Where to Go South Platte River – Deckers
Current Reports
Flows in Deckers are still running low. Don't expect any higher flows until at least the spring. Our drought has taken a toll on the water storage in Cheesman thus affecting the flows. That being said, The Deckers corridor has been fishing well as of late, although its been extremely busy.
Midges are making up most of the bug activity but blue winged olives are still hanging around with the nice weather. Cloudy days provide some great dry fly opportunity. With nighttime temperatures getting pretty cold, the fishing doesn't really turn on well until after sunrise. Think small on your nymphs and dries.
BROWN TROUT ARE SPAWNING, PLEASE STAY OFF THE REDDS AND AVOID BOTHERING SPAWNING FISH.
Click Here to see our recent blog about the spawn and the importance of protecting this resource.
Effective Patterns
Nymphs
Egg patterns, Mayer's Mini leach in black or brown (18)
Miracle midge, Black Beauties, Blindside midge, Money midge, buckskins, red larva, Mercury midge, Juju midge, all in sizes 20-24.
Sniper baetis, Jedi Master, pheasant tails, RS2 (grey and black), Cheesman Emergers, ice emergers, Stalcups baetis, all in sizes 18-24
Dries
Matthews sparkle dun (20), Mole fly (20-22), Neils BWO (20-22), Almost Dun (20), Griffiths gnat (20-24), Matts Midge (22)
Streamers
Slump busters in white or natural, Baby Gonga, Autumn Splendor, Dolly Llama
The South Platte River at Deckers was devestated by debris in 2002 from Colorado's largest fire in it's 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 and 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, Bubblegut 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 that means the water temps are just slightly warm enough to stay relatively free of ice 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 shot if you have any question 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