Deckers:
The mileage below Cheesman Canyon is the renowned Deckers area, a world-class fishery with easy access and lots of opportunity. The best fishing is from Bridge Crossing to the lower boundary of the Tee Pee Club. Like Cheesman Canyon, the fish are challenging to catch, and there is no substitution for a good dead drift. Deckers can offer good dry fly fishing at times but like upstream in the “The Canyon” a good nympher will catch the majority of fish. Anglers can expect to catch assortment of browns and rainbows with some exceeding 20 inches. The river is made up of riffles, runs, shelves and gravel bars, and nice pocket water. The ideal flow for Deckers is between 150-400 cfs. The regulations are two trout over 16 inches in length and flies and lures only.
Current Conditions
Flow: 340 cfs, Trumbull
Clarity: Excellent
Water Temperature: Low 40's
Major Food Organisms: Midges and sporadic blue-winged olives
Hatches: Midges and sporadic blue-winged olives
14 Day Forecast: Look for excellent midge hatches and sporadic blue-winged olives. Blue-winged olive hatches should intensify by the day. Inclement weather and overcast conditions will provide the best hatches. Flows have been stable for several weeks and should remain that way until low-level run off occurs.
Tips and Other Information: Cheesman Reservoir is 6 inches from flowing over the spillway. Look for flows to continue to rise this week to make room for the snowmelt. Dave Bennett from Denver Water is going to try and keep the river from spilling for the next week or so. That means daily flow increases. He projects we'll see flows up near 800 cfs by the latter part of May. Horse Creek is adding some discoloration below Deckers, but it is minimal. The South Platte River, in and around Deckers, has been fishing fair-to-good. Crowds have been heavy, however, especially above the Deckers Bridge. Anglers can expect to see good hatches of midges and blue-winged olives. Effective rigs have been micro eggs trailed with #18-20 Minute Midges, #18-20 Rainbow Warriors, #22 Stalcup's Baetis, #20-22 Juju Baetis, #20-22 Top Secret Midges, #20-22 Medallion Midges, and #20-22 chocolate Foam Wing Emergers. Colorado Parks and Wildlife stocked 3000 fish (8-10 inch rainbows) between the Tee Pee Club and Scraggy View. This should really give the Deckers area another much needed boost! Thank you Jeff Spohn!
Effective Patterns: #20-24 Medallion Midge, #20-26 Top Secret Midge, #18 Hot Tail Flash Egg, #22-26 Chocolate Foam Wing Emerger, #20-22 Chironoflash, #20-22 Jujubaetis, #22 Stalcup's Baetis, #20-22 Mercury Midge, #22-24 Mercury Flashback RS II, 22-24 Sparkle Wing RS II, #22 Sparkle Dun, #22-24 Matt's Midge, #22-24 Griffith Gnats, and #24-26 Parachute Adams.
