[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”109″ gal_title=”dec.9 big fish snowy and cold 70cfs”]
Good Evening Folks!
In light of the freezing cold weather I haven’t had much personal time on the river until just yesterday! But, when I finally got out to fish, it was pretty fantastic for the amount of time I was in the water! Before we get to the fish stories, backed up with photos of course, let’s update you on the current conditions. Currently it’s 31 and clear, with more sunshine and warmer temperatures on tap for the weekend. Flows remain below 100 (cfs), with about 70 through Decker’s/Trumbull. 39 degrees on the river temperature and the clarity had been improving, but this last blast of arctic air, combined with a chilly water temperature, and you end up with a frozen moss bed that’s now going to die, break off and be a pain in the behind for a few days, most likely starting with the warm-up tomorrow! Be prepared to clean those flies my friends, but don’t be discouraged, it’s worth it. Most of the fishing that I did was in the Trumbull area, while covering some of my regular fishing buddies, Wendy and Chuck, fish bridge area around the Decker’s Resort. The fishing has really been good since the cold and snow came through earlier in the week, as I’ve gotten out a few times since the snow stopped on Wednesday. As the front that brought the snow moved in on Tuesday, the grey RS-2 seemed to do the trick over and over again! Fishing mostly the faster water, with a short, three-fly nymph rig, I was able to catch many fish on a variety of flies! In addition to the RS-2, the pink San Juan Worm, juju’s, WD-40, back Barr’s emerger, and were consistently getting the fish into the net! This afternoon, around 2pm, there was actually a nice rise taking place on what seemed to be an emerger. This is when I stopped nymphing, switched over to a Parachute Adams, size 22, then followed that with the Barr’s Emerger. After just a few casts upstream to a few aggressively feeding fish, I was hooked up. This didn’t last long, but by this time the sun had disappeared behind a ridged and the temperature must have dropped twenty degrees! During these cold winter months I’m usually fishing these days between about 11-3pm, as the fish seem to take a little longer to get going, not to mention me! I hope you enjoy today’s picture gallery as it will include some great shots of some fish we’ve caught in the last two days, plus I’ve finally witnessed my good friend Wendy, catch a fish with her Tenkara rod! We give her a lot of grief for this way of fishing, but it’s actually a pretty neat way of going about it! For more information about Tenkara rods, please visit http://www.tenkararodco.com I’ve also included a few pictures of the frozen moss that covered the bottom of the river the last few mornings, as we’ve had sub zero temps permeate the river bed. That’s all for today my friends! The winter fishing is fantastic and there’s plenty of room on the river and in the cabins! Looking to book a guided fishing trip with a cabin? Stop in and see the friendly and knowledgeable folks at FLIES AND LIES http://www.flies-n-lies.com and book yours today!
Have a great evening!
Chris
Dec. 9, 2016 Decker’s Fishing Report
Fishing Conditions, fishing report[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”109″ gal_title=”dec.9 big fish snowy and cold 70cfs”]
Good Evening Folks!
In light of the freezing cold weather I haven’t had much personal time on the river until just yesterday! But, when I finally got out to fish, it was pretty fantastic for the amount of time I was in the water! Before we get to the fish stories, backed up with photos of course, let’s update you on the current conditions. Currently it’s 31 and clear, with more sunshine and warmer temperatures on tap for the weekend. Flows remain below 100 (cfs), with about 70 through Decker’s/Trumbull. 39 degrees on the river temperature and the clarity had been improving, but this last blast of arctic air, combined with a chilly water temperature, and you end up with a frozen moss bed that’s now going to die, break off and be a pain in the behind for a few days, most likely starting with the warm-up tomorrow! Be prepared to clean those flies my friends, but don’t be discouraged, it’s worth it. Most of the fishing that I did was in the Trumbull area, while covering some of my regular fishing buddies, Wendy and Chuck, fish bridge area around the Decker’s Resort. The fishing has really been good since the cold and snow came through earlier in the week, as I’ve gotten out a few times since the snow stopped on Wednesday. As the front that brought the snow moved in on Tuesday, the grey RS-2 seemed to do the trick over and over again! Fishing mostly the faster water, with a short, three-fly nymph rig, I was able to catch many fish on a variety of flies! In addition to the RS-2, the pink San Juan Worm, juju’s, WD-40, back Barr’s emerger, and were consistently getting the fish into the net! This afternoon, around 2pm, there was actually a nice rise taking place on what seemed to be an emerger. This is when I stopped nymphing, switched over to a Parachute Adams, size 22, then followed that with the Barr’s Emerger. After just a few casts upstream to a few aggressively feeding fish, I was hooked up. This didn’t last long, but by this time the sun had disappeared behind a ridged and the temperature must have dropped twenty degrees! During these cold winter months I’m usually fishing these days between about 11-3pm, as the fish seem to take a little longer to get going, not to mention me! I hope you enjoy today’s picture gallery as it will include some great shots of some fish we’ve caught in the last two days, plus I’ve finally witnessed my good friend Wendy, catch a fish with her Tenkara rod! We give her a lot of grief for this way of fishing, but it’s actually a pretty neat way of going about it! For more information about Tenkara rods, please visit http://www.tenkararodco.com I’ve also included a few pictures of the frozen moss that covered the bottom of the river the last few mornings, as we’ve had sub zero temps permeate the river bed. That’s all for today my friends! The winter fishing is fantastic and there’s plenty of room on the river and in the cabins! Looking to book a guided fishing trip with a cabin? Stop in and see the friendly and knowledgeable folks at FLIES AND LIES http://www.flies-n-lies.com and book yours today!
Have a great evening!
Chris
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Dec.7, 2016 Decker’s, Colorado Fishing Update
Fishing Conditions, fishing report[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”108″ gal_title=”dec.7 2016 bailey snow elf day”]
Welcome to the winter fishing season!
Greetings my friends! Woke up to a couple of inches of fresh snow, bitter cold temperatures and grey skies until about 2pm. No change in the flows, we’re still sub 100, with some ice forming in the slower moving sections of the river. I just walked down to the river a few moments ago and temped the river at 39 degrees! If you didn’t know, the Decker’s section of the South Platte River is known as a tail-water fishery. By definition, a tail-water fishery refers to waters located immediately downstream from a hydraulic structure, such as a dam (excluding minimum release such as for fish water), bridge or culvert. I only fished for a few minutes today, as my day was spent playing in the snow with Bailey, our Golden Retriever! If you’ve been through Trumbull, specifically “hole in the wall” you’ve most likely met, or you’re bound to meet our friendly little friend when you come through our section of river! Temps today were in the low teens with one more day of cold! The fish are most active from 11 to about 3 each day, with most of the action in the shallow, sunnier spots of the river. Nymphing small midges and the occasional dry seems to be working for me most days, with the streamer being thrown to the banks when I’m covering more water. Zebras, juju, chocolate thunder, black beauty, RS-2, WD-40, and the small, size 24 “bleached out” BWO was really snagging fish for a short period on Friday while the snow was falling and the skies were grey. Not too many Anglers on the river today, but look for more pressure as we head into the weekends. One thing to keep in mind when coming to fish the South Platte at Decker’s or Trumbull, is that the further downriver you go from the Decker’s Resort intersection, you’ll have much more sun covered water for most of that 11-3 period of good fishing! For a complete selection of all the flies and advice you’ll need for a successful day on the S.Platte, stop in and see the guys at Flies and Lies or visit their website at http://www.flies-n-lies.com for more information on guided fly-fishing trips and cabin rentals! That’s all for now my friends. Until next time, stay warm and I hope to see you on the river soon!
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Dec. 5, 2016 Decker’s, Colorado fishing update
Fishing Conditions, fishing report[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”107″ gal_title=”Dec. 5 2016 mamoth bow by Rev. Chester and Brian”]
Good Evening!
Exciting couple of outings the last few days, but let’s talk about the current and upcoming conditions first! As you’re probably aware, we on the cusps of another early winter snow storm in the foothills and front range. Flows remain around 70 (cfs) through Decker’s/Trumbull, clarity is improving by the day, and the temperature of the river on Saturday morning was 39 degrees! Snow will be moving in tomorrow afternoon, continuing through the day and into Wednesday. By the weekend, temperatures should be back in the mid 40’s, with plenty of sunshine. Alright, let’s get to the fish’n stuff, shall we? Today’s picture gallery will show you what we’ve been putting in the net the last couple of days! Going on month six of reporting the conditions and photographing Anglers from all over the world, I can’t explain how great it’s been to capture some really exciting moments in other people’s lives. I am truly blessed to live on such a wonderful river and fishery, allowing me to share with you each day, the joys of fishing the world famous South Platte River, in Decker’s, Colorado. In the last couple of days we’ve had two fronts move over the valley, which provided some great fishing, mostly nymphing, but we saw saw periods of rising fish throughout the weekend. After a couple of good days earlier in the week on the red zebra and olive midge, the fish got real active when the snow started falling Friday afternoon. Switching over to a grey, sparkle wing WD-40 (grey), we really got on the fish. This time we were fishing a shelf that dropped off into a much deeper pool, with several larger fish visible a couple of feet down. With only a few feet to drift in the shallow water leading up to the hole, significant weight was added to the nymph rig to make sure the flies got down quick for a good presentation and matching speed of the food in the feeding column. The fish were aggressive and we did well with this strategy for about two hours! In addition to the WD-40, the RS-2 (also grey) was used as a trailing midge, behind an egg and various attractor nymphs. Saturday morning was cold and the fish weren’t really active until about 11, especially in the shaded areas of the river. Today was similar to Friday, combined with the cloud cover and the light snow, the fish were active on the light colored midges and the fish of the day was taken on a white streamer. Credit for this big, 21 inch Rainbow goes to Chester, accompanied by his fellow minister friend Brian, both visiting Decker’s from the Colorado Springs area. There is a picture of the bug that caught this fish in the gallery! Don’t let the cold temperatures or snow keep you away! Stay a night or two in one of the cozy cabins available to rent from either Flies and Lies, or the Decker’s Country Store! Just go to the “Services” page right here on livedeckerscolorado.com for more information on cabin rentals. Well, that’s all for today folks! More great pictures and updates to come! Below are a few pics of the grey bugs used over the weekend! Left to right is the WD-40, and the RS-2. Please share the blog with as many people as you can, as I’m trying to reach a daily following of 3,000 by March! Have a great evening and I’ll be back tomorrow!
Chris
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Dec. 3, 2016 Decker’s fishing report and update
fishing report[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”105″ gal_title=”dec.3 2016 Snow and midges flows around 70″]
Seasons Greetings my Friends!
Welcome back to my river conditions update and fishing report! If you’re reading my blog for the first time, welcome! I’ll be returning the comment section to the blog in the near future, until then, please feel free to email me direct at [email protected]. We’re going on about our 13 day of our current flow around 70 (cfs) through Decker’s/Trumbull, with 64 (cfs) just below the dam at Cheesman. Water temps are quite chilly, as I took a reading of 39 this morning in Trumbull. The clarity has improved, but because the flows are low and nymphing is the technique of choice these days, be prepared to clean your bugs pretty regularly. I’ve done some fishing the last two days and have had pretty good success on the small midges and a few fish were taken on a dry, with an emerger about 14 inches behind. As I’ve noticed in the past, when a cold front accompanied with snow settles in the valley, the fish tend to really go after the grey colored bugs! With this in mind, the RS-2 was the bug of choice on Friday, as my initial efforts with the olive and the black bead head proved unappealing to the fish! Continuing with focusing on the faster, shallower runs, we caught most fish in less than a foot and a half of water. There were a couple of fish that were taken off of a shelf and in a deeper pool, but only after making an adjustment to the strike indicator and adding additional weight. With the pretty frigid temperatures in the morning, there’s no hurry to rush out and get cold quick! Focus on the spots that are getting sun, as the fish are generally more active in these areas. Two more days of average temperatures before the big cool down, so be sure to dress for the wind and the cold! Looking for a cabin for the evening or the weekend? Stop in and see Bob or Phyllis at the Decker’s Country Store, or visit them at http://www.southplatterivercabins.com. That’s all for now my friends! If you don’t see me on the river, stop in to Zoka’s Restaurant in Pine Grove, and say hello! Have a great evening!
Chris
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Dec. 01 2016 Fishing Report Decker’s
Fishing Conditions, fishing reportGreetings my friends!
It’s been another cold morning here in Decker’s, but the sun is shining and it’s starting to warm up! Flows remain below 100 (cfs), with 62.5 below the dam and flows through Decker’s/Trumbull are around 70. The fishing has been pretty good for the last two days, as I have covered some water from Bridge Crossing, upstream to the Lone Rock Campground area. With the cooler temperatures, I’ve been sticking mostly to shallower, sun-lit water where the fish have been more active and feeding on smaller midges. I have thrown the occasional streamer, the Olive Wooley-Bugger, to be specific, with good success in the drop offs and deeper pools. Most the fish picked up with the streamer were caught at the end of the dead drift, with just a few jigs of the bug. Other’s were caught as soon as the bug hit the water! Some of the midges that worked over the last few days for me were the red zebra, Mercury Black-Beauty, and the WD-40(olive). Heading into the weekend, we’re expecting a front to come through tomorrow, dropping the daytime high on Friday to 32 degrees. The weekend looks good with plenty of sunshine and temperatures in the upper 40’s. Heading out in just a few to do some nymphing! Below are few pictures of some of bugs that have been working for me. That’s all for today my friends! More to come soon!
Chris
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