November 23, 2017 Fishing Decker’s
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Good Afternoon!
Well, it’s feeling a bit like mid June in Decker’s these days, with a beautiful, unseasonably warm Thanksgiving forecast. Currently, it’s in the mid 60’s, with a clear to partly cloudy outlook for the remainder of the holiday weekend. Flows have been increased twice over the last three days, with a current flow 0f 156 (cfs) in Decker’s/Trumbull, with a flow of 151 (cfs) below Cheesman Dam. Typically, we’ll see the flows remain below 100 (cfs) this time of year, but’s it’ no uncommon to see the occasion bump in flow. With this being said, good opportunities to sight fish can be taken during these low flow periods. Before heading out of town on Friday of last week, I was able to spend a couple of days fishing the canyon, down river to Trumbull. With the increased temperatures and plenty of sunshine, I’ve had some pretty great morning and evening sessions, both nymphing and dry-flying fishing. I’ve had the most success fishing the riffles, runs, and drop offs, as I tend to cover as much water as I can with the great sight fishing opportunities presented with the excellent clarity and low flows. Because of these low flows and clarity, be sure to stick with 5x and 6x tippet for most of your set-ups. On the bug end of things, I’ve continued to do well fishing a variety of midges, nymphs, and dry flies throughout the day. Zebra midges, size #20-#22, both red and black have done well. Purple Juju baetis, and RS-2’S have also been regularly taking fish, along with several egg patterns, both yellow and orange, size #20. Typically using a 3-fly nymph rig set-up and keeping my bugs about 12-14 inches apart, I’ve been catching quite a few fish on emergers such as the Cheesman and Barr’s emergers, and foam back bugs like the Chocolate Thunder, once again keeping them in the smaller #22-#24 range. On the dry-fly end of things, it’s been a bigger challenge for sure! With these low flows and fish that simply know what a fake presentation looks like, you’ve really got to key in on what these fish are really after! You got it! Small here too gets the job done! BWO patterns, olive and grey are pulling the most fish for me, with a small Adams, Trico, and even a small Griffiths gnat has tempted a few trout to consume my offering! All of these bugs and much more can be picked up right here in Decker’s! Be sure to visit the guys at Flies and Lies, or visit their website at http://www.flies-n-lies.com They also offer a great 1/2 or full day guided fishing trips, tackle and gear! The browns have been aggressive during the fall spawn, so be sure to stay away from fish that have paired up and stay clear of the reds, as these become vital “safe houses” for all the new fish. Well, that’s it for now folks! Putting together a little slide show from my visit to Cotter, Arkansas, this past weekend, as I stopped and threw a few flies in, “Trout Capitol USA.” Until next week, Happy Thanksgiving and I hope to see you out on the river soon!
Chris
