Deckers, Colorado
The weekly fishing report is Updated Every Thursday
To Hear the Flow Report which is Updated Every 4 hours Dial 303-831-7135 Push 1 Then 40#
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303-647-2237
* NEW RIVER FRONT CABINS AVAILABLE THRU FLIES & LIES
" BERNIE'S PLACE "
Opening April 2009
1 br, 1 ba, fully equipped River Front Cabin. Bedroom equipped with 2 doubles, sectional sofa in l/r (fold out cot available for 4th guest) - w/d, d/w, microwave, Sat TV, Gas grill, Gas Stove, Hardwood floors - extremely clean
Large decks directly over the river with incredible views, fully re-fitted, in Trumbull, adjacent to the owners property - this is one sweet cabin
# Guests -------------------------- / night ----------------------------------- / week (7 nights)
1 =================== $125.00==================== $750.00
2=================== $150.00==================== $850.00
3=================== $170.00==================== $950.00
4=================== $190.00================== $ 1,050.00
Check our "Rates & Lodging" page for our other river front cabin in Deckers, "Nanks Bluff", or our "Mountain Ranch" cabin on Tarryall Creek with private water included
303-647-2237
** We are running some specials on cabin and guiding packages **
2 anglers, 2 nights in our river front guest cabin " Bernies", 1 full day of guiding (including flies) with BBQ lunch, $500.00 ($250.00 each),
1 angler, 2 nights, full day guide with lunch & flies = $435.00
Check in on your first day between 3 -5 p.m., settle in, fish the back yard, use the grill, relax - the next day, check in at Flies & Lies at 8 a.m. for the guided trip ( 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.), spend the night, then fish until check out time the next day - bring groceries for dinner, breakfast, dinner, breakfast - everything else is at the guest cabin & lunch is included on the guide trip - I would book it!!! - Oh, yeah, I live next door - but I would, if it was on another tailwater
This cabin is sweet - "Bernies Place" described in the above flier.
We can also work great deals on non guided trips, or couples with only one being guided, 1 night stays & 1/2 day trips - just give us a call
Week ending June 25th, 2009
Flow had dropped to 450 cfs on Friday, then they opened the bottom draw pipes on Tuesday, increasing from 100 to 250 cfs, so we saw a spike up to 570 cfs while it all equaled out, and now we are back to 460 cfs - colder water & gin clear - 210 cfs over the spillway, the resy out of the pipes.
Very dry week in the valley again, until this afternoon when the clouds really opened up - hard and thick enough to knock out the sattelite signal for the TV and will probably put the clarity of the river off for a few hours this evening from road run off, but all should be fine by Friday morning & we did need the moisture
We had some good trips this week with a bunch of trout fooled - some nymphing, but a good portion on dry / dropper rigs, single or double dries. Had Blue Wing Olives on the porch screens almost every afternoon - still seeing Pale Morning Duns, the odd Drake, bunch of Caddis & a few adult Stone Flies (some real big ones). Just depends on where you are on the river and the time of day.
Sunday was the first day of summer & also the longest day of the year - which translates into over 12 hours of good fishable light each day. Things can slow down in early to mid afternoon (bright sunny days) but picks up nicely in the evenings - especially for surface action.
Monday morning I spotted a lone Bald Eagle in the back yard - could be a new resident - I have never seen one this late in the year - they usually depart for the North in April. Fawns are starting to drop from the moms - started this week and should continue into July - Mountain Blue Birds set up home in the woodpecker tree in the back - house wrens and swallows are all nesting near the cabin and chasing bugs to feed the little ones - I leave the porch light on at night - early morning bug buffet for the birds & a good indicator of what kinds of bugs are cruising the night - some are awfully big and scary looking - bet the trout love them when they hit the river.
Seeing more grasshoppers along the banks - great pattern on a windy day & you don't have to be too delicate with the presentation
Week ending June 18th, 2009
Flow has been steadily dropping - started out Friday at 650 cfs, dropped below 500 cfs last night and now stands at 475 cfs - river is extremely clear, and looks fantastic.
Seems as if the run off peaked on June 5th at about 860 cfs and has pretty much been dropping each day - feeder creeks are all low and clear. 100 cfs is still coming out of the pipes, the rest over the spillway - at some point they will probably move more water out of the bottom draw to get it off of the spillway, which will cause a spike in the flow for a day as it equals out - but no telling when this might happen.
We have been doing well with nymphs, dry/droppers, hatch matching or just fishing the water with surface attractors - been a lot of fun & the trout are fat and spectacular. Caddis, Pale Morning Duns, Blue Wing Olives and Golden Stones have all been present - along with other sporadic May Fly hatches - some of those bugs are really BIG - but none consistent enough to constitute a "hatch", but when you do find a few, the trout are usually on them.
Valley is very green - we did not get hit with some of the nasty storms parts of the state have seen - most of it stayed to the North of us - we did get some rain, just enough to keep things greening, growing & blooming - did I mention the wild flowers - Oh yeah, last week - well, even more have appeared, seems like a different species pops up every day.
Sun has just about reached its maximum travel to the north at sunrise, which now happens at 6:15 a.m., with fishable light as early as 5:45 a.m., sunset is now after 8 p.m. and you can still make out your dry fly up to about 8:30 p.m. - lots of hours to fool a few.
Week ending June 11th, 2009
Flow peaked at about 850 cfs over the weekend - 750 over the splillway, the rest out of the bottom draw - now it is slowly dropping. Down to 700 cfs at 12 p.m. today, and has cleared out nicely - lots of water but clarity is great with a bunch of trout close to the banks - I had a take on a big dry fly not 2" from the bank in a nice slick - under some overhanging willows - casting straight upstream - whack!!, and a run immediately into the fast current - heavy fish - I, on the other end of the job at hand, did not re-act quickly enough (the trout did real good on his end) - thought I still had contact when I put him on the reel - but it was just the current - threw the flie cleanly - but in those few short seconds, the bend of the rod & feel of the trout were impressive - I got caught hanging on to a brief impression - that was a good trout - tucked in a safe spot, but with a great escape route.
Do not let these high run-off flows keep you away - just read the water, look in the air for bugs, then watch the water, then be patient & fish the right water with the right patterns - either dry or sub-surface - patience and observation will pay off big time.
We seem to be in our normal summer patterns with weather - cool, sweet mornings, p.m. showers & T storms, then clearing nicely for an evening outing. This is how I always remember the valley - you can be scared away by the boomers, but if you wait them out in the truck, then the river can really turn on - but this is the mountains in Colorado - so it does not allways work - but it does more often than not
Wild flowers - just spectacular - all the rain - at the right times - colors and blooms in some sections are gut wrenching - when you stop & look - these explosions of color and wildness never cease to amaze me - one year, one spot, next year - another spot - even more brilliant - amidst all the green and sage colors of the backround.
Trout, they are heavy in the belly - and colored perfectly - but are still tough to fool - some get too much pressure due to the easy / limited access dictated by the high flows - but find a section that has tough access - a hike over a bunch of rocks and deadfalls, away from the "pay-to-park" (an out-house and a table) and you might just find a section of river that has not been worked in 2 or 3 weeks.
Caddis hatch - the monster one - is pretty much over, but egg laying females are still around and some still continue to hatch, along with BWO's & PMD's - Jesse and I even found some (3) adult yellow stones this week.
Week ending June 4th, 2009
Flow from Cheesman at 5 p.m. today was 100 cfs out of the pipes - 720 cfs over the spillway - thats right, we are in run-off, with 820 cfs running thru the Canyon & close to 900 cfs in the backyard - last Tuesday, May 26th, we had 100 cfs out of the pipes & nothing over the top - Started spilling that night, seemed to level off over the weekend at 575 cfs, but, NO, we had not seen the true melt from the higher drainage - started really pumping again on Sunday night and we seemed to have peaked at 850 cfs on Wednesday evening - some of it due to lots of rain all over the drainage
We have had rain most of the week - some were all day North West type showers - the rest were heavy afternoon boomer cells later in the week - Horse Creek was holding her own, but finally went brown by Wednesday - pretty ugly and high as she enters the Platte at Deckers, but a feeder survey on Wednesday showed good signs - Trout Creek was as bad, or worse, than West Creek & she is not in the burn area.
But, good news - we still fool trout - and we still fool some on the surface, in the right places - Caddis continue to hatch, but it has slowed down - (the hatch, that is) - egg laying females can be found from early mornings to late afternoons - Had Rich's son-in-law this a.m. at the bridge (not being guided - He and His lovely bride Kelly, Rich's daughter, were out for a visit) - Jeremy and I saw a few splashes - (said "Caddis" at the same time) and pointed Trevor to the spot - 2nd drift and he was into a fat brown - nicely faught and cleanly released.
Do not let these high flows keep you at home - I admit that below Deckers is not great, clarity wise, but it still fishes OK, just be careful - if you can't see the bottom where you want to put your foot - Don't - trust me.
By the weekend, things should improve, clarity wise - with the current (it seems) peak at 850 cfs, (820 cfs at 4p.m. today) she is starting to slowly drop, (all depends on rain now) and that means better clarity throughout the valley - and these trout will take a lot of different patterns - and some big ones too! - nymphing the right water can be a blast - lots of bugs (and worms & eggs) have been knocked loose and are in the drift - + the trout, with the low visibility, do not have much time to make a choice - eat it or miss it is the rule - they do not like to miss much, at least just to taste the fraud - then set the hook.
Wild flowers are starting to explode all over the valley - amazing what the rains can produce - & it seems like old times - blue bird sky in the morning, clouds & thunder mid afternoon, then clearing for incredible sun sets.
H2O has hit low 60's on sunny days (water over the spillway is a lot warmer than the bottom draw water) - PMD's, BWO's & Caddis are all present - Fishable light at 5:45 a.m., sun rises aver the East Peaks at 6:15 a.m. as I drain the coffee pot on the porch - sun drops over the West peaks at 8:15 p.m., and you can still see your dry fly at 8:30.
Splashes = Caddis, Sippers =Mayflies (or spent caddis) surface boils = emergers (looks like algebra), but this is trout fishing - seems a lot more natural.
Week ending May 28th, 2009
You should have been here last week (really hate to start a report like that, but in a way, it is very true - kind of like surfing)) - but the top water action with Caddis patterns was - well - hard to describe - when you hit it right, a lot of trout could (and were) fooled - loud, splashy rises - breaching & tail flipping out of deep fast riffles - like mating whales off the Kona Coast - it was very cool.
Swarms of the beautiful bugs were evident up and down the river - and still are - but.......
Flow was dropped on Friday from 150 to 100 cfs - gin clear & all of the trout were close to the surface (last week) - they had no choice - Caddis, BWO's, PMD's were all in the mix, but the Caddis were dominant - am I repeating myself ? - You would start a cast to a target, then see another, bigger trout & switch direction in mid cast, then see another, bigger and closer & switch again (wanting to methodically work your way through them all without spooking any) - your casting and not fishing - pick one!!!
Rain, most of the week, heavy at times, finally put the feeder creeks into runoff color by Tuesday, then on Tuesday night the reservoir started spilling - went from 100 cfs on Tuesday night, to 440 cfs on Wednesday morning - from 5 p.m. on Tuesday to 5 a.m. on Thursday (36 hrs) we saw an increase of 460 cfs - pretty much evened out at 575 cfs by Thursady afternoon - 100 cfs out of the pipes, the rest over the spillway - more like 610 cfs below Deckers
I discovered this with coffee on the porch at sunrise on Wednesday - all was OK on Tuesday night in the backyard - went down to bust a couple of poachers in the late afternoon (fishing bait) - and the water was cloudy but flow looked OK - then, in the morning, all seemed different - took a few beats to sink in - "hey, that looks pretty high", said allowed to the morning warblers - called "water talk" and got the 5 a.m. update, and yeah, it was - from 100 cfs to 440 cfs in 12 hrs - with 3 guide trips due out at 8 a.m. - Uh - Oh
We knew this was coming, but were fooled by the amount and rapid increase - the clarity was not too bad above Deckers - pretty ugly below. Thursday morning feeder creek survey was very promising - West Creek was clear !!! - Trout Creek was off, so Horse Creek was not good, but not terrible - good news was that West Creek was clear - the usual problem from the burn area - Trout Creek had a major flash flood downstream of Manitou Lake (near Woodland Park) - and that is OK 'cause it is out of the major burn area - just natural stuff from an intense weather cell - so, all things considered - well, you just have to approach the river a little differently - I, and all at the shop, are very impressed by the overall conditions.
We are now back to 3 rivers - the left bank, the right bank - and the middle - only reason to use the middle is if you are in a drift boat casting to the left or right banks.
As I write this on Thursday afternoon, things look pretty good - just a lot of water - clarity is fine - not perfect - but very fishable - the bugs still hatch & the trout still eat
In my life I have learned that the only constant thing is change - adapt accordingly and you succeed - fight it, well, you will at least have a nice day on an incredible trout river - this time of year the views alone are worth the trip.
Week ending May 21st, 2009
Flow was bumped to 250 cfs on Friday (as usual, just 24 hrs after I filed last weeks report) - but it did no harm to the river, then it was dropped back to 150 cfs on Wednesday, where, hopefully, it will stay thru the weekend - but you never know.
Caddis hatch reached Deckers on Sunday - still going on up & down the river, returning egg laying females all day mixed with hatching bugs in the afternoons - just depends on where you are.
Jesse and I floated the river in the pontoon raft on Monday - epic trip - at times we found whole sections with splashing trout feeding on caddis - they looked like they were having fun trying to feed on the bugs (they miss quite a few, but leave the water with such enthusiasm, trying to nail them), then we drifted into a good PMD hatch - about a size #20, and found a few trout that had switched to them with a classic May Fly sip - so we trailed our caddis with a sparkle dun PMD and got a few.
River is gin clear and looks fantastic - on the hot days we have seen water temps near 60 degrees downstream, mid 50's thru Deckers. Starting to see some hoppers along the banks. Leaving the porch lite on over night has attracted a bunch of bugs - 3 - 4 different types of caddis (they turn into a buffet for the bug eating birds at sunrise). Still have a few BWO's clinging to the porch screens in the late afternoon.
Week ending May 14th, 2009
Ok - flow remained steady at 195 cfs, (went up on Friday) steady since the surveys were performed last week, and the river is gin clear from the dam to the confluenece - more like 225 cfs below Deckers - CADDIS - big time - finding trout rising in rapids to gorge on them - I have witnessed nothing like it on the Deckers section of the South Platte - starts way down Stream around 12 p.m. - hatching bugs & returning egg laying females are all in the mix - has not reached full on at Deckers yet.
Jesse & I went on an R & D day Wednesday ( Jeremy was stuck in jail at the shop), action seemed to thin out around Platte River camp ground, but downstream from there it gradually picked up. We got into trout on dry / dropper rigs until the caddis action started around 1 - 1:30 p.m. We fished & observed - the trout would really start popping & then shut down, then start again - different times in sections only 20 yds apart. Some were on hatching caddis and emergers - seemed that most were chasing the egg layers - and I mean chasing - if they missed on the first grab, they would try again - it was a lot of fun just watching - could not believe the currents thay would rise through to eat a bug.
Wind also added to the challenge, but enough lulls between gusts allowed for some decent casts & drifts - nice thing about caddis is the bugs move around a lot anyhow - and they are #16 to #18 - big dry for the Platte. Water temps in the Canyon are in low to mid 40's, mid 50's in Deckers & high 50's downstream - where the action currently is - we are seeing some caddis in Deckers, just not the swarms that currently are moving downstream.
Sun rises over the East Range in the back yard at 6:30 a.m., fishable light at 6 a.m. - drops to the West at 7:45 p.m., with fishable light until about 8:15 p.m.
Had a hummingbird at the feeder this a.m., then another came by to run him off (this goes on constantly - sometimes they perch in the bushes and ambush each other) - well, the one being attacked flew straight into the porch screen, got his little beak firmly stuck - as I was walking over to push him out, the attacker started pecking him in the back of his head - poor guy - he got loose just as I approached - I always thought it was just a game of tag they played - didn't know they actually pecked each other.
I have had BWO's on the porch screens this week (late afternoons / evenings), so they are also still in the mix - about a size #20 - try a caddis trailed about 18" by an olive imitation - double dry - you may be surprised at the takes.
Recvd 2 e-mails from clients this week who both stayed at the guest cabin on seperate outings
"wanted to drop you a quick note to thank you again for a great couple of days. I really enjoyed the stay at the cabin - terriffic location & everything was perfect. Being guided on new sections of the river that I had not fished before...was a great learning opportunity - Jon was outstanding & a blast to fish with. Great meeting Jessie too. I appreciated your hospitality, and look forward to another stay as soon as I can arrange things - Thanks again & Best Regards...John" - Colorado
"Just want to tell you what a great time I had, fishing with Jeremy on Wednesday. Falling, face first into the river was a little chilling, but it gave me an additional story to tell when I got home. Thankfully, that happened at the end of the day. I caught fish, learned a lot about the river ecology and how to choose my flies & about casting. I can't imagine learning more or having more fun in one day, than I did. The cabin was wonderful. Very spacious and well located & of course, the lunch was great (you make terriffic beans!!). I hope I can get up there again sometime...Bob" - Texas
Great time of year to book a trip - sunshine, blue bird skies, gin clear river at an almost perfect flow - daytime air temps in the 70's (still low 30's at sunrise) - cheeseburgers on the porch & fairly consistent afternoon surface action - if you know where to go and how to approach it.
Week ending May 7th, 2009
Flow was dropped from 500 cfs this week - to 400 on Sunday, 200 on Monday, then all the way to 45 cfs on Tuesday, so that DOW could perform sedament survey work - then, this afternoon, the flow started to go back up, should stabilize at around 200 cfs by Friday afternoon, and be good & settled out by Saturday morning (both the river & the trout - we like afternoon adjustments, much better than mornings)
River looked great at 500 cfs, after the initial push of bank fluff that was expected, she cleared right out - and fishing the banks was a blast, Trout were gorging on all kinds of stuff - we were very pleased to see the conditions at 500 cfs - it fished tougher at 45 cfs, until the evening.
Still seeing a few BWO's, but the Caddis are really starting to appear - and some of the trout are keying in on them - mainly after 2 - 3 p.m.
With all the flow adjustments, surface action for risers has been tough, but you could drag some good ones up with the right attractor - as the flow stabilizes, and the caddis really start to hatch, things could be really heating up - could start this week
Had a Mallard chase my attractor on Wednesday, had to whip it off the water to get it away from him - stupid duck, nice attractor.
Valley is really greening up, Cottonwoods and Lilacs are budding out - everything looks great, had some 70+ degree days, some p.m. rain early in the week, but it has had no affect on the river - feeder creeks are dropping and clearing nicely - clarity was actually better below Deckers at 500 cfs, than at 45 cfs & I expect it to clear again with the higher flows, but it has definetley been very fishable all the way to the old hotel at the confluence with the North Fork, just a little off color - very minor.
Week ending April 30th, 2009
Early Sunday morning, Cheesman started flowing over the spillway, 130 cfs out of the pipes, maxed out by Monday afternoon at 194 cfs = 60+ cfs over the top, the rest out of the pipes - more like 230, 240 cfs below Deckers when you add the feeder creeks - which have been slowly clearing and dropping - Wig Wam creek is recovering nicely - just a light run-off color, decent flow, 4 mile creek is low, but clearing slowly - not as fast as I would have thought, but doing OK - Horse Creek is still high and the most off color of all the feeders, but improving every day.
Below Deckers was fishable by Tuesday - not real pretty, but you could do OK - above the bridge was better, Canyon was good to go. This all due to a blizzard 2 weekends ago. Had some lite snow on Monday morning this week, but it was done by 8 a.m. - more on the saddles and elevations around the valley. By Wednesday, on my mile drive to the shop from the cabin, everything looked really good
Then, covering the shop on Wednesday (stuck in jail), I recieved the ominus call from the boys at the dam - "Danny, we are going up" - now these are good guys, really feel for us, but are just following directions from Denver - this time at the request of DOW - they want to do a sediment survey next week, and want a real good push prior to the work - so we went to 300 cfs on Wednesday afternoon, supposed to go to 400 cfs on Thursday, then 500 cfs on Friday, but they changed plans, and, instead, took it all the way to 500 on Thursday - ain't coming over the spillway anymore & below Deckers will be more like 550, 560 cfs.
We have not seen 500 cfs since last summer, so you can imagine all of the stuff (twigs, moss - logs) that will be pulled into the flow - 3 good things, # 1 all kinds of bugs will be pushed and leached into the flow = good nymphing, # 2 a lot of the trout will move to the banks = fun prospecting upstream with surface patterns - # 3 the flow will be dropped next week to perform the sediment surveys and should be awesome - expect a flow of about 60 cfs from the pipes - about 100 below Deckers, with the feeders still running off - (I always wonder if the survey teams take the feeder flows into account - 60 cfs sounds like easy wading, 100 cfs is a bit of a struggle in certain runs, especially in the middle of the river)
So, the river, and trout, should settle into the new flow by Saturday, but 500 cfs means you have 3 options - the left bank, the right bank, and the middle of the river - I would give the middle a miss (unless you find that reachable, fishy looking slick) - Then next week, when the flows are down, maybe only a window of a few days, could be - well, awesome.
H2O temps have ranged from 38 to 47 degrees, fishable light from 6:15 a.m., sun now crests the East range in the back yard at 6:45 (in the middle of a saddle, amazing how far it has travelled from south to north as Spring comes alive - and the valley is getting green) sun sets to the West at 7:30 p.m., fishable light until 8 p.m.
Olives continue to hatch and we are starting to see some Caddis (had one on the porch today)
This is a challenging time of the year - but it brings out the best in our Flies & Lies team - we like the challenge - Jeremy met it on Tuesday, Jesse on Thursday & I fooled a few on the clock on Wednesday - I was really listening for 2 honks from the shop (honest), but most just wandered over to the bridge to see how I was doing.
Week ending April 23rd 2009, + Friday a.m. feeder creek survey
Last week's Spring Blizzard (started early Friday morning and went steady until Saturday afternoon) left about a foot on the ground in the valley, but the surrounding ranges had over 2 feet - then it warmed up, 60's & 70's - and it all melted - real fast (almost all of it by the end of this week).
Run off started as far away as Woodland Park (25 miles) via Trout Creek, which was brown on Monday morning out of Manitou Lake, but clear where it joins Westcreek to make up Horse Creek about 3 miles south east of Deckers - Westcreek was high and brown, Horse Creek was pretty bad as it entered the Platte here in Deckers. Wig Wam Creek was up and roiling, 4 Mile creek (out of the "Y" camp) was off but not too high. By Tuesday, Trout Creek was high & brown where it meets Westcreek, so Horse Creek really went off. We lost one of the Beaver dams on Horse Creek, but the other 2 are holding. All of the Springs and brush creeks I check were all gin clear and pumping.
Conditions were not too bad above the Deckers Bridge, but pretty bad downstream - the Canyon remained clear, just a little off.
Then the flows were adjusted, with the usual unknown parameters - went from 100 cfs on Monday, down to 65 cfs - but wait, Tuesday it went up, from 65 cfs to 113 cfs by 11 a.m, 165 by 1 p.m. and settled in at 230 cfs by 4 p.m. - that big push along with run off from the creeks really stirred things up - but Thursday morning the guys at the dam called the shop to say they were going back down to 135 cfs - and that they expexted to start flowing over the spillway sometime this weekend - estimates are about 250 cfs now entering the reservoir - so we will see about 120 coming over the top - which will probably increase as run off continues. Just have to wait & see
Surface action was still good on Monday with BWO's (really good on Sunday), but has dropped off with the fluctuations and clarity - nymphing with the right patterns was very productive in some stretches this week - lots of bugs get knocked into the drift or leech in from the banks.
Doing the dishes Saturday morning, in the middle of another white out, I saw a lone Bald Eagle out of the kitchen window beating wings to the North, straight down the river - probably the last of the season - really are very few things more perfect than sitting in a warm cabin, in front of a blazing fire, surrounded by near total white out - and an Eagle heading to the North Country goes soaring by.
Swallows arrived this week - right behind the storm - little late this year, guess they were waiting for the storm to pass, first Hummingbirds of the season arrived at the porch on Wednesday & the buzzards have returned - Ospreys now replace the Eagles in the dead Cottonwood in the back yard, hunting the Home Hole.
Morning air temps have ranged from high teens to mid 20's - day time highs have equaled those in Denver - fishable light from 6:30 a.m. to past 7:30 p.m. - water temps have been all over the place (and with the water over the spillway at Cheesman they will continue to fluctuate) high 30's to mid 40's this past week.
April 24th, Friday a.m. run off survey - Looks like Wig Wam creek has peaked - still off color, but slowly clearing, the same as 4 mile creek, which has also peaked - Trout Creek is not too bad about 2 miles from Manitou lake, go another 5 miles and it gets pretty ugly, but as it joins West Creek, it starts to clear again (ponds in North Rainbow Falls village do a little filtering) - I do not think it has peaked yet - West Creek, as it exits the village of the same name, is dropping and clearing, but gets worse as it meets up with Trout Creek to make up Horse Creek, which has peaked as it enters the South Platte at the shop. It has cleared some, but still pretty ugly. Not black by any means, just ugly, normal run off color.
Canyon looked OK, above Deckers was cloudy, but very fishable, below Deckers on downstream is fishable, but not very pretty - it could be a week before we are back to gin clear water all the way downstream, but the clarity will improve each day - only patches of snow remain in the high elevations (Mt Cheesman, Thunder Butte, Turkey Rock)so the initial push is done down here - Pikes Peak is another story - heavy, heavy snow pack, way down past Timberline - we do not see any run off from Her, but it is a good key as to what we have waiting further up in our own Platte River drainage
Week ending April 16th, 2009+ Saturday a.m. update
Flow remained steady at 100 cfs all week - pretty ideal conditions. BWO's continue to hatch, as early as noon and as late as 4 p.m. - some sections are great, some so-so. Size, presentation and pattern selection are becoming critical as more trout are fooled and get wise to our ways - #18, or #20 work the best - watch the rise forms closely, some are on duns, but some are on cripples or emergers
Good steady rain on Sunday, all day - good soaker - some wind this week, but not bad - big snow storm due in Friday thru Saturday, then back in the 70's next week (as early as Monday)
Bald Eagles have departed, Ospreys are moving back into the valley - swallows still seem a little late arriving - maybe they knew about this latest winter blast
Nymphing has been great, until the risers appear - at 100 cfs a dry/dropper could come into play, but I have not tried it yet - I keep searching out the true risers and working them until they take
Water temps have ranged from high 30's to mid 40's - sunrises over the East range in the back yard at 7:10 a.m., fishable light at 6:30 a.m., but mornings are still on the cold side - mid teens to low 20's this past week
Snow started at 4 a.m. on Friday - heavy wet stuff - been going for 26 hrs as of 6 a.m. on Saturday - over a foot on the ground in the valley and pretty much a white out and forcasted to last most of today - don't know about the roads into the valley, but I imagine they are pretty bad with much more accummulation than we have had. Conditions should be OK by Sunday, most of it should be gone by Monday p.m. as we hit air temps of 70 - Spring time in the Rockies - can't believe I still have power.
Week ending April 9th, 2009
Quick report this week - too many trout rising to BWO's to have me pecking at this keyboard - which is what I do - never learned how to type.
Flow remained steady at 100 cfs all week - river is ice free and looks fantastic - a classic trout stream - Bugs & Browns & "Bows.
Morning air temps, for the first time this year, never dropped below "0" degrees (Monday was close) - Olives start hatching anytime between 1 & 3 p.m. - just depends on where you are and sun or clouds (risers) and wind or calm, makes it fun - & challenging - but, like today, so rewarding - I just nailed it between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m.
Geese are on the warpath - just starting to nest up - give them some space if you can - they will let you know how much you need to give - It would be nice to have a bunch of gosslings this year - they, too, have suffered after the Hayman fire, but have come back in better numbers - more than I can recall & the Drakes are VERY protective - eye opening, if you take the time to observe - which you do, when they display their hardware through a potential great run.
First Turkey Vulture of the year spotted today - Spring time - Swallows seem a little late - but that's OK - more bugs getting things on - but the Mountain Blue Birds take a toll, a whole bunch this year, they are not as devastating as the swallows, as far as bugs eaten, and have such a great song - just like a Disney movie - but better - much better
Back to the BWO's - these are the BIG Springtime Olives - #16 or more like #18 - depending on pattern - can start as early as 1 p.m., but if you fish the water, you can drag them up with the right combination from 12 p.m. to sunset (or when you start setting on unseen splashes) - you would be surprised !!! Most anglers dead drift nymphs until they start to see rising trout - RS2, Barr Emerger, P-tails are all producing.
License reminder - your DOW license was due to be renewed on April 1st - if you re-new at the shop, please bring cash - we do not take checks or crecit cards for those purchases
Back to the Olives - did I mention.........................
Week ending April 2nd, 2009
Flow was dropped on Tuesday from 130 cfs down to 100 cfs - river looks great, trout are fat & healthy - and pretty hungry.
All of us thought that we had a pretty quick winter - we were just talking about that a few weeks ago (Jeremy, Jesse, Rich & I) - not much snow - lots of mild, perfect days - then winter hit - this week - as it will do in the Rockies - woke to 8" of snow on the ground Friday - another inch on Monday, then a total white out and another 6" on Wednesday (April Fools) - but all the snow from Friday was absorbed by Sunday, Monday's was gone during a nap & by Thursday afternoon, the new dumping was on its way to feed the lilacs - started out today at minus 8 degrees - hit mid 50's by 3 p.m. with a blue bird sky.
Wind had been a pain most of the week, and it was generally cold - but the BWO's have started to become more active - semi - good hatches Wed & today. Still all kinds of bugs in the drift - Little John has become our bug hunter - found a bunch of scuds last week - tracked me down on the river to show them off, after he slammed trout in a good run, then, a few days later, he found a couple of big old ugly crane fly larva, trying to get back to the water after a flow drop - took one to Jesse at the shop.
Well, the cabin phone rang at 5:30 p.m. - caller ID said the shop - I picked up and asked Jesse why he was still there - should have been done & gone by 5 p.m. - he, excitedly, told me about the crane flies - said he found a hook in the back room, radically modified it, and had spent the last few hours working on a new pattern - a big old ugly crane fly larva - wanted to come by and try it in the back yard - well, OK.
Ten minutes later he showed up on the porch with an ugly thing about 1.5" long - but the hook gap was only a #12 - I did say modified - he ran down the path to the home hole - I closed the door and continued to pay shop bills - got one check filled out and heard lots of whistles and "Danny" - He fooled a 16" bow on the third or fourth drift - on the big old ugly crane fly larva - took 2 more on a dropped emerger.
Fishable light by 7 a.m. (but still cold mornings), sunrise at 7:20, sunset at 7:45. water temps have ranged from mid 30's to high 40's. Depending on water temps, the trout can be found almost everywhere - when you find them in the riffles thay are actively feeding and effective nymphing patterns can change throughout the day. Surface action can start by 1 p.m. (still looking for H2O to hit 43+ degrees) and can be great in one section, and slow to dead in another.
Week ending March 26th, 2009
Flow was bumped from 90 cfs to 160 cfs on Friday, then dropped to 130 cfs on Tuesday. The bump to 160 put the clarity off some & lots of bank debris was in the drift by 1 p.m., but the river nymphed nicely.
Scuds, worms, stones & caddis all ended up getting pushed around and the trout were feeding actively.
Grass fire (and some trees) burned in Trumble on Sunday afternoon into Monday morning - gave us all a good scare, but the wind, very strong at times, was blowing north - away from the cabins & it stayed on the west side of the river - understand it was started by a careless person (that was the polite definition, we all refer to them as F#%$#@* Idiots)
Storm hit this Thursday, today - pretty hard - by 12 p.m. it was a total white out at the cabin - lasted off and on all night, but only about 7" accumulated in the valley - more on the ridge tops.
Surface action has been good in late afternoons - look for risers or just fish the water - midge & Parachute (all small) work best, but I managed a few on an Elk Hair Caddis one afternoon - actually seeing a few Caddis fluttering above the water + a few BWO's and one lone adult Stone Fly
Paced a Bald Eagle on the way to the shop Tuesday morning - we were both heading upstream - they follow the river just like a higwway - clocked him at 30 mph & he wasn't pushing it - just an easy flap of his massive wings - when they fly over your head you can clearly hear the wind being pushed - no other noise like it.
Weekend looks good - may see some off color from the feeder creeks as this last dumping melts down quickly - but it should not be bad and can rewally improve the nymphing.
Week ending March 19th, 2009
Flow remained steady at 90 cfs all week. River is gin clear and ice free for the entire length. With the feeder creek input (which are now 95% ice free), the flow is closer to 110 cfs below Deckers.
Water temps reached close to 50 degrees this week, but surface action was off and on - the BIG midge hatch has thinned out some & the BWO's have yet to start in significant numbers. Nymphing has been slow to red hot - the trout can really turn on at certain times of the day, then just plain shut down again. Best times for surface action are from 12 p.m. thru the afternoon
Wind was not as bad as recent weeks, but can still come up strong in the afternoons. Only one morning this week (Saturday) with an air temp below "0" degrees - but it reached 60 deg. by the late afternoon and this weekend looks promising, with 70's predicted for the valley.
I received the results from the DOW electro shock population survey done late last Fall by Jeff Spohn and the crew - Lower Canyon showed a population of 4,040 trout per mile (69% Browns, 23% Rainbows, 8% Suckers) and is about the same as pre-fire data. Above Deckers 1.814 / mile, 60% brn, 40% 'Bows,and very close to pre-fire data. Below Deckers 1,781 / mile 50% Brn, 30% 'Bows, 20% suckers, and is still down significantly from pre-fire data. Twin Cedars (downstream of Scraggy View) 1,479 / mile 65% Brn, 25% 'Bows 10% suckers, and is very close to pre-fire data.
So when you think about it, with 1,700 yards in a mile, a population of 1,700 should mean a trout for every stride you take. The large Sucker percentage found below Deckers is partly due to where the survey is taken each year - they tend to pod up in deep holes and back eddies, or under bridges - both of which are found in that station - as opposed to above Deckers where the station mainly runs through pocket water & fast riffles.
Jeff stated that they are still concerned about natural reproduction (not enough going on) so they will continue with the stocking program of small fry from Wig Wam to Scraggy View (3-4"), and of catchable trout from Scraggy down to the confluence (8-11")
We are finding the average size to have increased nicely, especially in the 'Bows - and almost all are fat, brilliantly colored, and very pissed off when they are fooled.
First day of Spring tomorrow
Week ending March 12th, 2009
Flow was raised from 50 cfs to 70 cfs on Monday, and bumped again to 90 cfs on Wednesday with no adverse affect to the river or the trout or the bugs. The BIG MIDGE continue to hatch and be fooled by the "Stuck in the Shuck" among other patterns. Jesse caught and identified the first adult Spring BWO on Monday near the shop - water temp had hit 45 deg. and has ranged from 35 to 46 degrees all week. Looks like 43 degrees is the bench mark for sustained surface action.
Minor sludge hatch's on Sunday & Wednesday mornings this week and a dusting of snow on both Saturday & Tuesday mornings - but the big story has been the wind, which has really upped the challenge when you try to accurately present a small dry fly - lots of waiting between gusts, keeping an eye on the last riser, then during a lull, attempting to whip a cast into the slot, trying to keep line off the water to avoid current drag, but also keeping everything low to avoid wind drag - the slightest mend at the wrong time sends your flies 20' up river - to a new drift.
Watched a Bald Eagle drop from the dead Cottonwood in back, trying to nail a trout in the home riffle - but he dropped straight in, with the sun at his back & his shadow a few feet in front - big splash, but empty talons - those are some spooky trout - when the Eagles do miss, they seem a little embarrassed and mystified, kinda look around a bit - then wing off to the nearest low branch & sulk.
Marc hit a run on Sunday that Jesse had 2 clients in last Monday with dry flies - first trout came up with a double dry rig in it's jaw - snow midge & Para Adams - he removed them and wound them around a styro holder that he had his backup "stuck in & Olive" cast on - next trout came up with ANOTHER double dry rig - Para / Para - he wound this one up too - brought them back to the cabin after his session - I called Jesse at the shop - sure enough, those were the two that got away - flies were still in good shape - so were the trout, real good ones.
Air temps have been on the cool side - a lot cooler with the wind - highs in or near 50 deg on the better days, mid 30's to mid 40's most of the week, but that is due to change over the weekend with high 60's predicted by Monday, should be outstanding. Fishable light by 7:45 a.m., sun rises at 8:10 a.m., sets at 7:00 p.m. with good light until almost 7:30. Pre-sunrise air temps ranged from single to double digits above "0" (20 deg on Monday) , but Wednesday was minus 4 and today right at "0"
Surface action starts to get going around 12- 1 p.m., some sections better than others - you may find a bunch in one run, move 50 feet and find none. but good slow drifts in fishy spots can still drag them up, even if no noses are present. Nymphing with the correct patterns & weight still produces the most action - and the correct patterns change throughout the day.
Feeder creeks are running clear and are free of almost all bank ice - the river looks great, trout are healthy and brilliant. Drove down to the confluence of the North Fork on Sunday and the river ran clear and ice free the whole way - still a lot of decomposed granite in the lower reaches, filling in some old favorite runs, but whenever I found habitat, I spotted trout - from the dam down to Scraggy, with a few exceptions, the river is full of habitat, starting to look like her old self & most of the granite has been pushed out, especially when you come to good gradients, pocket water and fast riffles.
Week ending March 5th, 2009
Flow remained steady at 50 cfs all week, and the trout seemed to have settled into it nicely - not as spooky, but still challenging.
We had solid sludge hatches on Saturday & Sunday that lasted until 11 a.m. thru Trumbull & wind has been a problem off and on, especially today - it is howling and if I was back on the ocean, gale force would be a pretty close estimate - but I am in Deckers, so it just means we can't fish dry flies - not because the bugs are not hatching - they are - but the trout can't key in on them, let alone trying to place a cast and get a decent drift.
Otherwise, starting on Monday, conditions improved - Jesse and 2 clients headed into the river with one rod rigged for nymphs, and one not yet strung. First thing Jesse heard was a slurp - looked up and saw a slurp, then another - rigged the second rod for surface action & boom - the gentleman got into one, so Jesse clipped off the nymphs on the second rod, re-rigged with dries & boom, the lady got into one - & on & on - our guests were happily surprised - surface action was not what they expected, especially the first week of March, but they loved it & had a solid day.
Monday thru Wednesday the air temps came close to 70 degrees, and water temps hit mid 40's & the BIG midge made a major debut - along with the steady hatch of the small midge - we are talking about a difference from # 18 or #20 to a # 24 or #26 - and both are coming off at the same time.
We could get a few on standard stuff, but were not really nailing it and knew that most of the slurpers & risers were on the BIG midge - while it was still trying to free itself from the shuck on the surface. Now this presents a problem at the vise - how do you get the long shuck & the emerging midge, which is now a #14, tied sparsley enough to imitate the natural, on a hook that wants to sink 'cause you just can't tie in enough flotation to meet the challenge - standard ties with trailing shucks - well OK, but it still was not right, but 2 flies, mated together, to equal the length, but match the natural and greased real good - well we tried it on Tuesday.
My second drift produced a good Rainbow - but that could have been a real vulnerable, never the less, very pretty trout - then after a few more drifts - yes, another - which in our R & D terms means it works!!! - and it continued to work - we named it "Stuck in the Shuck" and tried a few different combos, but one really stood out - and fooled the most trout - and we joked & giggled and laughed the rest of the afternoon - "Hey, another one, yup, stuck in the shuck" We love our jobs. I will try to have some ready at the shop this weekend, we have the flies, just have to rig them up. When you drop them in the water next to a natural, well, it looks just like it, even down to the natural attempting to wriggle free, 'cause ours is hinged.
Wednesday I went out and did it again, wind was a bitch, not as many slurpers, but just fishing the water produced some great action. Today was a non-starter, just not worth it in the wind, allthough when I headed for the shop, some anglers were giving it a shot - don't blame 'em & I enjoy the fortitude - I use to do it too, and in doing so, soon learned the second reason you pinched the barb down on your flies - #1, a lot easier to release your trout, #2 a lot easier to release you.
Clocks change on Saturday night - the bugs and the trout don't know we do this - so the hatch that now starts at 11 a.m., will now be 12 p.m. on Sunday - dead drift nymphs until you see some noses, then switch if you have the right patterns. Water temps have ranged from 35 deg. ( early Sunday, which climbed to an afternoon temp of 43 degrees) - to a high of 46 degrees mid week. River remains gin clear & ice free from the dam to the confluence of the North Fork
Oh yeah, it is a #24 adult olive midge hooked to a #18 miracle nymph.
Week ending February 26th, 2009
Flow was dropped from 88 cfs down to 63 cfs on Monday, then dropped again to 50 cfs on Tuesday (actually went all the way down to a scary 34 cfs, but finished at 50 by the end of the day - when the boys at the dam called in the change, they said " Hey Danny, going to 50" - but I looked at the backyard that afternoon, seemed pretty skinny, and then checked the update, which reported 34 cfs - maybe a valve got stuck)
Had major sludge hatches on Friday (minus 5 degrees air temp), Saturday (minus 5 degrees air temp) & Sunday (right at "0" degrees pre-sunrise air temp) thru Trumbull - Saturday was the most I have seen this winter & it lasted in the back yard until 1 p.m. - but day time air temps have been magical - 65 degrees on Tuesday with minimal wind and just a fishing shirt - in February - and rising trout in the afternoon - and yes, I got a few - but not as many as I should ( could ) have - cause it was 65 degrees and I was just wearing a fishing shirt over a Long John Tee - in February - and I tend to enjoy the day, as opposed to really trying to hammer them - just to witness all of THIS, in front and around you - this is a very special place.
One thing about these low flows (the trout have not seen 50 cfs for a full year) - the whole river is exposed, water is gin clear & if you take the time to put down the rod and just sneak along the banks & focus, well, all I can say is WOW, look at all those trout - & some real good ones too!! - but boy are they spooky - fun just to see how close you can get to them - amazing how far away they detect your presence - gives you a good idea of how many you spooked before you even threw the first cast - the slightest change in the immediate environment, below and well above the water - and BOOM - little (and big) torpedos darting all over the place.
Another thing about the low flows, dry / dropper rigs are definetly back in play - I tried a few different combinations on Tuesday during a session with Marc - he nymphed and really got into them - but I elected to play around, cause I usually do, and I just can't resist a challenge - especially when I am tagging along with an excellent angler - cause he lets me know what it is they really want - and I can fool the odd trout that just can't resist a well presented bug (and sometimes not that well presented) - this is definetly research & development.
Water temps have ranged from 35 to 43 degrees this week - warms up quickly on sunny days - last few mornings the pre-sunrise air temps have ranged from 10 to 20 degrees
More of the big midges have been hatching this week, they look like a BWO in flight, and in the lower flow some of the trout are rising to them in the afternoon - it can start as early as 11 a.m. - just depends on where you are on the river. The valley remains very dry, so please be careful with open flames. Jeremy & Jesse both had good trips this week - lots of trout fooled & the forcast for the coming week looks like a repeat.
Week ending February 19th, 2009
Flow was dropped on Tuesday morning from 103 cfs to 88 cfs, river remains gin clear for the most part, still seeing some off color on warmer afternoons below Deckers due to ice melting in the Horse Creek drainage. Survey of the area on Tuesday showed that most of the black bank ice has melted on Horse Creek, and a good percentage has done the same on West Creek. This run off is a natural occurance, happens every year, even before the Hayman fire - most of that drainage runs through some very cold canyons, that see little or no sunlight thru most of the winter months.
Jesse took a water temp reading on Tuesday, near the outflow pipes from Cheesman reservoir in the upper canyon, of 41 degrees - water temps thru Deckers and Trumbull ranged from 35 to 41 all week - sludge hatch on Sunday & today (both pre-sunrise air temps at minus 5 degrees), but the rest of the week was sludge free, with morning air temps ranging from 5 to 15 degrees above "0"
Had about an inch of snow overnight on Friday, and some flurries on Saturday - wind has been a problem, especially on Tuesday when it really howled, but Jeremy managed to get his client into double figures on a 1/2 day trip & niether lost thier hats (but Jeremy was almost blown into a deep hole when a major gust slammed them)
Saw the first BIG midge on the water on Sunday - these are about a size #18 or #20 and look like BWO's in flight - see them every year in March in good numbers & they can produce some challenging surface action in the afternoons when they start to emerge in force. This one was just breaking out of it's shuck, when I plucked it off the water I thought it was an Olive (wings erect and long abdomen) but once it struggled free the wings went flat along the body - yup, a BIG midge.
Sun now crests the East Range at 7:30 a.m., sets to the West around 5:30 p.m. - Afternoon air temps have ranged from low 30's to high 40's, but this weekend is looking great, with air temps in the 50 - 60 degree range (with a flow of 88 cfs and gin clear water, a dry dropper could come into play) - best times still remain from 10 - 11 a.m. up to 5 p.m. Dead drifting nymphs is the most productive, but I still manage to trick a few very nice trout with a streamer later in the day, always checking for that magic 38+ degree water temp.
Week ending February 12th, 2009
Flow was raised from 65 cfs to 100 cfs on Saturday, river stayed clear, but has been going off color on some afternoons due to run off from Horse Creek - lots of black & brown ice in her drainage - mainly from Westcreek & as it melts down, it drags all the stuff into the Platte - a normal occurance & with a flow over 100 cfs, not a huge problem - actually helps in some situations - just have to change patterns - get a little creative - adapt to the conditions - think like a trout - and check the water temperature - a lot - until it passes 38 degrees - then just fish.
Watched one of the Bald Eagles nail a nice brown in the backyard on Tuesday - in pretty strong winds - they don't seem to handle strong wind & gusts very well, but this one did. Wind was a problem during some of the week, but all in all it was pretty pleasant - only pre-sunrise air temp below "0" was today, and it created the only sludge hatch of the week - lasted thru Trumbull until noon. Afternoon air temps were mid 40's to mid 50's - lite rain shower Sunday evening & a dusting of snow Tuesday evening.
Found rising trout on Monday above Deckers - slurping emerging midge and adults in a back eddy - got a few, but never really cracked it - of course the patterns I thought would do it were not in my shirt pocket (they are now) and the wind was a bitch, cast was across a fast, wide channel - all the things that make it fun.
Streamers are still working in the late afternoons - some sections much better than others - but dead drifting small midge patterns (red, blue, olive, black & brown) with attractors is the best bet and it gets better as the river warms in the afternoon. Water temps have ranged from 35 - 42 degrees & best times on the water are still from 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.. Sunrise over the East is 7:40 a.m., sets to the West around 5:15 p.m. - days are slowly getting longer - the morning sun emerging over the East Range is steadily moving back to the North.
We have only had about 2" (total) of measurable snow in the valley this winter - so things are VERY dry (please be careful with open flames) - we are hoping for a few good dumps from now thru March - we really need it in the drainage.
Jeremy & Jesse have many open guide dates this month - so if you are thinking about a way to improve your winter nymphing skills, now would be a good time - conditions are perfect just about every day (considering it is mid February)
Week ending February 5th, 2009
Flow was raised on Friday from 75 cfs to 110 cfs, the river stayed clear but water temps were low, then the flow was dropped to 65 cfs on Monday morning. The trend seems to be increases over the weekends, and lower flows during the week. Cheesman reservoir is about 15 feet down from the spillway.
Cold a.m. air temps (single digits above & below "0" pre-sunrise), combined with the lower flow, have produced sludge hatches most of the week, but they only last thru Trumbull until late morning - the canyon has not been affected, and only minor ice appears above Deckers.
Day time air temps have hit 65 degrees (Today), most were in the 50's, pretty incredible for late January / early February - big change from last winter. Water temps have hit low 40's (you are still looking for that magic 38 before the trout start to actively feed).
I went out for an hour on Tuesday afternoon with a dry fly rig - picked up a nice brown on a dropped Pheasant tail, then a beautiful rainbow came out of nowwhere and smacked the dry - that broke off the dropper during a downstream run - so I just stayed with the dry - and yup, got another, bigger rainbow (which proved that the first 'bow wasn't just the dumbest trout in the river)
Felt good, so I quit and hiked back to the cabin. With the lower flow and clear water it can be done - just fishing the water - I did find the occasional swirl from a trout sipping an emerging midge, but no classic rise forms, and the ones I fooled had not shown themselves until they made the fatal mistake. Nymphing is still the most productive tactic though. Marc & Tim had an exceptional day on Super Bowl Sunday, both into double figures of trout fooled, then back to the cabin in time for early cocktails, stupid last minute bets & a good game.
Horse Creek went off color Thursday afternoon, and that put the clarity off downstream of Deckers at the end of the day (made worse by the low flow form Cheesman - not enough clear water to dissipate the run off) - but Thursday was the warmest day of the week.
Jeremy had a good trip on Wednesday - near the shop they fooled and landed a solid 18" (could have been 20") rainbow on an egg pattern, then 5 drifts later they caught the twin (may have even been the same 'bow) on the dropped nymph, all within the first hour.
Sun now crests the east range at 7:50, and drops to the west a little after 5 p.m. - best time to be on the river is still from 10 a.m. on into the late afternoon. If you encounter ice, sludge or poor clarity, just keep moving upstream, things should improve.
Week ending January 29th, 2008
WOW, what a change this week on the river - Flow was dropped on Sunday from 125 cfs to 75 cfs. Cold air settled in over the weekend and it never really warmed up - Monday never passed the single digit mark & Tuesday morning I woke to an air temp of minus 18 degrees and a major sludge hatch. Sludge has been present most of the week thru Trumbull - the Canyon seemed to stay clear.
Thursday started out at minus 10 degrees, with sludge in the back yard, but it warmed to 40 degrees by late afternoon and the river was clear by 3 p.m. - I even found some rising trout - quite a few - around 5 p.m. above Deckers, sipping midge duns and emergers.
When we did get out we managed to fool a few good ones, but it wasn't for long and not very often after Sunday - good thing is the river saw very little pressure this week and this weekend forcast looks good (Sunday could be a little dodgy)
Saturday was the best day of the week, Jeremy ran a "Breakfast / Nymphing" trip that was a huge success & Jesse managed to fool a bunch of good trout on Friday - all nymphing, with the correct weight and indicator placement.
The further upstream you move the less ice and sludge you will encounter - basically start the day above Deckers, then work downstream as the air (and the river) warm up - water temp of 38 + degrees is what you are looking for.
Week ending January 22nd, 2009
WOW, what a week on the river - flow remained steady at 125 cfs all week - river remains gin clear - water temps ranged from 35 to 42 degrees, depending on time of day & section sampled, but most of the river, most of the week, hit the magic 38 degrees (or higher).
Morning air temps ranged from single digits below "0" to single digits above "0" - except for today when it started out at 20 above, hit 40 by 9 a.m. & 60 + in the afternoon - even on most days, when it was below "0", we hit 50 or 60, no wind and blue skies (which is the reason for the cold mornings - no clouds to keep the day time warming in the valley - except last night)
I had 2 memorable days this week in the shop - first, a very gentle, but enthusiastic patron came by once again - just getting into the sport, into retirement - had some success with flies that we had turned him onto - bought 2 more, streamers - then asked about "this nymphing stuff" - I showed him the standard shop diagram of how to set it up, then he said "sell me your best one" well, that is tuff, but I picked out a pattern, and he took it with 2 streamers, cause he said "last time he did real good with the ones you sold me".
He came back near closing time, looked me in the eye, and said "got one on that pattern, just like you said", ( I have no idea how he rigged it) - "brown trout, first one I ever got" - asked him about the streamers, "nope, not a hit" - how do you present it? - "Just chuck it out there and wiggle the rod, works real good some days" - see, I told you there were some tricks to this streamer stuff - I am going to "wiggle" my rod next time.
2nd one regards a gent that came in and asked, "give me a dozen of your best patterns" - as usual, I walked to the bins and asked "do you have any RS2's?" - He replied, " I have just about every pattern and fly that you can imagine, but I read and enjoy your weekly report, so give me a dozen" That is the spirit we live on.
So many of you respond in kind, and are so appreciated, even the friend that showed me a new map - that we will start to stock.
Jeremy, Jesse &, yes, even I had very productive trips this week - all nymphing (we chucked a few streamers on my 1/2 day, but it was a little early. so we only flashed one) - I had a short p.m. session today with Marc & it was a little tougher, but we were moving around a lot - then I found some risers in a back eddy - nothing steady, just a splash here & there & since I had just snagged and screwed up my rig (it happens so quick!) - I switched to a dry and missed my only take - but it sure felt good.
Sun is still cresting the east range at 8 a.m. (slowly moving back to the north thru the high part of a saddle), but now sets to the west at 5 p.m. - best time to be presenting frauds to these picky trout is still late morning to late afternoon - and that all depends on the water temperature. You can be in ice & sludge downstream, but just keep moving up and you will find warmer water - usually start the day near Deckers, then work downstream as the water warms
Week ending January 15th, 2009
Flow was raised on Friday from 125 cfs to 150 cfs., then back down to 125 cfs on Thursday morning. The higher flow (unusual this time of year) will help keep bank ice & sludge hatches to a minimum - meaning lots of open & fishable water.
Snow on Friday & Monday this week, with cold air temps - morning lows ranged from minus 12 on Tuesday to 20 above on Monday (snowed all day, 4" on the ground & barely reached 30 degrees)
Your DOW license purchased in 2008 is now good until March 31st, 2009 - changes were made this year - they use to expire on the first day of the new year, but will now be good from April 1st to March 31st of the following year - gives you a few extra months to pick up your new one for 2009.
Water temps have ranged from 36 to 41 degrees - the trout are sluggish in water lower than 38 degrees, but things really pick up once the temp reaches 38 - 1/2 degree increments can be very crucial to activity and feeding. Still getting good midge hatches (#20 - #26), but we have seen no surface action (also due in part to the higher flows) and the abundance of sub-surface food.
Jesse and I had a good, but short, session on Tuesday (Jeremy was stuck in the shop - but he even got a few in the afternoon - hung the "Honk Twice" sign on the door) - Jesse and I both nymphed from about 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. - about 20 good fat healthy trout were fooled (Jesse with the majority) - river looks soooo good. Correct weight and water temps were key - we utilize soft weight constantly - makes those minor adjustments very easy - but it can make all the difference, as we both found - and the thermometer was in the water more than a few times.
We found the trout this week taking a variety of patterns - all small - we did a lot of experimenting.
Sun still cresting the East range around 8 a.m., but setting to the west a little after 4:30 p.m. - days are getting longer. This weekend and into early next week look to be fantastic - predicted highs in the 60's, 125 cfs of gin clear water - we have openings for 1/2 day trips both Monday & Tuesday - just in case any one is thinking about playing hooky.
Never did try the dry dropper - at 150 cfs it seemed a little futile - stripping streamers will still produce, but I did somthing to my left shoulder that is aggravated by the constant stripping, so I started chucking weight - easier on the shoulder - and yes, it is a lot of fun (I sometimes forget how much)
Week ending January 8th, 2009
January 8th, 60 degrees by 2 p.m., lite winds, mostly sun - but some good clouds - 125 cfs of gin clear water - Rich, Jeremy & I were re-painting the shop this week - BUT NOT TODAY!!! - at least not Jeremy & I - Rich was stuck in jail ( jail = shop time - just to be clear) - started out at 10 degrees pre-sunrise, then turned into one of those days we sometimes see in the dead of winter - incredible.
Flow was bumped from 70 cfs to 100 cfs on Tuesday, then up to 125 cfs on Wednesday - what a great winter flow, probably about 140 cfs below Deckers - the river looks so good, great habitat, bunch of trout - but, on some days you might think that only a few are present, if any at all - then, the next day, you hammer them - life is good, hooking up is better - and the world is right, at least this world in Deckers.
Dead drifting nymphs in the mornings works best, then streamers start working after 1:30 if you decide to switch - some days (and sections) are better than others & water temps are another factor, which have ranged from 36 to 42 degrees.
Major sludge hatch on Monday (I woke to a minus 18 degree air temp), but as usual, it reached 40 degrees by the late afternoon. Snow hit Saturday afternoon and lasted on and off until Sunday morning - only about 3" on the ground - but it was a chilly day, even though it reached the mid 30's (back to "0" by 6 p.m.)
Should be a good weekend, a little cold, but the 125 flow will keep things open for most of the river.
No surface action this week, still lots of midges hatching though - I was tempted to try a dry / dropper at 70 cfs, but at 125 I think I would be pushing it - lots of casting with very little action, but I like to cast & I have the afternoon off - let you know next week.
Week ending January 1st, 2009
Flow was dropped on Tuesday morning from 110 cfs to 70 cfs - put the trout down for a while in the late morning / afternoon as they adjusted to the new flow - usually, any adjustment over 25 cfs will have that affect, especially if the flow was low to begin with.
Saturday started off at minus 8 degrees, but no sludge hatch emerged - hit mid 40's. The rest of the week was pretty ideal, despite some wind - Tuesday morning I woke to a balmy 40 degrees that rose to the high 50's. Water temp downstream from Trumbull was 39 degrees in the late morning.
Found a few risers on Monday in a back eddy sipping emerging midges - they were not very big, and my dry flies were back in the Jeep, so I did not switch out, but if you did you could have got a few on the surface, which is tough to do in late December.
Lots of anglers on the river this week - weather, holidays, new toys & open water - it was good to see (could have used a few more visitors in the shop though).
With that said, we wanted to thank all of you that did help support our efforts here in Deckers this past year - some of you were extremely faithful, either stopping by to pick up a few bugs, some gear, a hat or shirt - even if you didn't really need it -or taking a guided trip with one of us - every little bit helped and we all appreciate it - this is what we love to do, and will continue to keep an eye on the river for everyone - but we still have to pay the bills, which is pretty much all we ask for.
Best time to be on the river is still from 10 or 11 a.m. up to 3:30 or 4 p.m.
Strong a.m. winds today, but they died out in the afternoon and the air temp hit 60 degrees - on January 1st !!! - fooled & landed a bunch of trout in an afternoon session still casting & stripping streamers for the most part - and getting a little more competent each day - there are some tricks to it.
Week ending December 25th, 2008 (+ Friday & early Saturday morning)
Flow was dropped on Saturday the 20th from 110 cfs to 60 cfs, then back up to 100 cfs on Tuesday. The low flow produced a minor sludge hatch on Sunday, but it was mostly gone thru Trumbull by noon. Air temps have ranged from low 20's to below zero in the mornings (minus 8 today), and struggled to get out of the 30's all week - add the constant winds almost every day and conditions were kind of brutal on the river - but on the river we went.
Fingers were so cold on Friday that I poked myself with a streamer, twice, while releasing trout and didn't know it - until a few moments later when I saw all the blood - and confirmed it was mine. Had one of those casts, again with a streamer, that went terribly wrong during the back cast, due to the wind, and didn't improve through the forward part, due to my frozen reflexes and I whacked myself right in the back - to my relief it just glanced me and dropped at my feet - lucky.
Despite the cold & wind, the river looks great, and at times is fishing very well - Jesse & Jeremy are producing good trout dead drifting nymphs in the fishy spots, I continue to play around with streamers (and duck a lot).
Sunday was the first day of winter - shortest day of the year - and coldest of the week - started out at minus 10, never got out of the teens and dropped below "0" by 9 p.m. - but thats OK, 'cause the days will now slowly start to get longer. Right now the sun crests the East range behind the cabin at 8 a.m., and drops over the West at 4 p.m.
Watched a raven harrassing one of the Bald Eagles in flight on Wednesday - pretty rare, all the birds normally give them a very wide birth - but what was even stranger, tailing both of them was a small hawk - staying right in pace about 10 feet behind - lost sight of the trio around a bend - usually the ravens go after the hawks and owls - maybe the hawk was just waiting to see the Raven get whacked - I am sure that would have been the outcome.
Today looks like another cold one, but starting Sunday and all thru next week looks great - so break out those new Christmas toys and come on up, stop by the shop and get out and fool a few.
Week ending December 18th, 2008
COLD, COLD week in the valley - morning air temps ranged from low 20's (Saturday), single digits (Friday, Sunday & today), minus 20 degrees on Monday (20 degrees below "0" !!), minus 2 on Tuesday & minus 8 on Wednesday. Day time highs reached 50 on Saturday (but it felt colder) - most afternoons stayed in the 30's.
Flow was raised on Wednesday from 60 cfs to 90 cfs, then up to 110 cfs today. On Monday we had our first sludge hatch (frozen, but moving water - pretty impossible to fish through) & it lasted all day (usually dissipates late morning or early afternoon) - the Canyon was not affected by it, minor sludge on Tuesday & with the higher flow from the dam, it will take a very low temp to produce a major sludge hatch like we saw on Monday.
Sunday I woke to snow & wind and single digits, snow stopped at noon, then started again - about 4" all told & the temps never got out of single digits - had 3 very brave souls (translates to trout addicts) in the shop at 10 a.m., headed for the Canyon - said they were not sure if we would be open, I responded that I try to always open every day, regardless of the weather, at least in the mornings, to see if any one is desperate enough to try to fool a few - opened my arms wide & said "and here you are". I pretty much limited my activity this week to a few days in the shop, multiple trips to the wood pile, my favorite leather couch and a few good books.
Except for today, got a Jones, (and a minor case of "shack nasties") had to get out - snow flurries, but minor wind & close to 40 degrees - half hearted attempts with nymphs produced 1 strike, which I missed (just a tad late on the set), decided to try a few favorite streamers, 'cause I felt like casting and moving. Fooled some great trout, really surprised, missed a lot, landed some good ones - hard, quick strikes - very aggressive. I don't cast and strip streamers very often, but it sure worked today.
The sludge hatch, when it happens, will always be thicker the further you move downstream, so if it looks bad, just keep moving upstream, it will get thinner - Horse Creek is very ice jammed, and can add off color water on warmer days, which can cloud the river a little from Deckers, through Trumbul, but then dissipates. If you find cloudy water (higher flow should help keep things clearer), just move up, or downstream - clarity should improve.
Week ending December 11th, 2008
Flow was bumped up from 70 cfs to 100 cfs on Friday, then back down to 60 cfs on Monday, where it now stands. More like 80+ cfs below Deckers when you add the feeder creeks. Horse Creek still has a good flow for this time of year and can go off color on warmer days in the afternoon, but has little affect on the river.
We have had morning air temps ranging from below "0" deg (Fri & Wed) to the high 20's on Sunday & Monday - climbing in the afternoon to almost 70 on Sunday - 40 to 60 degree swings are not uncommon in the valley, especially on sunny days - figure our overnight low to be 20 degrees colder than Denver's, but our day time high is about the same as the flatlands.
We are now firmly into "bankers hours" as far as angling on the South Platte - 10 or 11 a.m. to 2:30, 3:30 p.m. is optimum - no sludge hatch yet, but looks like we might see the first one on Monday.
Had about 6" of snow on Tuesday, stopped at noon and the sun came out, most of it is gone and the roads are fine. Surface action has been slow to non-existent, but you can drag a few up with patience and dogged persistence - huge amounts of small midge larva and emergers in the water and adults in the air - trout are just gorging on them - which can also make nymphing tough - too many bugs in the drift.Water temps have been in high 30's to mid 40's
Friday & Saturday look like good days, then weather moves in on Sunday / Monday. A huge beaver continues to build a bank house in the back yard - this is a big old boy - doing a nice job of pruning the willows - spotted him perched on a mid stream rock on Wednesday morning while having coffee on the porch - looked like a bear cub.
Sun rises over the East Range at 8 a.m., sets to the west at 4:15 p.m. - close to its farthest track to the south, a few more weeks, then it starts moving back to the north, then its Spring - but I am getting a little ahead of things.
Week ending December 4th, 2008
Missed last weeks report due to "T" day - 20 at the cabin for the weekend - quite a dinner & pre-meals & post-meals & snacks (& in-between snacks, which most would consider meals)
Flow was bumped on Tuesday, November 25th, from 100 to 130 cfs, put the color off a little, and put the trout down for a while, but everything settled out by Wednesday. With the cold overnight air temps, Horse Creek has been icing up - on warm days when the ice melts, the creek can go off color, but has no major affect on the river downstream from Deckers.
We are still finding a few (very few into December) BWO's coming off in the afternoons - millions of midges hatching all day long - about a size 32 (no kidding), but also some larger ones mixed in.
Morning air temps have been in single digits, but warms to mid 50's if the sun is out - Monday, November 24th, started out right at "0" degrees, but reached well into the 60's that afternoon - excellent day, no wind, good surface action in the afternoon. Best time to be on the river is still around 10 a.m. until 3 or 4 p.m. - surface action is best after 12:30 (depending on water temps and bug activity) - higher flow wll probably slow that action down, which it did.
Very hard to drag any trout up at 130 cfs, but the flow was dropped to 100 cfs on November 30th & down again to 70 cfs on December 2nd, which should see risers to small dry midge patterns once again. Most Anglers are reporting tough conditions - ie - no trout - But we (Jeremy, Jesse & I, along with the rest of the guides) are still really getting into them.
Yes, I once again was dragged into "chucking lead" with small patterns along the bottom with constant weight adjustments and perfect drifts - "Winter Nymphing" - but I may have a chance this weekend to fool a few on the surface - 70 cfs, mid 50's air temps - that should do it.
3" - 4" of snow over the Holiday Weekend - then some nice days - hit high 60's on Tuesday, then today COLD and snow - but not as much as predicted - too COLD - happens at times, big front from the North, lots of potential, but it just stays cold, ice crystals in the air - but no blizzard.
This weekend looks very promising - mid 50's predicted & the trout have had a break the past few days.
Week ending November 20th, 2008
Flow stayed steady at 100 cfs all week, more like 120 cfs below Deckers Bridge - sure hope it stays that way thru the winter.
Friday started out cold & snowy, had about 2" on the ground by noon, heavy at times, then the sun came out & most of it was gone by 3 p.m..
Saturday started out COLD - close to "0" degrees at the cabin pre-sunrise, but the rest of the week was perfect - statring out in the low teens to low 20's, but reaching high 50's to low 70's - today was kind of nasty in the morning, but the afternoon was very fishable.
Surface action has slowed some, but it can pick up in the afternoon - BWO's trailed by a small dry midge can get a few to rise, where no rises were present - just drift the fishy water.
Correct weight and indicator distance are critical to nymphing - which can be slow to great depending on the water temperature (same holds true for dry fly action) a stream thermometer is a good investment for the winter months - we have some good ones at Flies & Lies.
Sun now crests the East Range in the backyard at 7:40 a.m. - The home hole is in shadows by 3:30 and the last rays of light quickly disappear over the East range, as the sun dips behind the West range, at 4:20 p.m. - best time to see any action is from 10 a.m. until that last chill takes over (and thru your fleece) at 4 p.m. - then back to a warm fire and early cocktail hour.
Week ending November 13th, 2008
Flow remained steady all week at 50 cfs, then was bumped today to 100 cfs - river remains gin clear with water temps ranging from low to mid 40's
Plenty of small midges still hatching - most of the day - double dry combo works well - lead fly in a #18 or #20, to help you locate the # 22 - # 26 trailing midge. We are still finding good hatches of BWO's in the afternoon (double dry covers both if you get the patterns correct) - even found some Trico Spinners in the air this week.
Sun now crests the range to the East at 7:30 a.m., drops down to the West at a little past 4:30 p.m. - air temps in the morning have been close to 0 degrees (on Friday, but it hit mid 50's) - to a mild mid 20's - no snow or rain this week, getting pretty dry again. You can figure that our overnight temperature in the valley will be about 20 degrees colder than Denver's morning lows, but we will generally match the afternoon high of the flatlands (sometimes warmer) - wind has not been too bad (except for today, so I managed to get some cabin projects done)
Dry / Dropper will be effective at the new flow, along with dead drifting nymphs - until you see some slurps or rises - then you have to decide if you switch or not. Decision is easy for me, I have rigged up a nymphing rod, but have yet to cast it - still having too much fun fishing nice looking water with a dry & being rewarded with an innocent rise and take.
Beavers have constructed a new dam on Horse Creek, couple of miles from Deckers - good size dam - a few have built a new bank house in the Back Yard - wish they would move up to Horse or West Creek - don't mind seeing them in the back, but we could really use the structures in the feeder creeks - good sediment traps.
Looks like a great weekend coming up, along with the beginning of next week (Tuesday high is predicted to reach 70) - great time of year for a 1/2 day trip, or just to be out on the river - flow could not be more ideal - stop by the shop and we can set you up with some deadly dry combinations (Jesse and I got in some good R & D this week) - Jeremy was stuck in "jail" (that is how we refer to shop time at Flies & Lies for the guides) - but someone had to cover & more often than not, you will see the "Honk Twice " sign on the door - meaning we are over at the bridge, fooling a few - so it isn't too bad - by the way, don't hesitate to honk if you need somthing - we do not mind at all - it just may take a few minutes if we have one on.
Week ending November 6th, 2008
DOW performed the annual trout survey this week. Recieved the call late Friday, so no time to place it in the weekly report - hope to have some results this month to post. Stations sampled were in the lower Canyon, above Deckers Bridge, below Deckers Bridge, Scraggy & Willow Bend.
Flow remained steady at 50 cfs all week - trout are spooked easily, so you have to be sneaky. Water temps have been in the low to mid 40's. Sun now crests the East Range at 7:30 a.m. - morning temps have ranged from single digits to mid 20's, but reach afternoon highs of 50 to 70 degrees. Afternoon winds can be bothersome, but not too bad.
BWO's have thinned out, but surface action can still be found with small dry midge patterns - Dry / Dropper is still effective with the correct patterns - dead drifting small frauds (which will change throughout the day) with the correct weight, has fooled the most trout (and the biggest)
Winter Bald Eagles arrived this weekend, migrating from the far north - later than last year, but pretty much on time for an average winter. Normally arrive around Halloween and depart mid April.
Even with the low flows & colder water, we are still finding trout everywhere - slicks, riffles, pools, back eddies - I fooled a fat 16" Rainbow this week, with a small dry midge, in an 8" riffle - late afternoon - I quit after that - time for a cocktail & sunset.
Week ending October 30th, 2008
Flow remained steady at 50 cfs all week, gin clear and beautiful. Have to say that this past week was one of the best I have been privledged to witness - mid teens at pre-sunrise, mid day in the high 60's, low 70's - Midge and BWO hatch very consistent, surface slurpers can be found from 10 a.m. until you can't see your drift anymore - but I still keep casting.
Next week looks about the same - it is good to be a fly fisherman, better yet to be a dry fly fisherman - right now, 'cause winter nymphing is right around the corner - Stop by the shop, we can get you the best advice & the best patterns - I promise, no other shop can - had a guy in this week that purchased a bunch from another shop, pulled them out all proud - I said, yes, those are real pretty - but they won't work here today - bought his hat from the other shop too. His daughter took it well, laughed quite a bit, actually - Dad was a little bummed.
Eagles that make the valley home for the winter are late - usually hunting from the dead Cotton Wood in the back yard by now - which should bode for a mild winter, temperature wise (same thing for the late departure of the hummingbirds) - but would mean a wetter winter, which we like - time release melt down - good for the Lilacs and Wild Flowers.
Clocks change this weekend, but the trout don't know we do that, or the bugs, so hatch times, sunsets & sunrise times will change - just keep it in mind for the next few weeks.
Week ending October 23rd, 2008
Flow was raised on Friday from 60 cfs, up to 110 cfs, then dropped back to 50 cfs on Monday, where it now stands. River is gin clear with a temp. in the low 50's most days.
DOW stocked 20,000 sub catchable trout from the cable hole to Scraggy view on Monday - these are 3 - 5" babies - an effort to replace young of the year that we lose during major blow outs of the river from the feeder creeks.
BWO hatch's continue, some days better than others - same with the locations - Lots of Midge hatching, and some of the surface feeders prefer them, or switch back and forth - all the surface bugs are small - keep a sharp eye in the slicks, riffles & seems - some are just sipping, some are more agressive.
Air temps have ranged from teens in the a.m., up to 80 degrees on Monday - had 4" of snow on the ground on Wednesday when I woke - snow off and on thru early afternoon - then it cleared and got COLD - single digits this a.m. - but the weekend is looking great
Dead drifting nymphs along the bottom is very effective, until you start to see some noses poking thru the surface - then you have to decide if you should switch, or stay with the nymph rig - or just start with a dry / dropper rig and the decision is a lot easier (and quicker) - great time of year to book a 1/2 day guide trip - really get to learn the river at these low flows, site fish and hone those winter nymphing & dry fly techniques.
Week ending October 16th, 2008.
Front moved in on Friday afternoon, by Saturday it was cold, windy, wet - an early taste of winter in the valley - wading boots left out on the back patio frozen & stuck to the limestone slabs, yup, that's winter. Nasty through Sunday, wind being the major problem - Monday was mainly clear, but cold - broke out the watch ca