[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”127″ gal_title=”feb 5 2017″]
Hey Everyone!
First of all, thanks to all of you for reaching out and checking on me! I had no idea, really, no clue that so many of you would have reached out on my behalf! Things are great with me, just had to get a few ” life things” in order for the upcoming months. I also had to get some health issues addressed and take care of a little dog along way! Thanks again for all the support! Ok, now let’s get to the river update, current conditions, and the latest on the the FISH! The flow below the dam is unchanged, currently at 59.5 (cfs) below Cheesman Dam, then flowing through Decker’s/Trumbull at about 65. Clarity is pretty good and the water temperature this morning was 40. The icebergs of January seem to mostly be gone and we’ve lost that slushy feeling, whoa that slushy feeling! However, getting in and out of the river can still be a little tricky, as the shaded areas are still holding some ice, so be careful out there! For the second day in a row, we’ve seen temperatures almost reach 60, with lots of sunshine and variable winds. The wind has picked up quite a bit this afternoon, but from about 10-3 today, it wasn’t too bad, as the granite wall behind my house blocked most the gusts! The next few days look pretty seasonal, but the winds will be increasing overnight and through Wednesday. Look for a big warm up by the weekend, with plenty of sunshine and high temperatures nearing 60!
Alright! Let’s get into the fish stories and see what’s up with the fish these days, shall we? Today’s picture gallery is going to be a great representation of the fish we’ve been catching the last couple of days! There’s a nice picture of a Tiger Trout, some really nice gold colored browns, and of course there’s going to be a few of that famous golden retriever, Bailey, and a new doggie, who’s name is Marley, joined the fishing party on Sunday! As I spoke earlier about the weather, the days are warming up nicely, but the fish really aren’t doing much until about 10/10:30 each morning. As far as what’s working! Well, just about anything and everything! From a Pat’s Rubber legs, San Juan Worm, or even leech for an indicator bug, we’ve seen fish taken on all of these, and for the second two bugs, it’s been more of the same! Most of the time, my second bug of choice has been either a copper john or a pheasant tail, size #22. My trailing fly has also been a variety of bugs, to include the grey and tan RS-2, olive WD-40, rojo midge, juju baeits (purple), red and black zebra, miracle, and the latest to take a few fish consecutively, has been the good ole “Chocoalate Thunder” The last two afternoons, with the increased temperatures, I have seen a few dry midge hatches around 2pm. Not a bad idea when this happens to toss on a single parachute adams, or even a little gnat! I did that this afternoon to a few fish that were sipping below the surface, on what appeared to be some spinners, and hooked into two nice browns on a pretty beat up Blue-winged Olive I had handy! That’s all I’ve got for today! Look for more frequent posts about the current fishing conditions and and upcoming version of the entire website! More on that a little later, but have a great evening and I hope to see you on the river soon! I hope you enjoy today’s picture gallery, as it includes some great shots of fish, but more importantly, it shows you how much fun we have living on such a beautiful river! Good night folks!
Chris
February 22, 2017 South Platte River, Decker’s Fishing Report
Fishing Conditions, fishing report[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”130″ gal_title=”February 22, 2017 Bailey moved to Minnesota”]
Greetings my friends!
Had a breezy day on the river today, but boy was it productive! As usual, the impending front moving in had the fish active and aggressively feeding today, as we did really well with streamers and larger bugs throughout the day! But first, let’s get you up to speed on the current conditions and outlook for the rest of the week. Flows remain unchanged, with 61 (cfs) below Cheesman Dam and about 70, through Decker’s/Trumbull. The clarity is great, with water temperatures around 40 degrees here in Trumbull. For a second day in a row, I got out on the river by about 10:30, this time accompanied by my friend Jerry, who made a special trip up here today to not only fish, but to say goodbye to Bailey, the Golden Retriever that has been part of my life for the last 8 months! Bailey is moving to Minnesota to be with family, as I have been her foster dad since her original owner and friend of mine, suddenly passed away in May. She has been a joy to so many people on the river and I have shared so many wonderful mornings, afternoons, and evenings with this little girl, that we’ve grown to be the best of friends. It’s with a heavy heart that I will not be able to continue to photograph such a beautiful, loving, sweet little doggie and share the joy with you each day. I will, however, be taking on a the challenge of looking after a little RAT TERRIER, named Chloe, after Fox’s television series 24, staring Keifer Sutherland. She will be joining me each morning, as I walk the river and report back to you on the weather and river conditions here in Decker’s and Trumbull each day. Ok, with that being said, let’s continue with the fishing update. The fish today were much more active then they have been the last two days. Not saying that the fishing hasn’t been solid, but today the fish were feeding all over the water column, but we had good success in the shallower, faster moving water today with mostly streamers and spinner baits, as my friend Jerry is a Spin Fisherman! What! you mean that you write about fly-fishing and allow someone to use that horrific device called a “Spinning Rod” to fish at your house? What kind of heathen are you? Ok, relax my friends. I know that there is much to argue when it comes to the topic of spinner bait Anglers vs. the fly-fisherman. The big argument here is that the treble hooks that are used on the spinning lures, tear up and kill lots of fish. Well, that is partially correct, but there is more to the story. After spending several days on the river this past year with Jerry and a few other spin fisherman, it comes down to a pretty simple concept. Crimp the barbs, or cut them off and the fish slide right off the freaking hook! People please! This is something that I find truly bewildering! What’s the problem with a guy that fishes with three hooks vs. one, takes as good or if not better care of the fish then some fly-fisherman I see handling fish, and then he releases every fish he catches? Anyway, just wanted to share that with you, as I don’t see a problem with someone who pays the same fees as you and I do. Therefore, I feel he or she is entitled to fish however he or she feels, as long as it’s within the rules and regulations that we all must follow. Ok, that’s my rant, but honestly folks, the weather changes are when these fish really seem to get busy! That’s all I’ve got for now folks. Today’s picture gallery is sort of a farewell gallery of my little friend Bailey, fish from today, and some of the great shots I’ve taken of her over the last 8 months. Hope to see you on the river soon!
Chris
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February 21, 2017 Decker’s Fishing Update
fishing report[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”129″ gal_title=”February 21, 2017 last day with Bailey”]
Good Evening Everyone!
Well, this weather has been truly amazing. It feels more like spring and baseball season then the middle of winter! Temperatures reaching about 55 to 60 today, with plenty of sunshine and some wind gusts, but nothing to serious! Looking ahead to the rest of the week, we’ve got some snow in the forecast, moving in Thursday evening and into Friday. This should really turn the fish on tomorrow, as we are going to see high temperatures in the lower 60’s, but with winds up to 19 mph. The flow below the dam is currently at 61 (cfs), with about 70 through Decker’s/Trumbull. I’ve been out fishing mostly everyday for the last two weeks and today was no different! Getting out on the river at about 10 this morning, I already noticed a midge hatch taking place as I entered the river. Starting out with my nymph rig, consisting of a purple Pat’s Rubber legs, followed with a grey hare’s ear pheasant tail, and trailing a buckskin midge, I chose a stretch of river just downstream from a deeper run, where the river bottom shallows up and presents a shelf where tons of fish seemed to be congregating. This proved to be effective rather quickly, as I hooked up on three fish in a matter of about 10 minutes! I think the bug selection was appropriate, but more importantly, I made some adjustments to my depth, being that I’ve been fishing the deeper pools, which require much more length to get to the bottom. Therefore, I moved my strike indicator way down towards my flies, giving me only about two feet of distance between my indicator and my split shots. Basically, I made myself a shallow water nymph rig, with only one small split shot for weight. At about 11 o’clock I noticed a significant hatch of BWO’S that hadn’t made there way back down to the water quite yet, so I went ahead and set up another rod with a simple, two-fly set up that I like to use when the fish are starting to rise. I quickly tied on a Griffiths Gnat, followed with a grey, sparkle winged Rs-2. Once again, with no strike indicator or weight, I threw this concoction across the riffle and into the downstream flow, where seconds before I had seen several fish rising to what I suspected to by the dying off adult bugs. After only a few attempts at these fish, I hooked up on a nice 16 brown, followed by a respectable Cut-bow! . Both fish were taken on the RS-2. As lucky as I am and as much as I get to fish this wonderful river each day, I’m amazed at how conditions and how the fish can behave change from one day to the next. One day the fish are going crazy on one color, the next day they want nothing to do with that color or even that species of bug! That’s what makes fly-fishing so enjoyable to me! It’s the challenge of figuring out what the fish are feeding on and making those adjustments to catch the fish! As we get closer to the one year anniversary of livedeckerscolroado.com, I’m looking forward to having that year’s worth of data to refer to and see if I’ve learned anything over the last 12 months! Livedeckerscolorado.com is also currently under a site rebuild and I hope to be launching the new site soon! Stay tuned and keep coming back, as I hope to have the new site presented by early June! That’s all I’ve got for now my friends! Have a great evening and I hope to see you out there on the river soon!
Chris
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February 17, 2017 Decker’s Fishing Report
Fishing Conditions, fishing report[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”128″ gal_title=”february 17,2017 back at ikes”]
Hi there Friends!
Well, after finding a new place to live, new job, new car, and finally got my internet moved in the forest, I’m back to reporting to you more frequently! Thanks for the emails and phone calls about my well-being, as it’s been a tumultuous couple of weeks making all of this happen! However, I must be honest and tell you that while I’m back to a full-time job, I’ve found much more time to fish, as if I wasn’t fishing enough! Ok, not going to give you a long and drawn out fishing report today, just going to let you know that the weather is great, the fishing has been on fire, and the river has been pretty crowded! Flows are still in the upper 60’s/low 70’s from the Cheeseman Dam, downriver through Trumbull. Clarity is ok, with some moss to deal with, but the water is gin glear. Fish are feeding actively in both the sunny shallows and the riffles. Most success has been deep, but with this warm up in the last few days, the above surface activity has shown some promise, as we’ve seen some dry midges later around mid afternoon. We’re starting to see some spawning fish, so please do your best to steer clear of them as you work your way upstream. This morning I actually saw two fish paired up, so some early pre-spawning is certainly taking place! On the bug end of things, the Grey RS-2’s, rainbow warrior, Pat’s rubber legs, black bead-headed beauty, San Juan Worm, chocolate thunder, and even the olive wooley bugger stream have all caught fish! There are probably another dozen or so patterns that we’ve been having great success with, so instead of me just listing what’s working for me, I invite you to use the blog comment section to share “what’s working for you” on your latest visit to the Decker’s/Trumbull area of the South Platte River. Today’s picture gallery is a collection of shots I took over the last week or so! Some of these fish are taken on private river just below the Trumbull bridge and fire station. Most of the others are taken from the area around “hole in wall” in Trumbull. There’s a little bit of everything in the gallery, so I hope you enjoy. Now that I’m getting settled with my new life and career in place, I’m planning on getting back to more frequent updates on the fishing and the surrounding area! Thanks again for your patience and I hope to see you on the river soon!
Chris
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February 6, 2017 Fishing Report, Decker’s Colorado
fishing report[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”127″ gal_title=”feb 5 2017″]
Hey Everyone!
First of all, thanks to all of you for reaching out and checking on me! I had no idea, really, no clue that so many of you would have reached out on my behalf! Things are great with me, just had to get a few ” life things” in order for the upcoming months. I also had to get some health issues addressed and take care of a little dog along way! Thanks again for all the support! Ok, now let’s get to the river update, current conditions, and the latest on the the FISH! The flow below the dam is unchanged, currently at 59.5 (cfs) below Cheesman Dam, then flowing through Decker’s/Trumbull at about 65. Clarity is pretty good and the water temperature this morning was 40. The icebergs of January seem to mostly be gone and we’ve lost that slushy feeling, whoa that slushy feeling! However, getting in and out of the river can still be a little tricky, as the shaded areas are still holding some ice, so be careful out there! For the second day in a row, we’ve seen temperatures almost reach 60, with lots of sunshine and variable winds. The wind has picked up quite a bit this afternoon, but from about 10-3 today, it wasn’t too bad, as the granite wall behind my house blocked most the gusts! The next few days look pretty seasonal, but the winds will be increasing overnight and through Wednesday. Look for a big warm up by the weekend, with plenty of sunshine and high temperatures nearing 60!
Alright! Let’s get into the fish stories and see what’s up with the fish these days, shall we? Today’s picture gallery is going to be a great representation of the fish we’ve been catching the last couple of days! There’s a nice picture of a Tiger Trout, some really nice gold colored browns, and of course there’s going to be a few of that famous golden retriever, Bailey, and a new doggie, who’s name is Marley, joined the fishing party on Sunday! As I spoke earlier about the weather, the days are warming up nicely, but the fish really aren’t doing much until about 10/10:30 each morning. As far as what’s working! Well, just about anything and everything! From a Pat’s Rubber legs, San Juan Worm, or even leech for an indicator bug, we’ve seen fish taken on all of these, and for the second two bugs, it’s been more of the same! Most of the time, my second bug of choice has been either a copper john or a pheasant tail, size #22. My trailing fly has also been a variety of bugs, to include the grey and tan RS-2, olive WD-40, rojo midge, juju baeits (purple), red and black zebra, miracle, and the latest to take a few fish consecutively, has been the good ole “Chocoalate Thunder” The last two afternoons, with the increased temperatures, I have seen a few dry midge hatches around 2pm. Not a bad idea when this happens to toss on a single parachute adams, or even a little gnat! I did that this afternoon to a few fish that were sipping below the surface, on what appeared to be some spinners, and hooked into two nice browns on a pretty beat up Blue-winged Olive I had handy! That’s all I’ve got for today! Look for more frequent posts about the current fishing conditions and and upcoming version of the entire website! More on that a little later, but have a great evening and I hope to see you on the river soon! I hope you enjoy today’s picture gallery, as it includes some great shots of fish, but more importantly, it shows you how much fun we have living on such a beautiful river! Good night folks!
Chris
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January 31, 2017 Decker’s Colorado Fishing Report
Fishing Conditions, fishing report, hiking[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”126″ gal_title=”jan.31 2017″]
Hi Folks!
Wow, sorry for the absence, I’ve been under the weather unable to both fish or write that much, up until yesterday! Feeling much better now and moving back into the fishing grove and getting you, sorry, CAUGHT UP TO DATE! Oh yeah my friends, getting back to my old self. Alright, disclaimer in the books, let’s get to it. First, I spent mos of the afternoon today trying my luck on the newly, re-found South Platte River, as this pesty, titanic-sinking size ice bergs we’ve been dodging most of the month of January have finally succumbed to the gentle warm up of the last few days. Continued flows of about 65-70 (cfs) through Decker’s/Trumbull, with a bit lower up at the Dam. Clarity is pretty good, but because of the increase in temps and the melt off, I did see quite a bit of branch debris start to flow by later in the day. That usually passes quickly, so don’t let that keep you from fishing the South Platte. Alright, got out at ten this morning, armed with my 3-weight and nymph rig of an olive leech pattern up top and down below I was wearing a tan, sort of beat up looking RS-2, size 24, trailing at first the black-bead headed rojo midge. This rig caught two aggressive browns in the first 15 tosses of this tasty combination. After that little skirmish of activity, I headed upstream just a bit to see if I could sight a few fish that we’re holding deep in a hole, so I crept about the shelf and dropped my “pat’s rubber legs, followed with the Juju baetis and miracle midge trailing behind. Once again, because I moved up to some deeper water, I reminded myself to add weight and adjust my strike indicator. In a few short throws of my junk, I was back on the browns! Both taking early on the Pat’s! Today’s picture gallery will show you some of the condition that we’ve seen in just the last two or three days. This month has been full of cold enough days to turn the river into a slushy! But now, as you know, if you’ve lived here for any period of time, days in the 60’s like today are quite common this time of year. Alright, gotta run for now! Thanks for sticking with me and look for a complete new look for livedeckerscolorado.com come spring! Have a great evening and I hope to see you on the river soon!
Chris
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