Good evening folks!
Just when you thought things were calming down with the flow, they’ve bumped the South Platte up some more! We’ve been on a roller coaster this week my friends, with the river flow going from the 290’s, up to our current flow of 479 cfs. Surprisingly, the clarity isn’t that bad. There is considerable moss to deal with, but not as much grass that we saw earlier in the week, with the previous bump in flow. The fishing has settled down a little with the up and down flow increase, but what I’ve noticed is the fish are just going a bit deeper during these periods. One thing I definitely increased this morning was the amount of weight on my rig. I have struggled in the past with not getting my flies down where the fish are feeding, so I made sure to get enough nymphing mud between my 2 split-shots to guarantee my flies would be getting where they needed to be. With a pink San Juan Worm, trailing a grey Hare’s Ear, followed with a black, two-bit hooker, I was able to put two nice rainbows in the net. As dusk turns to darkness, I’ve been throwing an Olive Wooley-bugger by the moonlight. On several occasions, my first or second cast to the bank or the granite wall has produced a large brown, aggressively taking the bugger the instant it hits the water! Obviously, the flow in Cheesman Canyon is also higher today, with a current flow of 488 cfs. One thing you have going for you in the canyon verses the lower Platte here in Decker’s, would be the amount of moss that’s flowing as a result of the flow increase. All in all, the fishing has been good, space is much easier to come by on the river, and the weather has been great! More to come over the weekend, as I plan to fish some of the sections of the South Platte, downstream from Trumbull. Until then, have a great evening and I hope to see you on the river!
Chris
September 13, 2016 Fishing Report
fishing reportGood morning my friends!!
Although I am not currently in the valley, the fishing report must go on! So, with that being said, here we go with today’s conditions and fishing report. We’ve finally had a few days of consistent flows, which has settled the fish down a bit and they are returning to normal feeding activity. Currently in the Cheesman Canyon, the South Platte river below the dam is at 488 cfs, Decker’s at about 475, with Trumbull matching. Going deep has been the key over the last couple of days to get down to the fish closer on the bottom. With egg and worm patterns producing during some of the cloudy periods after the flow increase, we stuck to nymphing deep and were able to pull several nice fish. The weather has been comfortable, with chilly temperatures in the early morning, but warming up nicely around ten. Looking forward through the rest of the week, we’re looking at temps in the low 70’s during the day, cooling down rather quickly in the evening hours. We’re still seeing the Trico’s through mid-morning, then turning to dry-dropper rigs, with an evening full of dry-flies and streamers. One of the things that I notice, as I regularly fish a few spots on the river, is that if you occasionally throw something that the fish haven’t been seeing that much of, you can generally find that aggressive monster of a trout that is waiting patiently for a new “Bug Buffet” offering! I’ll be posting reports each day, as I am currently out of the Decker’s area. Keep in mind that if there is not a daily posted fishing report, the USGS RSS feed is automatically updated to show current flow through Trumbull at the end of my blog introduction. That’s all for now folks! Good luck out there and I hope to see you on the river!
Chris
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September 11, 2016
fishing report[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”55″ gal_title=”september 11 2016″]
No fishing for me today folks, as I prepare for a two week trip back east to spend some time with family. Don’t fear, current conditions in Decker’s will still be posted daily, as well as up to date information on what’s working to catch the trout! Today we saw more of the same as a result of the flow bump. Getting down deep has been key with the fish seemingly hanging out closer to the bottom for the last couple of days. I watched a few Anglers today that were accompanied by one of the local guides work the section of river through Trumbull. Set up with a three-fly nymph rig with an egg up top, followed with a San Juan worm, and trailing with a grey RS-2, they managed to pull a couple nice brown trout as I snapped a few photos. Current flow below Cheesman Dam is 485 cfs, with 475 in Trumbull. The grass and the debris released from the flow increase has improved greatly today, and by tomorrow things should be getting back to normal. The weather has been great, chilly in the morning, but warming up nicely! One of the joy’s of living in this valley is being surrounded by wildlife. I hope you enjoy the pictures that I provide for my galleries, as I take every photograph for livedeckerscolroado.com. Please share by clicking on the provided media links! It really helps get the word out about the website! I’m hoping to do some off-shore fishing, or perhaps just drift for some flounder on my trip back east! I’ll be sure to provide some pictures! That’s all for now folks! Have a great evening and I hope to see you on the river!
Chris
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September 10, 2016
fishing reportGood evening everyone!
Chilly start to this morning in the valley, temps in the mid-30’s overnight, with a good frost covering the grass and the tips of the willows! Flows have been pretty erratic, going from the low 300’s, upwards to 500 this morning! We’ve got 488 in the canyon and 475 in Trumbull. With the second bump in flow in just three days, we’ve seen substantial moss, but it’s not as bad as it was earlier in the week. I haven’t been fishing much today, went out just a few moments ago, but no luck as I was a little early on the evening hatch, but didn’t feel like switching over to a nymph rig! The fishing that I have done in the last two days has been so-so! From what I’ve noticed, the fish are still staying deep, but will take that perfectly presented dry if offered! Keeping with the dry-dropper theme, the evenings towards dark have been most productive for me. I’ve also had more success with a variety of bugs this time of night, tying on single dry’s such as a Parachute Adams or a BWO. Once it really gets dark, the fish seem to be rather aggressive on the streamers, such as a green or black Wooley-Bugger. It’s looking like another spectacular day up here tomorrow, so come on up and try your luck! Looking to spend a few days here in Decker’s/Trumbull? Please take a look at http://www.southplatterivercabins.com. Flies and Lies also has cabins for rent, visit them at http://www.flies-n-lies.com. That’s all for now folks! Got a small fishing party put together for the morning, pictures to come! Have a great evening and I’ll see you on the river!
Chris
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September 9, 2016 Fishing report “flows are up”
fishing reportGood evening folks!
Just when you thought things were calming down with the flow, they’ve bumped the South Platte up some more! We’ve been on a roller coaster this week my friends, with the river flow going from the 290’s, up to our current flow of 479 cfs. Surprisingly, the clarity isn’t that bad. There is considerable moss to deal with, but not as much grass that we saw earlier in the week, with the previous bump in flow. The fishing has settled down a little with the up and down flow increase, but what I’ve noticed is the fish are just going a bit deeper during these periods. One thing I definitely increased this morning was the amount of weight on my rig. I have struggled in the past with not getting my flies down where the fish are feeding, so I made sure to get enough nymphing mud between my 2 split-shots to guarantee my flies would be getting where they needed to be. With a pink San Juan Worm, trailing a grey Hare’s Ear, followed with a black, two-bit hooker, I was able to put two nice rainbows in the net. As dusk turns to darkness, I’ve been throwing an Olive Wooley-bugger by the moonlight. On several occasions, my first or second cast to the bank or the granite wall has produced a large brown, aggressively taking the bugger the instant it hits the water! Obviously, the flow in Cheesman Canyon is also higher today, with a current flow of 488 cfs. One thing you have going for you in the canyon verses the lower Platte here in Decker’s, would be the amount of moss that’s flowing as a result of the flow increase. All in all, the fishing has been good, space is much easier to come by on the river, and the weather has been great! More to come over the weekend, as I plan to fish some of the sections of the South Platte, downstream from Trumbull. Until then, have a great evening and I hope to see you on the river!
Chris
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September 8, 2016 Fishing Report
camping, fishing report[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”54″ gal_title=”september 8 2016″]
Good Evening everyone!
Checking in this evening to give you a quick update on the river conditions here in Decker’s/Trumbull. After the flow increase of the South Platte the other day, the moss has decreased considerably, and the chocolate milk of a river we saw yesterday, and the day before, has thinned quite nicely. We’ve got 337 cfs below the dam, with 332 in Trumbull. Blue skies, plenty of sunshine, and temps in the low 80’s’ provided an excellent day on the Platte! Great thing about September, the kids are back in school and the river is pretty wide-open. Weekends are still rather busy, but the weekdays are prime for some quality fishing at the hole of your choice, with plenty of open stretches of water to fish by yourself. I didn’t fish much today, but got out just after 11:00 this morning to catch a few fish rising on a few of the remaining Trico’s that had died off and were drifting along the way. I threw on a single bug, no indicator, and quickly made two tosses about six feet upstream from where I saw the rise. First pass, nothing, second time through I was hooked up on a small rainbow which took a small, size 24 Parachute Adams. I had a couple of fish flash my bug over the next ten minutes, picking up a small brown and calling it a day. Tomorrow is looking like more of the same, with sunny skies and warm temperatures in the forecast. Keep in mind that Lone Rock Campground is the only campground in our area to accept reservations. Make yours right here at http://www.reserveamerica.com. Until tomorrow, have a great day and I hope to see you on the river!
Chris
Trumbull, below Brush Creek
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