[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!

wd 40 grey

Chris

[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

Greetings 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

wd 40 olivezebra midgegb woolly bugger olive grizzly 4828

Hey 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

Happy 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