Where to Go South Platte River – Deckers
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FALL HOURS: 9am TO 6am DAILY
Report Date: 3/21/2025
Current Conditions:
The fishing in the Deckers corridor has been great over the last few weeks. Spring time can be fantastic here and so far this early spring is no exception to that! The warmer weather activated the fish and we have seen consistent fishing. Current flows are at 170 cfs. and a bit above average for this time of year. We should see flows fluctuate pretty good through the remainder of the season. The fish have spread out a bit more and are occupying more areas of the river. Move around until you start seeing fish. They want good clean drifts, so be prepared to work! Pay attention to all of the details right now. Water temps are in the 30's and 40's.
Surprisingly, Cheesman reservoir is currently 91% full!
Hatches:
As usual for this time of year, Midges are are the staples. Focus on them in all life stages. The fish have been keying in particular bugs so make sure you pay close attention to their sizes. Its a good idea to start carrying some larger or longer profile midge patterns now. The big spring midge is hatching and the fish are keying in on them. If you see days of low bug activity, try dead drifting smaller streamers. And big news! ..we have seen some BWO's the last couple of days!
Start carrying those BWO patterns!
Tactics:
The fish are a lot more active now. We have seen some parts of the river provide some great dry fly opportunity as well. Fish are starting to occupy more parts of the river with the warmer conditions. The water is clear and sightfishing can be a ton of fun right now. The key is getting your flies down into the parts of the water column where fish are feeding. Change up your depth/weight before you start changing patterns.
Tips:
The river ice free, even downstream past Nighthawk. Also, dont be afraid to throw on a leech, scud, or cranefly larva. We have seen some fish eating some of these bigger meals.
Weather:
Short Term- The wind machine has been cranking as of late. There will be a bit of a reprieve in the canyon coming up. We will still see some wind but it wont be as bad as it has been. This weekend, especially Saturday, will be the windiest day. We should see winds in the 15-20 mph categories. Sunday will still be windy but not quite as bad. Temps will be in the 50's and we should see a lot of sun. Monday will be nice with temps in the mid 60's and will be kicking off a very warm week ahead. It will feel like spring next week and we will see highs in the 60's and 70's through Friday.
Long Term- Next weekend a storm system will be coming into the high country. Right now it doesnt look like it will have a big impact here, although precipitation chances will increase. Temps will cool into the 50's as well and morning lows will be chilly. Since it still a week or so away, things could change. Longer range forecasts are lining up to show some potential storm activity at the end of March/first part of April. Lets hope this happens as all of this recent wind has really dried things out. Speaking of wind, we will be seeing quite a bit more of that this spring. We are getting too warm too fast this early spring.
Despite the recent warm weather and wind, we have seen some higher elevation storms in the South Platte basin. Our snowpack is holding strong. This basin is one of the strongest in the state actually and is sitting at 101% of average as of today. As we roll into spring we will have longer days, a higher angle of the sun, and a lot of wind. This combination can start to decrease the overall snowpack at a good pace. With our biggest snow months historically on the horizon March and April), lets hope we can keep building this for our summer water. Snow now means water later, and we can use all we can get!
RECOMMENDED PATTERNS
For a custom fly assortment for this location, click here!
Our Top 6 Nymphs for Today:
- No Mercy midge, sizes 20-24
- Slim Shady, olive, size 22
- Rojo midge, red, sizes 20-24
- Darth Baetis, black, olive, size 22
- Wader midge, size 22
- Buckskin, size 22-22
Our Top Dry Flies for Today:
- Mole Fly, brown. Size 22
- Parachute adams, sizes 18-22
Standard South Platte nymph rig set up:
Screenshot the diagram above to reference while you're out on the water!
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR "WHERE TO GO" PAGE FOR DETAILED INFORMATION ON OTHER AREAS!
The South Platte River at Deckers was devastated by debris in 2002 from Colorado's largest fire in its recorded history followed by two huge floods. Since then, Deckers has been making great progress toward recovery and the debris left over from the fire and floods is being used by caddis for making their cases. The caddis have taken over the river the last few springs. Caddis hatches that rival the famed Arkansas River's "Mother's Day hatch" have happened in Deckers the last four years. It's showing no sign of slowing down.
When the fish aren't coming up to caddis, a tandem nymph rig with typical fare can still be deadly. The summer months can be a lot of fun for anglers that are into throwing streamers and big dry flies. Elk hair caddis, Amy's Ants, stimulators, and foam hoppers such as the streambank hopper are great dry flies to have. Good nymph patterns to carry are: Mercury Pheasant Tails, South Platte Brassies, San Juan Worms, Pat's Rubber Leg Stonefly, RS-2's, Murphy's Bubbleback Midge, Blindside Midges, Buckskins, Top Secret Midges, Medallion Midges, and Black Beauties.
I'm so pleased to see this fishery come back strong after the Hayman fire. Deckers has been producing some of the area's strongest, most beautiful trout in the last couple of years. While the area may get crowded, there is a ton of water along the corridor and it's always fun to go seek out new water. As with anywhere on the South Platte, be sure to check the flows before you go. Sudden bumps or drops in the flow will negatively affect the fishing on this river.
Jon Easdon, Guide and Director of Services
Deckers is also a great winter fishing destination because it is a tailwater. A tailwater fishery is where a river comes out below a dam; consequently, during the winter months the water temps are just warm enough to stay relatively ice-free all year. Sections where the sun hits the water is where you can find feeding fish. This time of year can be the most productive for solitude-seeking anglers who aren't afraid of using light tippets and very small flies.
This is an area we specialize and are permitted in, so give us a shout if you have any questions or if you're interested in allowing one of our Orvis-Endorsed guides show you how best to fish the Deckers area.
South Platte River – Deckers.
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Directions - 40 miles - 49 Minutes
- From Angler's Covey head west on US 24 W/Cimarron St, go 16.7 miles
- Turn right at CO-67 towards Deckers, go 23.1 miles