[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”111″ gal_title=”Dec.17 2016 My biggest fish ever!”]
Good Afternoon!
Lot’s of changes to report to you this morning, with a picture gallery that’s sure to get you up here as soon as possible! Alright folks, currently it’s still snowing in Decker’s, should be moving out by mid-afternoon. -2 is the current temp, and with the wind chill, it feels like about -15! The river flow was increased Friday, we’ve got 103 (cfs) below the dam, with about 110 through Decker’s/Trumbull. As planned, and in anticipation of the front coming, I fished all day yesterday and the fishing was really good! With the warm up that we had prior to the cold front coming in, most of the ice that had built up on the edges of the river and on the rocks had melted off. This was a key indicator in my bug selection for both Friday and Saturday. Knowing that melt-off was going to release a ton of midges and scuds that were trapped in ice, I knew that the river was going to be full of all of this freshly released flow of food. With the increase in flow, usually pushing the fish down, and the abundant food newly presented to the fish, going deep with a three-fly nymph rig was going to be the set-up of choice. I started out with trailing a small, size #24 zebra-brass midge and a grey RS-2 behind a indicator bug, which happened to be an Olive Scud, size 16. With two split shots about 6″ up from my first fly and about 4 feet between the weight and strike indicator, I was ready for the deep hole! This seemed to be the answer! Fishing from about 10am to about 3pm yesterday, we hooked into lots of fish and puts some considerably big ones in the net, including a 22″, 6# Rainbow that I caught on a Flashback Mercury Midge
, size #24. The debris in the river yesterday, caused by the flow increase and ice melt was something to deal with pretty regularly, but cleaning off your flies was well worth the effort! Although the weather has been up and down for the last week, the fishing has been pretty solid. AlthoughI have been mostly sticking to to nymphing with midges and emergers, I have been throwing a streamer from time to time, with some pretty good success along the banks. A few of the smaller bugs that have been working for me have been the Juju Midge, tan and grey RS-2, WD-40 (black and olive), Rainbow Warrior, Black and Red Zebra Midge, and the Olive Wooley bugger has been my streamer of choice. Tomorrow’s weather is looking pretty good with a warm up to 26, plenty of sunshine and lots of open spots to fish! That’s it for now my friends! Today’s gallery is from the last two days on the South Platte, at Decker’s! Until next time, have a great day and I hope to see you on the river soon!
Chris
Dec.22, 2016 Fabulous fishing report from Decker’s
Fishing Conditions, fishing report[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”114″ gal_title=”Dec.21 good fishing day three big fish grey rs-2″]
Happy Holidays!
Greetings All, and welcome back to the most up to date fishing and conditions report, from Decker’s, Colorado! Alright folks, it’s been an up and down week with the weather, and the fishing has certainly reflected the changes. Let’s update you on the current flows of the South Platte through Trumbull. Right now, we’ve got 103 (cfs) below Cheeseman Dam, with about 115 through Decker’s/Trumbull. The water temp has increased slightly from 39 to 41 and the moss is pretty bad right now, but the fishing is definitely worth the slight inconvenience. Overcast skies today, with winds picking up later this afternoon and a high temp today of 39 degrees. Alright, now to the good stuff. The last couple of days have been really good nymphing! On Friday, the action was fantastic as the cold front moved in, dropping the pressure and really getting the trout active! Fishing with a standard three-fly nymph rig, I was consistently trailing multiple RS-2’s behind a various indicator bugs such as the Hare’s Ear nymph, Pheasant tail, Scuds,and even had Egg pattern at one point, after catching a big female Cut-bow that was just plum full of eggs! Throughout the weekend, as we went from -15 one day, to almost 60 the next, ice will form on the river’s edge and on the river rocks, which results in trapping the small midges, scuds, and other bugs that make up large portion of the trouts diet this time of year. When that ice starts to melt and releases all of that food, the trout are prime for taking! Along with the grey and tan RS-2’s that I’ve had great success with, I’ve also caught several large fish with a variety of colored jujubee midges and the red rojo midge. Last week when we saw an increase in the flow, combined with the cold front, the fish went deep and were feeding heavy on the emerging midges and midge larva on the bottom. This tactic proved to be rather successful in enticing some pretty big fish to take the bait! That’s all for today my friends! More to come this weekend and I hope to see you on the river soon.
Chris
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Dec. 19, 2016 Fishing Update for Decker’s/Trumbull
fishing report[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”113″ gal_title=”dec.19 2016 cold after snow on a monday 113 cfs”]
Good Evening!
Welcome to my fishing report and river conditions for this clear and cold night in Decker’s/Trumbull, Colorado! Currently, the South Platte through Decker’s is about 115 (cfs), with a water temperature of 40 degrees! As far as the clarity goes, be prepared to clean your flies, as I had to deal with a considerable amount of moss while fishing today. With the last blast of cold temperatures and snow, we’re back to iced up conditions around the river’s edge, which can create some pretty treacherous conditions getting in and out of the river. My shoulder learned the hard way today! With the sunny skies, 26 felt like 36, and with no wind, it wasn’t so bitter cold out on the river this afternoon. With just an hour or so to fish today, I kept to the deeper pools, applied enough weight and fished a three-fly rig, just like last week, when the snow moved out and the temperatures went up. I set myself up with a pheasant tail nymph, followed with a purple juju, and trailed a grey RS-2. This proved to be rather successful, as I netted two rainbows on the Grey RS-2. Looking ahead for the rest of the week, temperatures in valley will be in the mid 40-s, with partly sunny/cloudy skies and no precipitation forecast until the weekend. From past experience, Christmas is a great day to come fishing in Decker’s! If I remember correctly, last year I had the whole river to myself, from the bridge in Decker’s, upstream to Lone Rock Campground. That’s it for today my friends! Today’s gallery has a few from the last snow storm, plus a picture of the Grey RS-2 that I have been using quite a bit lately! Until next time, have a great evening and I hope to see you on the river soon!
Chris
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Dec. 17 2016 Decker’s Fishing Update
Fishing Conditions, fishing report[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”111″ gal_title=”Dec.17 2016 My biggest fish ever!”]
Good Afternoon!
Lot’s of changes to report to you this morning, with a picture gallery that’s sure to get you up here as soon as possible! Alright folks, currently it’s still snowing in Decker’s, should be moving out by mid-afternoon. -2 is the current temp, and with the wind chill, it feels like about -15! The river flow was increased Friday, we’ve got 103 (cfs) below the dam, with about 110 through Decker’s/Trumbull. As planned, and in anticipation of the front coming, I fished all day yesterday and the fishing was really good! With the warm up that we had prior to the cold front coming in, most of the ice that had built up on the edges of the river and on the rocks had melted off. This was a key indicator in my bug selection for both Friday and Saturday. Knowing that melt-off was going to release a ton of midges and scuds that were trapped in ice, I knew that the river was going to be full of all of this freshly released flow of food. With the increase in flow, usually pushing the fish down, and the abundant food newly presented to the fish, going deep with a three-fly nymph rig was going to be the set-up of choice. I started out with trailing a small, size #24 zebra-brass midge and a grey RS-2 behind a indicator bug, which happened to be an Olive Scud, size 16. With two split shots about 6″ up from my first fly and about 4 feet between the weight and strike indicator, I was ready for the deep hole! This seemed to be the answer! Fishing from about 10am to about 3pm yesterday, we hooked into lots of fish and puts some considerably big ones in the net, including a 22″, 6# Rainbow that I caught on a Flashback Mercury Midge
, size #24. The debris in the river yesterday, caused by the flow increase and ice melt was something to deal with pretty regularly, but cleaning off your flies was well worth the effort! Although the weather has been up and down for the last week, the fishing has been pretty solid. AlthoughI have been mostly sticking to to nymphing with midges and emergers, I have been throwing a streamer from time to time, with some pretty good success along the banks. A few of the smaller bugs that have been working for me have been the Juju Midge, tan and grey RS-2, WD-40 (black and olive), Rainbow Warrior, Black and Red Zebra Midge, and the Olive Wooley bugger has been my streamer of choice. Tomorrow’s weather is looking pretty good with a warm up to 26, plenty of sunshine and lots of open spots to fish! That’s it for now my friends! Today’s gallery is from the last two days on the South Platte, at Decker’s! Until next time, have a great day and I hope to see you on the river soon!
Chris
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Dec. 14, 2016 Decker’s Fishing Update
Fishing Conditions, fishing report[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”110″ gal_title=”dec.14 70 cfs cold/sun/cold/sun/snow weekend”]
Good Evening!
Welcome back my friends, let’s get you caught up on the current conditions here in Decker’s! No change in the flow and the water temperature has been at 39 degrees the last few times I’ve checked. Temps have been in the low teens and single digits most mornings, not warming up until about 11 each day. The fishing has been pretty good between 11-3, with most of the action happening in the faster moving water, preferring the sun lit sections of the river! Midges
are making up most of the food source these days, with the occasional blue-winged olive 
. I have seen a few short periods of rising fish, but most of the fish I’ve put in the net have been a result of nymphing the drop-offs and faster moving water. I’ve not spent much time fishing the last couple of days, but I will be spending Friday fishing most of the day. I’ll return Friday night with a better bug selection report, after a day on the river. The weather is looking good for tomorrow, but snow will be moving in over the weeekend. It’s a great time of year to fish the South Platte at Decker’s. The crowds don’t exist and the fishing is consistent throughout the winter! Currently, the Decker’s Resort is undergoing some construction, as the Denver Water Board is committed to continuous improvements to the Decker’s Resort, so don’t let the new roof project stop you from visiting the businesses at Decker’s, they’re all open for business. At this time, I would like to introduce you to a wonderful artist that I have been lucky enough to meet! Her name is Stephanie Sondock and you can see her full portfolio by visiting http://www.paintingsbystephaniesondock.com That’s all for now my friends. More on Friday, after the full day of fishing. Until then, have a great evening and I hope to see you on the river soon! Today’s picture gallery is made up of a few shots from Buffalo Creek to Pike’s Peak, below are a few of Stephanie’s beautiful works of art!
Chris
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Dec. 12, 2016 Decker’s Fishing Update
fishing reportHi there Friends!
The wind is whipping, but the sun is shining! Howdy folks, just getting you updated today on the latest from Decker’s/Trumbull. No change in the flow, but as expected, the deep freeze we received the other day has killed off some of the moss and we’re now having to deal with it! Decker’s sitting around 70 (cfs), with 64 in the canyon. Spending the weekend working myself, I didn’t get much time on the river, but I did manage to squeeze an hour or so in this morning. With the river at 39 degrees and the sun not making it’s way over the ridge until about 11 am or so, the river behind my house doesn’t get warmed up much before 11. With than being said, I headed downstream this morning and fished an area near the Ouzel Campground area, located on Platte River Road, downstream about 6 miles from Decker’s. Armed with small midges and a few San Juan Worms, I was able to pull a few fish I saw feeding along a drop-off ridge into a deeper pool. Red Zebra and Fire midge were the two that worked the best. Pink was the color of the San Juan Worm I was using as in indicator fly. Grabbing some quick lunch and going to head back out. This time I’m going to the Lone Rock Campground area to see what’s happening lately on the river bend and some deeper water. More later this evening on what’s working right now on the South Platte River, Decker’s, Colorado! Until then, have a great afternoon!
Chris
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