Where to Go South Platte River – Deckers
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Report Date: 7/15/2025
Current Conditions:
Its been about a week since the flows increased and the river is firing! Current flows are at 246 cfs. and things are just right in the Deckers corridor. These flows will spread the fish out more and they will become more comfortable feeding. As with any time the flows bump here, be sure to add some larger patterns like scuds, cranefly, or stoneflies to your nymph rigs. We have no idea how long this flow increase will last, so take advantage of it!
Cheesman reservoir is currently 93% full, and it looks like this will be as full as it gets this season.
Hatches:
PMD's, caddis, trico's, and yellow sallies have all been active. Its getting exciting here in terms of bug variety and anglers will want to expand their fly boxes a bit more right now. With the flow increase, also add some scuds, cranefly larva, worms, and stoneflies into the mix.
Tactics:
Nymphing has been the go to in the higher flows. Depth and weight will be the most important factors. Focus on seams, drop offs, shelves, or areas with transition points. Running a hopper/dropper with heavy nymphs through riffles has been a fun tactic too.
Tips:
Cover ground. Fish will spread out more with these higher flows and everywhere on the river will be a good place to target.
Weather:
Short Term- Its been on the warm side over the last few days up here. Today will be hot and then we will see some changes. Starting on Wednesday (7/16) Temps will cool about 10 degrees and afternoon rain chances drastically increase. The precipitation does look to be a bit more sustained than we are used to seeing. Some of these storms will last all through the afternoon. Temps will be pleasant and in the mid 70's. It looks like a fairly wet week ahead of us, and this is great news with our increased fire danger. Winds will be mellow and should not be a factor in your day.
Long Term- As we look into the weekend and next week, afternoon rain chances will start to decrease a bit and temps will warm up again. The summer monsoon season is here and its reasonable to expect rain chances almost every day right now. Temps will return to the 80's and it will get hot again. Longer range forecasts keep pointing at hot and dry weather through the back half of the summer. We will have to see what materializes with that, but we are hoping the weather folks are wrong on this one. Fire danger is increasing and we can use every drop of moisture we can get!
This is an area we offer guided fly fishing trips. We are one of two outfitters permitted to operate in Cheesman. There is not better way to learn an area like Cheesman Canyon than hiring one of our Orvis endorsed professional guides!
RECOMMENDED PATTERNS
For a custom fly assortment for this location, click here!
Our Top 6 Nymphs for Today:
- Iron Sally, sizes 16
- San Juan worm, tan, sizes 12-16
- Foamback emerger, black/brown, sizes 20-22
- Barrs cranefly, size 10
- Scud bomb, orange/green, size 16
- Jedi Master, Olive, size 22
Our Top Dry Flies for Today:
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- Barrs vis a dun, black, size 22
- Elk Hair caddis, tan, sizes 16-18
- Sparkle dun, PMD, sizes 16-18
- Stubby chubby, dark, sizes 14-16
- Chubby, yellow, green, sizes 12-14
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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