Jan. 11, 2017 Decker’s fishing update
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”120″ gal_title=”January 11, first day after rib hurt”]
Good evening!
Welcome back folks! The ice is melting and the fish are hungry! We’re finally getting out of the deep freeze and the South Platte has really opened up in the last two days! The majority of the ice remaining on the sections of river from Trumbull, up to the “WIRE” is now mostly just along the banks and the obvious, the shaded areas that hardly ever see sun. As a result of this big melt off, you guessed it, the food that gets released becomes a smorgasbord for hungry trout! Ok, with that being said, let’s get you up to speed on some of the current conditions. The current flow through Decker’s/Trumbull is running about 65-70 (cfs) with 58 (cfs) just below Cheesman Dam. Clarity is good and the water temperature was at 41 degrees this afternoon. Finally, after not fishing for two weeks, due to a rib injury, I’m feeling better and gave fishing a shot for the first time today. Knowing that the release of all this ice was going to provide a nice bump in the food supply, as many small midges, scuds, worms and such get trapped in the ice along the banks and in the shallows. When the melt comes, all that food gets put right into the feeding columns, where the anxious, hungry trout are waiting! With this knowledge, it was pretty easy to get on the fish today with a basic nymph rig. Although I only fished for about 30 minutes today, testing the ribs, I was able to hook up on three fish with two emergers, trailing a red San Juan Worm. Only landing one of the fish, it was pretty clear that the Olive WD-40 was a sufficient selection, as I hooked up on these fish just moments after changing my flies to the ones fore-mentioned. Today and yesterday, I did see a few more fish rising, so don’t be afraid to throw a small gnat or parachute. We’ve got a mixed bag of weather heading this way the next couple of days, but based on previous situations like this, the rise and fall of the atmospheric pressure, tends to get the fish pretty aggressive during these periods. Forecast for tomorrow is partly cloudy, high of 43, with light snow showers moving in overnight. Friday and Saturday look pretty good with temps in the 40’s, with partly sunny skies, with snow moving back in on Sun/Mon. Today’s picture gallery contains some shots of the ice and subsequent melt-off! I apologize for not having too many new fish pictures, as I’ve just not been able to get out there lately! Hope you enjoy the pictures and I hope to see you on the river soon!
Chris
