, clarity has improved and the water temperature is at 41 degrees. The fishing has been fantastic for the last couple of days, with most success coming from nymphing, but we have seen several hatches of BWO’S the last week. Today I went out twice, the first time at about 11, and then I went back after a snow squall moved through at about 3pm. When I first went out on the river, fish were already rising and the increase in flow presented a much more favorable drift than what we’ve been experiencing in this hole for the last three months. With tons of fish breaking the surface, on what looked to be some sort of emerger, I kept the Double Copper John set-up, trailing a couple different bugs over the first hour session. The first three fish were taken on the middle Copper John, which had a blue flash on the back, then the bottom fly at the time was a grey RS-2. After catching about a dozen fish with this set-up, I lost my entire rig on big “piggy” brown that came up and slammed the top Copper John as soon as it hit the water! Around 1:45 the snow and wind moved in, so I came in and warmed up for a bit. Around 3pm, the sun came back out, the wind stopped and it was time to get back out on river. This time, armed with a purple Pats Rubber Legs, Copper John, and trailing the Red Fire Midge, I was right back on the fish in less than three casts! This went on until about 4:30, when I could no longer feel my fingers or the left side of my left hand! When it was all said and done for the day, I believe my final fish count was somewhere around 15 in the net, with another 6 to 8 hook-ups! One of things I’ve noticed the most about fishing the South Platte River, here in Decker’s/Trumbull, is that when the barometer is rising or dropping quickly, the fish definitely respond in an aggressive matter that usually leads to a great day of fishing! If you enjoy reading my blog, sign up for our email alert and get a “new blog” reminder message each time I publish new content on the website! Also, if I don’t post daily, please feel free to take advantage of the LIVE weather and river flow constantly updated on the blog page! That’s all for today folks! I hope you enjoy today’s picture gallery, as it was a day full of browns, and I hope to see you on the river soon!
Chris
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February 25, 2017 South Platte River-Decker’s Fishing Report
Cabin Rentals, Fishing Conditions, fishing report[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”131″ gal_title=”February 25, 2017 big brown by Ike 97flows on a bump”]
Good Morning!
Pretty chilly up here on the South Platte this morning! Currently, we’ve got temps in the low 20’s, with mostly sunny skies! Not much snow dropped in the valley from this last system, but look for the temperatures to remain cold through the weekend. After weeks of no change in the flow, we saw a change on Thursday afternoon, with current flows below Cheesman Dam at 90.5 (cfs) and about 95-100 (cfs) through Decker’s/Trumbull. For the last week or so, most of my success has come from fishing the faster moving riffles, with one split shot for weight. However, when fishing the deeper pools and drop-offs, I’m fishing with a significant amount of weight and also placing that weight a short distance from my top fly, allowing my set to present it’s first bug rather close to the bottom, where I’ve tended to pick up the bigger trout. In addition to the heavier rig, I’m keeping my bottom two bugs only about 8-9 inches from each other. Not sure if this is doing much, but I have recognized more fish in the net when I approach with this set-up. With the warm up that we saw the previous five days or so, I began to see much more dry-fly activity on the water. BWO’s and tiny midges were present on both Monday and Tuesday. Typically, when we see an increase in the flow, the trout tend to get a little dispersed and hang tighter to the bottom. Friday afternoon the fishing was really hot! Check out the big brown that our good friend Ike pulled in yesterday afternoon in today’s picture gallery! Even with the flow increase, the fish were extremely aggressive yesterday, as my two friends must have caught 2o fish in two hours! That’s all I’ve got for now folks on the fishing folks! If your new to the area, or looking to try your hand at fly-fishing, let the knowledgeable friendly folks at FLIES AND LIES http://www.flies-n-lies.com take you on a guided trip. Or, if you’ve simply left your gear, but want to fish for the day, let them outfit you for the day or week with their full selection of top-of the line gear, at a very affordable prices. And if you’re looking for a place to stay while visiting Decker’s, the Decker’s Country Store and South Platte River Cabins http://www.southplatterivercabins.com have got you covered. Visit the website or stop in today for rates and availability. Hope to see you on the river soon!
Chris
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