Deckers – South Platte
14 Day Forecast: Look for sporadic hatches of midges.
Effective Patterns: #20-22 Jujubaetis, #18-20 Top Secret Baetis, #20-24 Top Secret Midge, #22-24 Black Beauty, #22 Zebra Midge, #22-24 Bling Midge, #18-20 Pale Olive Midge Larva, #20-22 Chocolate Foam Wing Emerger, #20-22 Mercury Midge, #20-22 Parachute Adams, #22 Pat's Midge, #24 Hi-Vis Baetis, #22 Para BWO, #22 Hi Vis Griffith Gnat.
Measurements
Colorado Fly Fishing Report for Deckers on the South Platte by Pat Dorsey
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 and 400 cfs. The regulations are two trout over 16 inches in length and flies and lures only. Please consider catch and release on all fish caught in the area.
Deckers is a world-renowned stretch of the South Platte River. There are miles of public water to fish in and around the hamlet of Deckers.
Tips & Other Information:
Outflows are currently above their normal historic levels in the fabled Cheesman Canyon. The reservoir is at 93% capacity which is surprising considering the time of year. I would expect the outflows to remain about the same for a while. Fishing is not easy right now, but anglers willing to work hard are catching some nice rainbows. The browns are hunkered down and battling the elements. It’s time to break out the small bugs and target the slow, deep runs where the fish have moved to overwinter. Size 22-24 Mercury Midges, Black Beauties, Bling Midges, and Top Secret Midges have been the flies of choice lately. The Water temperature is starting out a 38 degrees in the morning and rising into the 41 degrees in the afternoon. I expect things will change dramatically after we get this arctic blast in the next few days. Revised 1/03/25