Fly Fishing Colorado

10/08

Today was one of those incredible Colorado days.  Cloudless clear blue skies all day, sunny with temperatures in the mid 70′s around 3 pm on the river in the Deckers area.

The air was cold at 9:30 when I arrived at the river.  Around 55 degrees.  But warmed quickly when the sun cleared the ridge on the Y camp road.  Sky stayed clear and sunny until I left the river about 4 pm.

CFS was 120 and water clarity was gin clear.  Could see bottom clearly at 3 feet from some 50 feet or more away.

Did not see much hatch activity until about 3 pm when a small hatch of tan mayflies came off where I was fishing.

Most prevalent insect noted was the wood case caddis.  The rocks were literally covered with thousands of them from size 20 to size 16.  Most of my fish were hooked on a # 16 beadhead-goldribbed-flashback hare’s ear.

This was my second test of a furled nymphing leader I had been given at the Fly Fishing Retailers Trade Show.  I rigged a three nymph rig off the tail loop on the leader.  A #14 traditional pheasant tail on top on 12 inches of 5x, a # 16 beadhead-goldribbed-flashback hare’s ear on 18 inches of 6x fluorocarbon and a #20 gray RS2 on 15 to 18 inches of 6x fluorocarbon tippet.

I started out fishing the big bend pool down stream from the 1st parking lot on the Y camp road.  Spotted one fish taking an occasional fly on the surface.  I went deep along the near seam of the pool fishing from the west side of the river.  A half dozen casts with no strikes, I moved to the head of the pool.  Second cast into the shallower water at the head of the pool resulted in a 12 inch rainbow on the hare’s ear.

Worked the river straight out and upstream from the parking area. My focus was along the far bank but no strikes.  After an hour or so, I moved to the parking area across from the Bar and Grill in Deckers.  Started on the bend and worked upstream along the far bank.  Saw a few small fish rising but no strikes.

Moved to the first big bend straight east of the bridge east of Deckers.  Switched the RS2 for a #16 white miracle nymph.  Sometimes a miracle nymph will catch fish in the area from the bend downstream to the water fall area.  In this area are a lot of runs that look like they are not too deep.  But they are about 18 inches or more at 120 CFS.  Good rocks for fish to hide behind too. Fished and then waded across these runs to fish the pools on the far side.  Picked up a couple of 8 to 10 inch rainbow dinks there on the hares ear.

On the road side the river sweeps into a pool that empties over into the water falls at the tail of the pool.  There is a slack area about 4 feet in diameter just before the pool empties out.  On the eighth drift through down the pool with a swing by the slack area, a nice 15 inch rainbow slammed the miracle nymph.  On the fifth or sixth head shake, he rolled off and was gone downstream.

 Downstream to the Bridge Pool where Douglas County 97 and 67 come together.  Fished upstream from the bridge at the big rock cliff area. There is a deep run there.  I stood thigh deep behind a big rock and cast straight upstream into the run.  After 12 or so casts a nice fat 12 or 13 inch brown hit the hare’s ear just as my rig hit the water.  After landing and releasing this fish, I concentrated on the shallow run area across the river.  Finally picked up a couple of smaller browns.

Back at the bridge on the west side, there is a small run feeding into the pool under the bridge.  This run is usually good for one or two fish.  Second drift, a 13 inch rainbow hit the hare’s ear hard.  No more strikes that run or from the pool.

The run downstream from the bridge.  At the end of a drift, a nice 15 inch bow hit the hare’s ear but I was too anxious and lost him with a bad hookset.

Bridge Pool – no hits.  Runs on far side – no hits but could see a few risers behind one of the rocks.  Looked like smaller fish.

Four o’clock came all too soon and I had to head home for an appointment.

Lessons: The beadhead-goldribbed-flashback hare’s ear is working well on the South Platte in the Deckers area. I would go with a size 18 next time. I talked with a fellow fisherman who had done ok on a gray RS2.  This was tied on what looked like a 1x long dry fly hook with a long, thin thread body and two black microfibbets for tails. Would also think about a small egg pattern on the end since the browns are spawning.

Tight Lines and Good Fishing,
Marshall, Editor
www.fly-fishing-colorado.com
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Related posts:

1. Colorado Fly Fishing Conditions – South Platte River 10/01/08
2. Fishing Conditions South Platte River 3/1/08
3. Fishing Conditions – South Platte River
4. Fishing Conditions – South Platte River 3/10/08