December 9, 2017 Fishing update for Decker’s/Cheesman Canyon
Happy Holidays my Friends!
Without wasting anytime on the water, let’s get this thing going! We’ve seen two bumps in the flow in the last week, up from the 150’s (cfs) to a current flow through Decker’s at 230 (cfs). Last year at this time, we were in the 70-100 (cfs) range for a few weeks,but being at the mercy of the Denver Water Board, it’s any ones guess daily! As I’m currently visiting family on the east coast, I’m relying on my friends in the Decker’s area to help me get you the information your counting on! With that being said, I’ve also taken a look back at last year’s blogs, which you can read for yourself, by simply clicking on pages 8 and 9 at the bottom of the blog page. You will be able to see what the flows were, clarity, weather, and the specific bugs that we had success with this same period last year. Keeping it current, the fish are active and most of the success will be had fishing the runs and riffles. We’ve got a current flow below Cheesman Dam at 234, dropping just a bit through Decker’s at 230(cfs) or so, and even a bit slower through Trumbull, at about 223 (cfs). This time of year, it’s crucial that you’ve got a good presentation and light tippet, 5x and 6x is choice. The fish are trying to conserve energy, so getting that bug directly in front of the fish is what your look for! Midges and Beatis patterns are going to be the go to bugs for now, but don’t be afraid to throw that Wooley Bugger, or even the BWO, as we really saw the hatches continue far into the fall season! Red and black zebras, purple and flashback juju midges, Olive on the Wooley Bugger streamer, and don’t forget the go- to bug of Decker’s, the Grey RS-2. Other emerging bugs, such as the Barr’s Emerger, Chocolate Thunder, and one of my favorites, the Cheesman Emerger, will all usually get the job done when the fish are hitting the emergers. As far as the size on these bugs go, stick to the #20-#22 range, and #12-#14 on the streamers. No precipitation is in the forecast, with sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 50’s, with the chance of reaching 63 on Tuesday. I’ll be back in the Decker’s area, fishing on Saturday, then heading to the Roaring Fork Valley, to fish the Taylor, Crystal, and Frying Pan rivers! That’s all I’ve got for now folks. Hope to see you out there on the river soon!
Chris
