[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”47″ gal_title=”july 29 blog”]
July 29, 2016
Good morning everyone and welcome to your morning river report from the South Platte River Valley! With the lack of moisture we’ve been receiving lately, we’ve seen little change in the river flow and the clarity has been fantastic. Unlike the the “Wonka like” Platte we had running a week ago, due to the afternoon thunderstorms, this week we’ve got gin clear water and the fishing has most certainly picked up. As of five minutes ago, the flow out of Cheesman was 172 (cfs), Decker’s at 220 or so, and 232 (cfs) at the Trumbull measuring station. Personally, I only fished for an hour or so yesterday, but went out last evening to photograph a few of my friends that were fishing behind my house at “hole in the wall.” For those of you that do no know this spot, it’s roughly a mile downstream from Decker’s. Many of the pictures that I take daily are from this section of the South Platte River. The tricos were coming off big time last night around 7pm, with caddis and BWO’S filling in the mix. Down below, most the success I’ve seen in the last two days has been with nymphing rigs, with bugs such as the chocolate thunder, the grey rs-2, olive split case midge, black beauty, juju beatis, hare’s ear, and even a single, black zebra midge. The evening dry action has been later, but definitely worth waiting for. Last night, as I was sitting on my porch doing a little writing, I heard the bellowing voice of someone who obviously had just missed a very fish! As my camera always seems to be around my neck in anticipation of my National Geographic moment to arrive, I continued to work on some photo-editing while I waited for the dry-fly action to pick up. About two minutes later, I heard the unrecognizable voice of my buddy, Jerimiah yell, “Oh my lord, look at this beast.” About that time, I see Jerimiah’s strike indicator traveling downstream as if it’s being powered by nuclear submarine. Next, appearing from behind the willows is Jerimiah in a full on sprint downstream after his newly commissioned Warrior trout submarine! Drag screaming, fish running, and Jerimiah trailing, I managed to get into position to shoot a few shots of the battle. The fish went airborne several times and made three significant runs, both up and back downstream, before laying over in exhaustion and surrendering to the net. I’ve posted a few pictures of the fish in today’s gallery. After purchasing my first DSLR camera and taking over 10,000 photographs, I must say that I have gotten as much joy shooting pictures of anglers battling trout as I do fishing! Well, that’s it for now my friends. Have a fantastic day and I hope to see you up here on the South Platte River soon!
Take care,
Chris
7/31 river report
Fishing Conditions, fishing report[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”49″ gal_title=”july 31 river report”]
July 31, 2016
Good morning everyone and thanks for showing up for my morning river report! Well, the heat is back and so are the crowds! Yesterday was one of the busiest days I’ve seen on the South Platte in quite some time! The campgrounds are full and the river is full of tubers and fisherman. Today’s picture gallery will highlight some of the fun I’ve captured up to this point in the weekend. Alrighty then, the flow this morning out of Cheesman is 192(cfs), about 210/215 (cfs) in Decker’s, with a nice 232 (cfs) in Trumbull. The temperature this morning was 49.9 degrees and the moss content is a little higher. Perhaps we maybe see an increase in the moss due to the amount of people moving about the river and loosening it from the river beds and rocks? Just a guess! Mid-mornings have been filled with dry flies the last three or four days. About 9 o’clock or so, roughly when the sun makes its way over the range, I’ve seen huge trico, caddis, and midge hatches all along the river. The dry fly action has been slowing down around noon and it’s back to nymphing with the usual suspects. The chocolate thunder, along with the juju beatis, hare’s ear, and olive split-case have been producing fish regularly by getting down deep during these hot mid-day hours. Much later in the evening, and for the last week or so, I’ve been doing well with a hopper-dropper pattern, or even just throwing the single hopper such as an Ant or grasshopper. Running one of these bugs down the bank as it’s getting dark has proved to be very successful, as the suspecting trout can’t resist the easy meal drifting by. This morning I’m heading out for a 4/5 mile hike, followed by some mid-morning fishing and river reconnaissance. Keep in mind that the fishing pressure in Decker’s is greatest on the weekends, so come on up during the week and see for yourself why we are Denver’s first choice for a quick get away weekday fishing trip. Stop in to Flies-n-lies for all you need for a day on the river, and be sure to stop into the Decker’s Corner Cafe for a soft-serve ice-cream or one of their famous, green chili smothered burritos! That’s all for now folks! Have a great day and get out there and fish!
Chris
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7/30 Full House!
camping, Fishing Conditions, fishing reportJuly 30, 2016
Good morning folks! and welcome to the morning river report for the South Platte River, from Trumbull/Decker’s, Colorado. Let’s get right to the good stuff, shall we? The last two morning caddis and midge hatches have been prolific! Both Thursday and Friday mornings I covered the river between Trumbull and Decker’s and up to the “WIRE” heading towards Camp Shadybrook. Roughly, at about 8:30/9:00, and once the sun rise clears Rampart Range, the hatching begins! Along with the caddis and midge hatches, we’ve seen a huge increase in Trico hatches with non-stop rising fish from about nine to noon. The flow out of Cheesman this morning is just a bit higher than yesterday. At 5:45 this morning, we’re showing 192 (cfs), 215 (cfs) in Decker’s, and 229 (cfs) in Trumbull. The river temperature is hovering right around 47/48 degrees with some moss to deal with, but nothing out of the ordinary, as the clarity is fantastic! With school going back into session soon, the river, campgrounds, and surrounding areas are busy, mostly in the Decker’s area, so keep in mind that their is plenty of great water to fish and lots of river to tube to the east of Decker’s, downstream. From the Platte River campground to the confluence, you can typically find plenty of water to fish and float without someone on top of you! As I walked the river last night taking some photos, I noticed that the campgrounds in our area are full and are sure to be that way for the next two weekends. Of the five campgrounds in our immediate area, three are first come first serve, but two of them offer reservations. Lone Rock Campground, which is also located on a prime spot to fish the Platte, does take reservations. Make your reservation right here at http://www.reserveamerica.com. The other campground that takes reservations is the Kelsey Campground and can also be found on the above link. That’s it for now folks! Have a great day and get out there and fish!
Chris
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Wow, now that sounds like a big fish!
camping, Fishing Conditions, fishing report[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”47″ gal_title=”july 29 blog”]
July 29, 2016
Good morning everyone and welcome to your morning river report from the South Platte River Valley! With the lack of moisture we’ve been receiving lately, we’ve seen little change in the river flow and the clarity has been fantastic. Unlike the the “Wonka like” Platte we had running a week ago, due to the afternoon thunderstorms, this week we’ve got gin clear water and the fishing has most certainly picked up. As of five minutes ago, the flow out of Cheesman was 172 (cfs), Decker’s at 220 or so, and 232 (cfs) at the Trumbull measuring station. Personally, I only fished for an hour or so yesterday, but went out last evening to photograph a few of my friends that were fishing behind my house at “hole in the wall.” For those of you that do no know this spot, it’s roughly a mile downstream from Decker’s. Many of the pictures that I take daily are from this section of the South Platte River. The tricos were coming off big time last night around 7pm, with caddis and BWO’S filling in the mix. Down below, most the success I’ve seen in the last two days has been with nymphing rigs, with bugs such as the chocolate thunder, the grey rs-2, olive split case midge, black beauty, juju beatis, hare’s ear, and even a single, black zebra midge. The evening dry action has been later, but definitely worth waiting for. Last night, as I was sitting on my porch doing a little writing, I heard the bellowing voice of someone who obviously had just missed a very fish! As my camera always seems to be around my neck in anticipation of my National Geographic moment to arrive, I continued to work on some photo-editing while I waited for the dry-fly action to pick up. About two minutes later, I heard the unrecognizable voice of my buddy, Jerimiah yell, “Oh my lord, look at this beast.” About that time, I see Jerimiah’s strike indicator traveling downstream as if it’s being powered by nuclear submarine. Next, appearing from behind the willows is Jerimiah in a full on sprint downstream after his newly commissioned Warrior trout submarine! Drag screaming, fish running, and Jerimiah trailing, I managed to get into position to shoot a few shots of the battle. The fish went airborne several times and made three significant runs, both up and back downstream, before laying over in exhaustion and surrendering to the net. I’ve posted a few pictures of the fish in today’s gallery. After purchasing my first DSLR camera and taking over 10,000 photographs, I must say that I have gotten as much joy shooting pictures of anglers battling trout as I do fishing! Well, that’s it for now my friends. Have a fantastic day and I hope to see you up here on the South Platte River soon!
Take care,
Chris
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The morning facts!
camping, Fishing ConditionsJuly 28, 2016
Howdy Folks!! Not a cloud in the sky this early Thursday Morning! Up early and just got back from checking out the conditions on the South Platte. If you fish the Decker’s area, you most likely know the spot on the river in Trumbull, known as “hole in the wall.” Living just feet from this section of the river, I begin each morning with a look at the river clarity, flow, moss content, temperature and bug activity, as I make my morning walk the three miles or so up to the “wire.” Other days, after checking out Trumbull and Decker’s, I make trips to different sections of the 15 miles of Trophy Trout waters and check out what the bugs and fish are up to any particular section of river. So, here’s how we’re starting off this Thursday. At Cheesman this morning, we’ve got a flow of 178 (cfs), with 238 (cfs) in Trumbull, and after taking a gander at Decker’s this morning, it’s running about 220 (cfs) through the bridge area and “Ray’s Run.” The river temperature this morning is a “fish friendly” 47.8 degrees! On a side note, I’ve always wondered if fish ever get Thirsty? Let me know if you have any thoughts! Alrighty then! Last night was quite fun on the river here at “hole in the wall.” I got a late start, but got out there in plenty of time to spend an hour nymphing, with only one fish gullible enough to take the garbage rig I was throwing early in my quest! Early on, I just wasn’t feeling it. My rig, made up of a Rubber-legs, hare’s ear, and chocolate thunder, seemed to be as attractive as the, “All you can eat” meat buffet for Vegetarians! As the sun set and twilight fell upon me on the river, the evening celebration began!! Realizing I had about ten minutes to get my 6x tippet through the eye in my size 22 Extended body BWO, before the rising trout frenzy would be over, I quickly put on one single olive and began throwing to an area just upstream of where I saw several rising trout. Within two casts, I had a nice brown hooked up and the battle was on. He ran right at me, took a deep dive and took about ten to fifteen feet of line. Heading back downstream now, I knew it was now or never if I was to regain control of the fish and not have him snap me off. With one quick flip to the side and slight twist of the trout’s head, he quickly rolled over and allowed me to net him from just upstream of me! After that, three more browns took the single Olive, although the third fish broke me off as soon as it took the bug. Lesson learned here, when you’ve caught several fish on the same bug, CHECK YOUR KNOTS! After the loss of the last BWO, I switched over to a two-fly rig, with an Amy’s Ant, trailing a female Trico and picked up another three or four aggressive browns. All of those fish were taken on the indicator bug, just on the riffle, as the swirly-eddy I was fishing, met with the mainstream flow. I’m going out this evening and planning on fishing near Lone Rock Campground.http://www.reserveamerica.com/camping/lone-rock-campground-co/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=70054. That’s all for now my friends! Have a great day and get out there and fish!
Chris
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Dog days of Summer!
Fishing Conditions, fishing report[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”40″ gal_title=”july 27 blog”]
July 27, 2016
Happy Wednesday everyone! Summer is definitely winding down and it looks like we’re going to have another big, busy weekend in the Decker’s/Cheesman Canyon area. Currently, we’ve already almost hit 60 degrees and it’s going to be a warm day in the valley with temperatures reaching into the low 90’s. Talking about the river flow this morning, at 5:45 this morning we measured 181 (cfs) at Cheesman, 241 (cfs) at Trumbull, and a nice 215/220 through Decker’s. In addition to the flow rate and daily clarity, I will now also be offering you the daily temperature of the river. Currently, from the Canyon down river through the confluence, we’re looking at a river temperature of 47 degrees. Last night my neighbors and I fished “hole in wall” but didn’t see much action. The hatches seemed to be non-existent and didn’t see much action on the surface at all. We did manage to pull a few fish for a few minute stretch using a dry-dropper rig consisting of an Amy’s Ant with a juju-baetis and another few fish using the ant trailing a black beauty. If you’ve been following along with my reports each morning, I hope you’ve picked up on the fact that I don’t claim to be the “guru” of Fly-fishing! I’m just a guy who has a passion for the sport and a desire to share the information about the river and what’s happening with the bugs and fish. I’ll let you take what information I offer and let you, “the Angler” decided if you want to use it or not. I also hope that if you plan a fishing trip to Decker’s, be sure to check out Flies and Lies http://www.flies-n-lies.com. They are located just a hundred yards from our Trophy Trout fishing waters of the South Platte River. They have great deals on rental equipment and know the river and area better than anyone in the valley. Stop in and tell them Chris sent you! Please feel free to message me about an area of the river that you would like me to report on, as I continue to update you daily on the river conditions here and around the Decker’s/Trumbull area. Have a great one folks and do your best to go fishing today!! OH! Here’s the picture gallery from yesterday’s hike. Check this link out for more information on this plant http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MOFI SORRY, no bear this time, but we found his food!
Chris
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