Overdue Deckers Day

Took a quick trip up to Deckers with the gang. We had a beautiful day and there were plenty of people out enjoying it. Was tough finding open water above the bridge so we headed downstream to our normal "Plan B" spot. I set Alicia up in a run she has done well in on a few trips and she did well again! She's really picked up fly fishing and is a true natural. So much so that she caught the nicest fish of the trip (which she has done multiple times)! I thought it would bother me but it's actually really cool to see her doing well.

#18 Red Two Bit Hooker did the trick this day. Best rig was a San Juan or Egg followed by two bit. Love Deckers but it's been pretty crowded. I think I may have to start hiking into Cheesman Canyon again :)

First 201520 Courtesy of Deckers

Behind multiple trips on the blog! Have a few really good trips to write up so I figured I better get at it. This trip was the first trip of 2015.

Ben had his son Andrew in town for the Holidays and we decided to drive up to Deckers. We got up there and rigged up and as soon as we were rigged up we remembered that Andrew didn't have a license...... So we decided that Ben and I would fish for a half hour or so and we'd go hit Rainbow Falls since you don't need a license there.

There is a run I've seen many times up at Deckers and it normally has one or two bubbas in it. Not the case this day. I'm sure it has a name but it's just on the other side of the big hill you drive over if you pass the first parking pull off. Its a nice slow bend up against a rock face. The head of the bend has a perfect riffle into a drop off. There are two currents that meet up at the drop off and it is absolutely gorgeous.When we first parked there were a few guys fishing the run but by the time we were rigged up and realized Andrew didn't have a license they were gone. I think that had a big part in the, "fish for half hour since we're here" plan.

I actually started towards the tail end of the bend and worked my way up. It took me twenty minutes to get to the head of the run and really notice how nice the drop off was. I took two casts and WHAM! Something big hit and took off like a bat out of hell! It wasn't on very long. Maybe five seconds. I never saw the fish. I knew it was a good fish though and since it broke me off and since I'm writing this from memory that has sat for a month and a half I'll call it a good thirty inches.... easy.

Fast forward a week and we were back at Deckers looking for redemption. Same run, same rig, same flies, same cast. It only took a few casts and I was hooked up again. Nothing huge but a really nice eighteen inch rainbow. I knew there were bigger fish on that drop off...

After a quick pic I made the same cast and WHAM! This time I was ready. Line was on the real before I made the cast. Good thing too since this fish did the exact same thing it did a week ago. I really think it could be the same fish. This time I knew its game plan though and was ready for the long run against the far rock face. After about a five minute fight Ben made the net scoop and I had my redemption. A really nice twenty inch rainbow to bring in 2015. Going to be a good year!

Quick Morning Trip to Deckers

Deckers continues to surprise me! I have only been a handful of times in the past 5 years or so. This past summer was my first trip up there in a while. I have no idea why I haven't fished this area more but that is going to change.

There is no doubt that Deckers can be a crowded place but it doesn't seem to really matter. Every rock seems to have a trout behind it. You really don't need to get into the prime runs to find fish. It seemed that anything knee deep and fairly slow held a trout. And they are all SUPER healthy! 

Best patterns were a chamois leach and ale egg. I tie my leaches a little longer than the ones you find in the shops. Keep them about the same width as the ones you can buy but tie them 4" long. I use red GSP thread to really crank down on the chamois. I think it's key to find the softest chamois you can find. I've used leather leaches before but they are no where near as effective as a chamois leach.

Another pattern that was getting bit fairly consistently was a purple DM midge. I picked up half a dozen size 20 from Combat Fly Fishing before the Frostbite Fish-Off and they have worked everywhere I've tried them since then.  I've been fishing purple and red and both have done well but I think I've hooked more on the purple.

Not a super eventful trip but a fun one. Will be back to Deckers at least once before summer for sure!

South Platte (Deckers)

Awesome trip up to Deckers on Saturday night with Ben. I hadn't been up to Deckers in a few years. The Old Man and I fished Cheesman Canyon heavily in the 90s but never really fished it much after the Hayman fire. I was pleasantly surprised. I've heard that it's been fishing well for years but I've only been up once or twice in the last 10 years or so and had descent days but it just didn't seem like the same river of my childhood. Last night reminded me of the way it used to be. Only difference is I was fishing with size 16 caddis and stones now! A #16 chartreuse caddis pupa was dynamite for the first hour. After that there was a nice BWO hatch and when that died down they hit a little golden stone pattern. Awesome evening of fishing! Steve at the Covey was spot on with his fly recommendations.

Almost a perfect night of fishing until I stepped on a flat rock that slanted toward a drop off. Thought I might recover for a split second but I was wrong. Only had a quick second to switch the rod over to my other hand before going in. Woke me up quick! That water is cold! Gotta love the GoPro. Got home and it's the first thing I watched. Madison thought it was hilarious. It is.