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Hi there my friends, welcome back!
How quickly the snow goes away! Got about 6 fresh inches of snow here in Decker’s with the last storm, but it’s cleared up nicely and the fishing has been pretty solid for the last two days! Currently, below the Cheeseman Dam, we’ve got 49.6 cfs, with the Trumbull station reading 84 cfs. Caution! This reading is not correct, so I have estimated Decker’s/Trumbull to be roughly about 60 cfs. It’s finally time to put on the winter gear, grab the streamers, and head out for some great fishing in Decker’s. With the memory of the gigantic trout I witnessed being counted the other day during the shocking event still fresh in my head, I’ve been on a quest. I’ve been fishing a few different spots around Trumbull for the last two days, in hope of hooking into one of those 30″ beasts! With the lower flows and the river bed exposed in places that are usually covered a large portion of the year, I like to take this opportunity to explore different areas along the South Platte, so when the water rises in the spring, I’ll have a nice reference to some deeper pools that may be holding nice fish, not to mention learning good and bad places to cross the river. Yesterday morning I headed out downriver to the last parking pull-out before you reach the wire, just before the Swayback Ranch. This area is know as “Last Chance”, referring to your last chance to fish before trespassing on private property. While only spending an hour or so on this stretch of river, I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of activity I had nymphing, which ultimately resulted in putting 6 nice fish into the net! Made up mostly of shallow gravel bars, some deeper pocket pools, and faster water in the narrowed sections, I was able to sight plenty of feeding fish. With nothing appearing to be feeding on the surface, nymphing was the way to go. Red was the hot color yesterday morning, as I was trailing a black beadhead-red Zebra Midge
, behind a grey-Hare’s Ear nymph
, with a maroon-San Juan worm
as my indicator. My next fishing adventure led me to an area behind the Ouzel Camground. This time it was later in the afternoon and I happened to show up just about the time the fish were breaking the surface, with what appeared to be a casual sipping on some blue-winged olives. Already armed with a size#22 parachute adams and trailing a bwo-emerger from the last dry fly outing, I threw to some fish that were feeding along a bubble/foam line and caught three fish, all on the BWO. The number one thing I’ve learned from fishing these BWO dries, is that your presentation must be dead-on for success while fishing the BWO hatch. Be sure to have ample leader length, approximately 9ft, with three feet of 6x tippet. Also make sure that there are not currents that may be causing the fly to drag as you fish. Do not be afraid to move or reach mend cast for a less intrusive cast. By keeping the amount of line I’ve been throwing to a shorter length, along with a diagonal upstream cast, I’ve seen a definite increase in the amount of fish I’m catching, not to mention the good hook sets I’ve been able to apply. Today’s picture gallery is a collection of shots from the last snow storm that passed through the valley on Thursday/Friday. Below are some of the patterns of Blue-winged olives that have been working for me. That’s all for now folks. Until next time, have a great evening and I hope to see you on the river soon.
Chris
Nov.29 2016 Decker’s Fishing Update
fishing reportHey Folks!
Sorry about the absence, been busy with the holiday and XMAS tree cutting! We’ll just leave it at that, ok? Alrighty then, here we are with the current conditions. With continual flows under 100 through Decker’s and Trumbull and excellent clarity, I’ve been doing some sight nyphing, both in shallow and deeper runs. The crowds have been small, the bwo’s are still coming off throughout the day, and the weather looks pretty decent, except for some wind, until Friday. The fishing has been productive, focusing on the smaller bugs and fishing mostly faster water. Before the wind starts to kick up, I’m going to head out now and fish! I’ll be back later with the full bug selection that hopefully catches the fish. Meanwhile, if you’re considering a trip to Decker’s area, or if you already have been here, be sure to stop in and see the guys at Flies and Lies to “hook” you up with everything you’ll need for a great day on the South Platte! Catch ya later my friends! Going to get the big one!
Chris
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Nov.25 2016 Decker’s fishing and events update
Fishing Conditions, fishing reportHappy Thanksiving Weekend!
No time to waste my friends, so let’s get to the Decker’s update! After the week or so of fl0ws in the upper 40’s, we’ve had a minor increase and we are now back at 62.5 (cfs) below the Dam, with a flow of 89 (cfs) posted for Trumbull. Flows through Decker’s are in the 65-70 range. Fishing continues to be pretty good, with BWO’S coming off throughout the day. Busy with friends and family over the holiday, I haven’t found much time to get out and fish myself, but I have been watching the fish from the banks and observing the rise, as it seems to be occurring almost religiously from about 11:00-3:00! If you’re up for fishing the dry-flies, be sure to cover lots of water and look for rising fish sipping on the BWO-duns that have been literally blanketing the surface. On the nymphing side of things, I’ve been working the faster riffles and drop-off runs with good success on the red zebra, miracle midge, chocolate thunder, and a black, bead-headed rojo-midge. It’s pretty chilly up here right now, currently 24, as I write this at 8:30 in the morning! Warming up today, with plenty of sunshine and average temps in the mid 50’s. If you are need of flies, gear, guidance, or just some general information about the local fishing in Decker’s, be sure to stop in and see the folks at FLIES AND LIES or visit them at http://www.flies-n-lies.com. Also, a note for those that are cutting XMAS Trees in the Pike National Forest today, here is the link to all the current information. Visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/psicc/passes-permits/forestproducts/?cid=fseprd519650 That’s all for today my friends! Until next time, have a great holiday weekend and I hope to see you on the river soon!
Chris
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Nov. 20 & 21, 2016 Decker’s Fishing Update
Fishing Conditions, fishing report[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”104″ gal_title=”Nov.20/21 thanksgiving monday”]
Hi there my friends!
Getting right to the current South Platte River conditions, let’s take a look at the flows. Below the dam at Cheesman, were at 49.6 (cfs), with Decker’s and Trumbull at approximately 55-60(cfs). Clarity is improving, but with the low levels you’re bound to be cleaning your flies quite often! Space on the river has been plentiful, as the first season snow kept a few people away, allowing for some excellent choices of prime holes to fish over the last couple of days. With that being said, when I did fish, I spent the last two days fishing from Nighthawk to Decker’s. Sight fishing at times, running nymph rigs through faster, shallower water at others, I was able to catch several fish in each location with just a few tosses of my selected set-up. Using my standard of late, the three-fly nymph rig, with an attractor egg, followed with a rainbow warrior, trailing a BWO-emerger, I did well. On the dry side of things, it wasn’t so simple yesterday, but this evening was my best out of the last two on the dry flies, as I was able to catch about 6 fish on two different set-ups. The first deal that worked was the single, size #22 parachute, thrown upstream and diagonal to some sipping fish on a bubble line, and the other successful dry combination was the BWO, with another bug, a small grey rs-2, trailing about 14 inches behind the BWO. Another couple of smaller bugs worth mentioning that have been working well for me have been the red and black zebra midge, bead-headed rojo midge, and the purple juju. All of these flies and more can be found at Flies & Lies, stop in and stock up on their full selection. Another bug that I hadn’t used in a week or two was the Chocolate Thunder. Unfortunately, the only one that I had I ended up swimming away with the big brown that bro me off! Well, that’s it for the update my friends. Hoping to head out tomorrow to do some fishing downstream, near the Platte River Campground. For more information about all the campgrounds in our area, visit http://www.reserveamerica.com. Today’s picture gallery is a few from the last couple of days, plus some very special shots of a new friend and young biologist in the making, Evelyn! The two of us were on a science mission today to turn over some rocks and identify what’s in the river. Hopefully by tomorrow we’ll have them all identified and we’ll share our results! In the meantime, enjoy the pictures!
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Nov.18/19, 2016 Decker’s Update!
fishing report[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”103″ gal_title=”nov.18/19 last day of umemployed”]
Hi there my friends, welcome back!
How quickly the snow goes away! Got about 6 fresh inches of snow here in Decker’s with the last storm, but it’s cleared up nicely and the fishing has been pretty solid for the last two days! Currently, below the Cheeseman Dam, we’ve got 49.6 cfs, with the Trumbull station reading 84 cfs. Caution! This reading is not correct, so I have estimated Decker’s/Trumbull to be roughly about 60 cfs. It’s finally time to put on the winter gear, grab the streamers, and head out for some great fishing in Decker’s. With the memory of the gigantic trout I witnessed being counted the other day during the shocking event still fresh in my head, I’ve been on a quest. I’ve been fishing a few different spots around Trumbull for the last two days, in hope of hooking into one of those 30″ beasts! With the lower flows and the river bed exposed in places that are usually covered a large portion of the year, I like to take this opportunity to explore different areas along the South Platte, so when the water rises in the spring, I’ll have a nice reference to some deeper pools that may be holding nice fish, not to mention learning good and bad places to cross the river. Yesterday morning I headed out downriver to the last parking pull-out before you reach the wire, just before the Swayback Ranch. This area is know as “Last Chance”, referring to your last chance to fish before trespassing on private property. While only spending an hour or so on this stretch of river, I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of activity I had nymphing, which ultimately resulted in putting 6 nice fish into the net! Made up mostly of shallow gravel bars, some deeper pocket pools, and faster water in the narrowed sections, I was able to sight plenty of feeding fish. With nothing appearing to be feeding on the surface, nymphing was the way to go. Red was the hot color yesterday morning, as I was trailing a black beadhead-red Zebra Midge
, behind a grey-Hare’s Ear nymph
, with a maroon-San Juan worm
as my indicator. My next fishing adventure led me to an area behind the Ouzel Camground. This time it was later in the afternoon and I happened to show up just about the time the fish were breaking the surface, with what appeared to be a casual sipping on some blue-winged olives. Already armed with a size#22 parachute adams and trailing a bwo-emerger from the last dry fly outing, I threw to some fish that were feeding along a bubble/foam line and caught three fish, all on the BWO. The number one thing I’ve learned from fishing these BWO dries, is that your presentation must be dead-on for success while fishing the BWO hatch. Be sure to have ample leader length, approximately 9ft, with three feet of 6x tippet. Also make sure that there are not currents that may be causing the fly to drag as you fish. Do not be afraid to move or reach mend cast for a less intrusive cast. By keeping the amount of line I’ve been throwing to a shorter length, along with a diagonal upstream cast, I’ve seen a definite increase in the amount of fish I’m catching, not to mention the good hook sets I’ve been able to apply. Today’s picture gallery is a collection of shots from the last snow storm that passed through the valley on Thursday/Friday. Below are some of the patterns of Blue-winged olives that have been working for me. That’s all for now folks. Until next time, have a great evening and I hope to see you on the river soon.
Chris
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Nov.17, 2016 Decker’s Fishing and Conditions update
Fishing Conditions, fishing report, South Platte News[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”102″ gal_title=”Nov.17 first decent snow 4-7 inches”]
Let it snow folks!
Well, if you’re a skier or snowboarder, your prayers have been answered! Not that this is the answer to our drought conditions, but we are all breathing a little sigh of relief, as the snow continues to fall in the South Platte River Valley, surrounding foothills and mountains. At this point, we’ve probably received about 4-6 inches of nice wet snow! The river this evening is running at 48.2 (cfs) below the dam, with about 60-65 (cfs) through Decker’s/Trumbull. I didn’t fish today, just spent time going over video from yesterday’s fish shocking, along with photographs from the last week or so. My plan for tomorrow is to get out around 10 and see how the fish and bugs are reacting to our newest climate and conditions change! It’s supposed to be clearing up overnight and tomorrow’s high of 38 should feel pretty chilly with this fresh blanket of white stuff, although we are not expecting much wind. This time last year I was using streamers pretty regularly, as I had great success with the Olive Wooley-Bugger
, fishing mostly around the Decker’s bridge, then fishing upstream to the Lone Rock campground area. If you’re planning on camping in Decker’s next spring or summer, be sure to check out this campground before you make other camping arrangements. You can reserve your spot right here by clicking on the link. http://www.reserveamerica.com. That’s all I’ve got for today my friends! Below is another video from the fish shocking/data gathering that took place yesterday in Decker’s. A big thanks to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife for allowing me to get up close and personal with the event! Hope you enjoy! Until tomorrow, have a great evening and I hope to see you on the South Platte soon!
Chris
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