Where to Go South Platte River – Deckers
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FALL HOURS: 9am TO 6am DAILY
Report Date: 5/3/2025
Current Conditions:
The fishing in the Deckers corridor has been pretty good recently. The flows have been a little wonky over the last week but that hasnt seemed to slow things down as much. The flows are currently at 202 cfs and the fish are loving it. 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. Water temps are in the 40's and 50's.
Cheesman reservoir is currently 86% full
Hatches:
BWO's are active and we have seen some attention being directed towards caddis larva. Its getting exciting here in terms of bug variety and anglers will want to expand their fly boxes a bit more right now. Its also a good idea to throw some larger food sources like cranefly larva, worms, and scuds.
Tactics:
Things can definitely still be on the technical side, but the fish are feeding a lot heavier now and that makes them a little less picky. Deeper runs are still a good place to target but we are seeing lots of fish moving in riffles to feed right now. Focus not only on what patterns you are fishing, but how you are fishing them. Good dead drifts right on top of the fish will be key. The key is getting your flies down and as close to the bottom as possible. The dry fly fishing has been decent during pronounced hatches. Again, presentation is key!
Tips:
Cover ground!!
Weather:
Short Term- Today through Sunday will be pretty nice. Temps will be warm and in the upper 60's for highs. Starting on Sunday afternoon a large disturbance will enter the state. This is a classic spring storm and will have the potential to deliver some pretty heavy rain here. Use caution and keep an eye out for flash flooding conditions. This storm looks to be sticking around for most of next week as well. Temps will be cool next week and in the 40's and 50's for highs. The wind does not look like a factor though and we could see some great fishing conditions despite the wet outlook.
Long Term- Looking past next week and heading into that weekend (5/9), things will rebound to right around seasonal averages. Temps will kick back up into the 60's and 70's and precipitation chances will remain, although those will not be as high. Overall, this is a great scenario for the start of May here. We are not warming up too fast and this is helping stretch our declining snowpack a little longer. This is a key factor in helping our drought conditions heading into the summer. Long range forecasts are still predicting a hot and dry end to spring and start to summer. As always, take these long range forecasts with a giant grain of salt.
RECOMMENDED PATTERNS
For a custom fly assortment for this location, click here!
Our Top 6 Nymphs for Today:
- Frenchie, size 18
- Slim Shady, olive, size 22
- Barrs emerger, sizes 20-24
- Spanish bullet, dark, size 18
- Caddis candy, size 16
- Pats rubber legs, dark, sizes 12-16
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!
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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