July 8, 2016

Good morning folks! Absolutely fantastic doesn’t even come close to describing the current conditions here in the S. Platte River valley! Currently, we are at a very comfortable 70 degrees, but it’s warming up quickly and we could see temperatures in the upper 90’s. At 8:45 this morning, the S. Platte at Cheesman  was flowing at 227 (cfs) and Trumbull measured 332 (cfs).  The river is running almost “Gin” clear, which has been great for watching  trout annihilate hoppers and ant’s over the last two evenings.  Last night and the night before, the evening dry-fly hatches have been spectacular! Midges, caddis, PMD’s, all thick from the “Wire” down through Trumbull.  I spoke with Rob at Flies-n-Lies http://www.flies-n-lies.com and he told me that the tricos were beginning to show up in numbers and that the “terrestrial” bugs become too irresistible to a hungry fish when they are already rising up for fish. The fishing  pressure and number of anglers picks up around the Decker’s Bridge area and up toward the YMCA camp on the weekends, but there is plenty of good fishing all the way downstream to the confluence and beyond. Keep in mind that the fish in the immediate Decker’s area see lots of presentations, so test your skills on some of the unsuspecting fish downstream!   Just look for the “P” parking sign anywhere along the river and find yourself a place to spend some quality time with us here in the Decker’s/Trumbull communities.

For those of you that have been following my blog daily and those that are joining me for the first time, I would like thank you for your interest in my daily river reports, photographs, and hiking blogs as I make the personal transition away from a 25 year career in the food and beverage industry.  Recognizing I didn’t mention what I was transitioning to or towards, it would be only fair to mention that after two heart attacks, a broken neck, four cardiac procedures and a couple of rounds of congestive heart failure, I’ve decided  that I’ve spent way too much of my life trying to figure out why I’m still here and start focusing on what I’ve learned from these experiences and what I can take forward and share with others.  As I continue to blog daily about the Gold Medal fishing conditions and my adventures in the valley, I also hope to continue to share with you some of the personal growth lessons I’ve learned as I’ve made my way through this complicated, beautiful, awe inspiring planet we call home! If you’re in the Decker’s area and would like to say hello, please stop in to the Decker’s Country Store and do so! Keep in mind, you can make all your vacation plans to Decker’s right here. Visit  http://www.southplatterivercabins.com or http://www.flies-n-lies.com to make your cabin reservations. Have a tremendous day folks!!!

Chris

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July 6, 2016

Good afternoon!! Just returned from a great hike in the Pike National Forest in Buffalo Creek, Colorado!! Before I delve into the highlights of today’s morning workout and adventure, I want to update you on the river conditions from Decker’s through the Confluence. At 12:45 this afternoon, the flow out of Cheesman was 260 (cfs) and 393 (cfs) in Trumbull.  Right now it’s a toasty 84 degrees with plenty of sunshine and a nice breeze!! On the fishing side of things, the dry-flies, trico’s in particular are starting to show up in numbers, but the caddis will continue to be going off strong through July. Check with the guys at Flies and Lies http://www.flies-n-lies.com daily, as they really have the “scoop” on what consistently works best!

I’ve just done some photo-editing of the pictures from today’s hike! We started out this morning on a forest road off of Jefferson County road 126, in Buffalo Creek, Colorado. In beginning of the hike this morning, we were originally intending to hike along the service road to the once very popular campground area know as “Top of the World.” However, once we reached our destination we decided that we would continue down the valley and intersect with the Colorado Trail.  Roughly, about an hour or so later, we connected with trail and continue to climb south through the valley. While resting at the “Top of the World” former camping area, we were able to take in 360 degree views of the mountains to our west, which included Green, Little Scraggy, the slightly larger “Scraggy” and in the distance to the north-west is Mount Evans. The area that we hiked today is also in recovery from wildfire.  On the afternoon of May 18, 1996 an unattended campfire near Wellington Lake in the Pike National Forest started the Buffalo Creek fire. As the fire grew, driven east by high winds, residents of Buffalo Creek and nearby Spring Creek were evacuated. The fire spread rapidly toward Jefferson County Highway 126, which runs north from Decker’s through Buffalo Creek and Pine to U.S. Highway 285. In spite of the determined efforts of fire fighters, the fire jumped the road, burning structures at the edge of Buffalo Creek and threatening homes in Spring Creek. By Tuesday, the fire had burned a path ten miles long and two miles wide, destroying 18 homes or other structures. The blaze continued east, until it stopped at the South Platte River. Tomorrow, we will be hiking the burn scar area of the Hayman fire that took place in the S.Platte valley in 2002.  I hope you enjoy some of the pictures from today’s hike. Have a great day and do something outdoors today!

Chef Chris