Weekly Report
South Platte Deckers flows have come down by 40 cfs and currently sit just above 200 cfs.While the water is stained, there is still plenty of visibility. Fishing has been fantastic the past few days with trout spreading out and feeding heavily on scuds, midges, BWOs, PMDs, caddis and stoneflies. We’ve entered the time of year where there are plenty of bugs on the menu, so don’t be afraid to experiment. Along with scuds, Pat’s Rubber Legs, Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ears and caddis larva patterns are hot lead patterns right now. Trout are feeding opportunistically on bigger meals, so experiment plenty of action on your large lead fly. For your trailer, you can never go wrong with Mercury Black Beauties, Chocolate Foam Back Emergers, Sparkle Wing RS2s, Barr’s Emergers and Darth Baetis. If you see caddis hatching during the late morning or early afternoon, midge pupa patterns will do damage as well. Nymph rigs are ideal when fishing deeper runs, pools, riffles and transitions but if you see trout feeding along the banks, dry droppers are a great way to go. Elk Hair Caddis and Chubby Chernobyls will support deeper dry dropper setups. If you need something more delicate for sipping trout, a Sparkle Dun followed by an RS2 will do the trick.
Recommended Flies
Sub-surface
- Blood Midge (#18-22)
- Bling Midge (#18-22)
- Miracle Nymph (#18-22)
- Pale Ale Midge (#18-22)
- Mercury Midge (#18-22)
- Black Beauty (#18-22)
- Zebra Midge (#18-22)
- Top Secret Midge (#18-22)
- Manhattan Midge (#18-22)
- Jujubee Midge (#18-22)
- JuJu Baetis (#18-20)
- RS2 (#18-20)
- Darth Baetis (#18-20)
- Barr's Emerger (#18-20)
- Chocolate Foam Wing Emerger (#18-20)
- WD 40 (#18-20)
- Buckskin Caddis (#16-18)
- Electric Caddis (#16)
- Sparkle Pupa (#16)
- pink/green scud
- Mini Leech
- egg
- San Juan Worm
- Mercury Pheasant Tail (#16-20)
- Guide's Choice Hare's Ear (#16-18)
- red Copper John (#16-18)
- Rainbow Warrior (#16-20)
- Perdigon (#16-18)
Surface
- Griffiths Gnat (#20-22)
- Parachute Adams (#18-22)
- Sparkle Dun (#18-20)
- Elk Hair Caddis (#14-18)
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River Flow
Detailed River Info
Background:
The Deckers stretch of the South Platte River is a heavily sought after and highly productive stretch of river located roughly one hour from Denver. It's proximity to Denver and it's wade friendly features makes for a great destination for anglers of all experience levels. According to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the Deckers stretch of the South Platte contains just over 3,000 trout per mile with Rainbows, Browns and Cutthroats making up this healthy population. This portion of the South Platte is a tail water section, so depending on the will of the angler, productive fishing can be enjoyed year round.
Angling:
Fishing the Deckers stretch of the South Platte River is arguably one of the most difficult but rewarding rivers in the state. Aside from the hoards of anglers that flock to this river every weekend, it is one of our favorites to fish. It's close to Denver, incredibly easy to access and can yield trout worth writing home about. Deckers is famous for it's deep holes and runs but can also provide great pocket water fishing. In the summer and fall, anglers can expect some incredible Caddis and Mayfly hatches that result in irresistible dry fly fishing. In the winter and spring, nymphing is the name of the game. Small tail water midges and Baetis patterns that strain your eyes to look at are the ticket for a productive day.
River Access
The Deckers section of the South Platte river is easy accessed from many locations. Anglers can drive along County Road 126, search for an appealing section of river and find a place on the side of the road to park. If you're not interested in searching for your own stretch of river, the intersection of County Road 126 and County Road 67 is a popular place to park and walk to the river.