[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
November 7, 2017 Cheesman Canyon/Decker’s/Trumbull Fishing!
fishing report[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”146″ gal_title=”Nov.7 2017 back to blogging”]
Hey Fishing Friends!
After working the last 6 months like a dog! I’m back to fishing and writing daily! Not only that, we’re under some really exciting changes here at www.livedeckerscolorado.com. With our “New look” and brand new template, you’re sure to get all the information you’ll need to have a great time here in Decker’s. On to the fishing, shall we? Starting out with the canyon, flows have been under 100 for the last two weeks, with a current flow of 105(cfs). Prior to my season ending as a private Chef, I had been fishing the canyon pretty much daily for the last 6 moths. If you’ve been following along with me since the beginning of my blog, the majority of my fishing and reporting have been around Trumbull and Decker’s. All in all, I would have to say that the two areas pretty much fish the same, with the canyon demanding a stealthier approach and typically lighter tippet, but most of the same bugs got the job done! Most of my fishing took place on the lower end of the canyon, by the club, as this offered me several chances throughout my workday to get out and cast a fly. Current set up of choice in the canyon has been the nymph rig, consisting of Pat’s Rubber Legs, followed with an egg, and trailing a variety of emergers, such as the barr’s emerger, size 20 and 22, grey RS-2, size 22 and 24. I’ve also had success with the black and brown styles of the RS-2. Mid morning, as the sun makes it’s way above the canyon wall, I’ve been seeing and catching quite a few fish that are just sipping the dead trico spinners that are just below the surface. I’ve been throwing a Cinnamon colored bug, trailing a number of other emergers just about 18 inches behind that spinner. Mid-afternoon, I’m back to nymphing the riffles and faster moving water, picking up several fish on a 3 bug pattern, consisting of a yellow egg, size 20,/barr’s emerger, size 22, and then trailing the grey RS-2, size 22 or even a 24. I picked up several nice size browns on this same set-up, yesterday, in Trumbull. For the last three days I’ve been fishing some familiar waters in Trumbull, at hole in the wall, and upriver toward the second bridge that’s just down river from the Decker’s Resort. Pressure has been pretty consistent, as the weather has been pretty solid and not too cold. I got out yesterday and had to work for every fish I caught! Fishing the drop-offs into the hole was pretty productive this morning, as we seemed to catch a little sunshine and warmth, between the two storm systems moving through. Early on I had pretty good success up top, with a dry rod I has set up with a small parachute adams, size 22, trailing a Rainbow Warrior, size 22. I caught several nice fish that were feeding just below the surface, along a bubble line and seem. Almost tossing these bugs like a dry rig, upstream and slightly across the riffle, I caught 3 or 4 fish back to back on that trailing bug, the warrior. Well, that’s it for now my friends! Next week I’ll be heading to Cotter, Arkansas, to fish for trophy Browns, on the famous White River! Hope to see you out on the river soon!
Chris
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September 4, 2017
fishing reportWelcome Back Folks![Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”145″ gal_title=”july 23 blog”]
After three long months of relatively little fishing for me, I’m happy to say that I’m almost back to full fishing capacity and will be continuing with the Daily Fishing Report! After one year of blogging and further development of www.livedeckerscolorado.com, we are happy and excited to announce that we will be relaunching the website sometime around the first of September! This will be the first, and only, fully functional tourist information website and advertising platform for the South Platte River Valley. Until then, please check back weekly, as I will continue with the fishing reports throughout the fall and winter seasons! The fishing has been excellent and the holiday weekend crowds are leaving the hills! I look forward to seeing all of you out on the river soon!
Chris
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June 7, 2017 Fishing Report
fishing report[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”144″ gal_title=”june 7 2017″]
Hello my Friends!
Well, I’m all settled into my new job and have been cooking and fishing non-stop, from May 17th-today! No kidding folks, been in Cheesman Canyon, sometimes three times a day! I’ve done this so I could get a pretty good understanding of the flows and how the fish tend to behave on the lower section of the South Platte River, here in the canyon. Since I’ll be working quite a bit this summer as a private Chef, I’ll most likely be keeping my fishing reports to 3 to 4 a week. Don’t fret my friends, that’s why I call it “live” deckerscolorado.com! You’ll always have the current weather and USGS river flows availble 24/7, via RSS feeds! Ok, let’s get to the current canyon situation, along with the Decker’s area too! Big news is that the flows are no where near where they were this time last year. Currently, below Cheesman Dam, we’ve got a flow of 136 (cfs), with a similar flow through Decker’s/Trumbull. Not much moisture fell in the Valley today, some passing thunder, but no real rain to speak of. In the last week, we’ve gone from a flow of almost 300, back down to this meandering trickle of 136! As a typical reaction, the fish during this adjustment period tend to get a little spooky and don’t seem be be feeding as consistent as they do when the flows are not interrupted or altered. This, however, does not keep me from trying, so I was out on the river during this entire period, throwing multiple combinations of flies, in hopes of changing the minds of a few opportunistic trout. During this period, depth was key, as the fish were holding close to the bottom and not straying far in any direction in an attempt to get my fly. I did seem to get into a few fish during this period with the red midge larva and the buckskin midge. After the flow balanced back out, around late evening yesterday, the fish were back to aggressively feeding on emergers and dry midges. The one bug I would have to say was the “hands down” go to bug, was the size #22 blue jujubee midge. I caught at least 8 fish this evening, along with the buckskin taking about 4 of those 8 fish. When I wasn’t using the nymphing pole, I was set up with a double dry-dropper rig, consisting of a “hare’s ear” simply followed with alternating, grey and black RS-2’s, and even through the olive “Wooley Bugger” at a few big pigs that were cruising some deeper water further up the canyon. No luck thought, they just turned their noses up and went about their business. I have also spent few afternoons and evening sessions down in the Decker’s/Trumbull area as well, over the last three weeks, and I’ve had similar results with the same bugs! Not too much different fishing the Canyon vs. the Decker’s area, in my opinion. However, I have shortened up the amount of line I generally nymph with, along with paying much more attention to my weight and strike indicator, as the depth and flow can change dramatically from hole to hole throughout the canyon. Well, that should get you up to speed on things here in the canyon and around Decker’s/Trumbull. Today’s gallery is made up of some shots from the last two or three weeks. Hope to see you out there on the river soon!
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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