Chubby Chasers

Aug 23, 2023

South Platte River – Deckers (The Cable Hole to the Between the Islands Run, and Fishermen’s Run.)

Brian casting dry flies into the soft water at the Cable Hole.

Flows: 234 cfs till 9a. Then dropping to 207 cfs.

Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent (31% illumination).

Water Temp: 46F @ 9:30a.

Water clarity: A bit off color. Clarity to 2’ to 3’.

Air Temp: 50F @ 8a – low 80sF @ 4p.

Hatches: Tricos: Sparse 8:30 – 10a. Midge: 8a – 11a. Caddis: Sporadic all day. PMD: 12N – 3:30p. Heavier after 1p.

Flies: #10 Chubby Chernobyl, #16 Tungstone, #18 PMD Pheasant Tail, #20 Flashback Black Beauty, #20 Miracle Midge, #22 PMD Barr Emerger, #20 Black WD40, #20 Parachute Adams, #22 BWO (Callibaetis) Sparkle Dun, #22 Black Sparkle Dun, #18 Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ear, #16 Tabou Caddis, #22 Mercury Black Zebra Midge.

Top producers: Chubby Chernobyl, PMD Pheasant Tail, Flashback Black Beauty, Parachute Adams, Sparkle Dun, Red Chain Worm, Tabou Caddis, Mercury Black Zebra Midge.

Chubby Chasers.

That’s what we used to call guys who chased chubby girls.

This article isn’t about that. No -- it’s about trout chasing my Chubby Chernobyl!

The 1st catch of the day - Chubby still in her mouth.

That’s what they were doing in the morning. And I enjoyed every bit of it.

Nothing like it. The Chubby is floating in the current – then suddenly – and I mean suddenly, it happens almost before you know it. A trout darts to the surface and the Chubby is gone. Then you remember to set the hook!

BANG – BANG ---Trout on!

I read an interesting publication by the New Mexico Fish and Game Department, I quote “AN ADULT TROUT CAN ACCELERATE FROM “HOLDING STILL” TO AN ESTIMATED 23 MILES PER HOUR AND TRAVEL 33 FEET IN ONE SECOND. NO OTHER MEMBER OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM CAN ACCELERATE THAT FAST.”

Yes -- this no joke. No exaggeration. It's no wonder it’s exciting when they whack the Chubby!

The pocket water in the lower part of the Between the Islands Run. (Brian is standing at the very bottom of it.)

We weren’t sure what the effect of the recent flash flood would be, so we decided to give Deckers a try. From reading a lot of the recent articles it seemed that most of the damage to the river occurred in the Canyon. We wanted to see firsthand.

The flows were up for this time of the year and we were thinking that a wider part of the river would fish better than the narrow sections. We were also thinking of a spot that might not be as prone to run-off than others. Places like Ray’s Run, Fishermen’s Run, Mark’s Run, the Campground Run, and maybe Between the Islands. We’d see what was open and go from there. That was our plan.

Interestingly, Brian read that the crowds were heavy lately. We had our fingers crossed that one of the runs in our plan would be open. There’s a lot of water to cover – so it wasn’t a huge concern.

A brownie Brian netted in Fishermen's Run later in the day.

Brian Kenney.

As we drove up the YMCA road we saw that Fishermen’s was taken. So was Ray’s. We drove further up. The Campground Run was open but we decided to go over the hill and see how Ray’s looked. It was taken too – but the Between the Islands Run was open. There was a couple of guys fishing the boulder near the top island – but it was completely open from there to the bottom island.

We parked above the run. Our plan was to give it a try and if we wanted, we could also walk back down the hill and fish the Campground Run too.

The lower section of the run is pocket water near the shore that gives way to a nice seam of fast water in the middle of the river. The boulders – small and large near the shore – make for tricky wading. But they also make for some of the best pocket water you’ll find anywhere.

I got this rainbow in a pocket river right of the top island.

Brian started out nymph fishing the seam of the fast water at the lower part of the run. I took a position upstream of him and decided to fish closer to shore. In the pockets. It just seemed to me that the fish would be hanging out there rather than in the fast water.

We expected a Trico hatch but there wasn’t one materializing yet. The only bugs in the air were midges. I had my Hopper/Dropper setup from last week and decided to use it since it’s a perfect setup for fishing pocket water. I kept my Chubby as my Hopper and my Tungstone from last week as my Dropper. I followed it with a #20 Flashback Black Beauty and a #20 Black WD40. My setup in Deckers almost always includes a Black Beauty of some sort and I kept the WD40 on because it imitates both a midge and mayfly – so it would cover the midge and a trico – if they came out. Maybe the trout would mistake it for one of them.

I began to work each little pocket as I worked my way upstream.

That’s where I found the first Chubby Chaser. In a pocket behind a small boulder five feet from shore.

Brian got this cutbow in Fishermen's Run.

Brian Kenney.

There are little seams that form on either side of the boulders that make up the pocket, and dead water right behind it. You will usually find the fish in either of the small seams behind the boulder.

My first cast was into the near side seam. I always start on the near side seam, then move to the middle of the pocket, and then to the far side seam. As I casted into the far side seam, I said to myself “that’s exactly where I want my flies”.

Then in a flash – BANG – my Chubby disappeared. A 14” rainbow darted to the surface and took it – and then proceed to run off with it - probably at 33 mph! It wasn’t the biggest rainbow, but it sure was fun catching him.

Exciting!

Releasing a cutbow.

I continued to move upstream hitting the various pockets as I went. Keeping closer to shore then moving out farther into the river. I was now at the bottom of the top island. I’ve had some fun on the fork of the river that runs on the north side of the island. River left.

There was a pocket right in the middle of the fork. You could tell there was a submerged boulder and some softer water behind it. Didn’t look like anything special but I was thinking there would be a fish there. On about my fourth try a rainbow came up to eat the Chubby. I didn’t time the set perfectly and had him on for a couple of runs before he broke off.

Another Chubby Chaser.

I made a mental note to come back to this spot later – thinking that that rainbow, or another one – would be back looking for a meal.

A spent damselfly on the water. The Chubby Chernobyl provides a good imitation of this fly too.

I then moved to the south side fork – river right – the one nearest the road. I wanted to fish near the huge boulder, but someone was in that run. So I fished below it – again looking for the small pockets. As my flies drifted in the far side seam of one of the pockets my Chubby disappeared again.

Fish on! This one didn’t hit the Chubby though. He took my Flashback Black Beauty. A nice 16” rainbow. They were getting bigger! I’ve been fishing now about forty-five minutes. Man – I was enjoying the action.

As I worked my way back downstream and then back up again, covering the run entirely - I netted a few more rainbows and a brownie. All Chubby Chasers. And it didn’t get old. Each time as thrilling as the last! A fish darting to the surface – out of nowhere – BAM. And the Chubby disappears.

I found this brownie in the pocket water in the Between the Islands Run. He smacked the Cubby.

The brownie sticks out as one of the more exciting catches. Both Brian and I were making our last trip to the bottom of the run and we’re standing amoung the various boulders with small seams running in all directions around them. I casted my flies in an innocent looking seam and the brownie came up and took the Chubby.

He didn’t dart out of nowhere like the others – but came up casually till the end. Then with a wag of his tail, he quickly took the fly and made a run. Kinda reminded me of a thief calmly walking up to an unsuspecting target – then making the grab. He had some size to him and took me all through the pocket water – meaning I had to walk over and around boulders, logs, kelp bogs, and the sorts to finally land him. A nice looking 17” brownie. He was the biggest catch so far. The rainbows varied in size from 14” to 16”.

A nice looking rainbow in Brian's net.

Brian Kenney.

As far as the storm damage, we found quite a bit of the granite pebbles in both the Between the Islands Run and Ray’s Run. We could see the erosion on the road above the Between the Islands Run and the huge sandbar was formed along the south shore. In Ray’s Run the erosion occurred on the north side of the river near the downed trees and also formed a sizeable sand bar along that shore. We also found quite a bit of sediment along the north shore of Fishermen’s Run and the Bridge Hole.

What would be the impact? The concern is for incubating rainbow trout and the insects. Would both be buried beneath the granite sandbars and the sediment and killed? Where the insects – in whatever stage of metamorphous – washed away?

The incubation period for a rainbow trout is dependent on water temperature. The colder the water the longer it takes. At 50F, it takes about 95 to 100 days from when the eggs were fertilized to when they hatch and develop into a parr (or fry/fingerling). I looked back in my earlier blogs to see when the last time I reported seeing spawning in Deckers. It was on April 25th and I measured the water temperature at 44F. We can assume that there was spawning before and after that date, and it could be further assumed that some of the fish were still in their alevin and larval stage during the flash flood and were buried. Given that the erosion was only in some spots and not widespread, my thought is that the kill-off was minimal.

As for the bugs. This is more of a concern. A similar flash flood hit the Poudre River in northern Colorado a few years ago. It either washed the insects away – or covered them with silt. They were gone, and with nothing to eat – the fish slowly starved.

Only time will tell – but I’m optimistic. As mentioned, I definitely think there was some fish kill, and some bugs that were either washed away or buried – but I don’t think it was widespread.

Cheesman Canyon is another story. It was hit harder and there is restoration planned. Both Brian and I have volunteered to help wherever, however we can.

Back to fishing.

A beauty caught in Fishermen's Run with Brian in the background.

We then moved upstream into Mark’s Run. Brian first then me. As I fished the pocket water at the bottom of the run I lost track of Brian. We had agreed that we’d head to Fishermen’s Run at some point and I was wondering if he had gone up to the car. Then I thought maybe he went upstream farther to the Road Hole. I went that way peering into the river as I went hoping to spot some fish. The water was off-color, slightly stained – but you could still see into it to a certain point.

I didn’t spot any fish as I went and ended up at the Cable Hole where I saw Brian as he was releasing a rainbow. He said he got him on a Dry/Dropper rig. Took the Tabou Caddis Emerger which he was using as his Dropper. As I was standing there watching I saw three or four rainbows come to the surface. I wasn’t sure where Brian was fishing so I asked if he minded me fishing the bottom of the pool – nearest the road. He didn’t and we both casted dries to the rising rainbows.

My dry fly rod was still rigged as I left it last week. A #20 Parachute Adams followed by a #22 Sparkle Dun. I had a few lookers – but they broke off before taking one of my flies. They were very particular picking out the naturals so I tied on a #22 Black Sparkle Dun. I tied it on as a Dropper hoping it would appear as a cripple – representing an easy target.

A nice rainbow Brian got in Fishermen's Run.

Brian Kenney.

After several casts, I had one hit. I think he took the Sparkle Dun – not the Black one – and he quickly took me into the fast water. I wasn’t sure how big he was, but he was a strong swimmer. With a deep pool in front of me - with a steep drop off - I couldn’t move in any direction. The fish had the upper hand and I knew it. Sadly, he broke off.

Brian and I alternated eating lunch while one of us continued to cast dries to the rising fish. After spending a good part of an hour - I finally get one on my Parachute Adams. It was a smaller 12” rainbow. I seem to get fixated on rising fish. It’s like I’ll be damned if I can’t fool them with my dry fly imitations so it was satisfying to finally get one of them in the net!

We agreed it was time to head downstream to either Fishermen’s or Ray’s Run. Fishermen’s was open and it was our first choice so we headed that way. As we approached the river I saw several rising fish at the mouth of Horse Creek. They looked like nice size rainbows.

A rainbow swimming back into Fishermen's Run.

I couldn’t pass up the opportunity and began to cast my dries to them. There wasn’t enough room for both of us and I offered to share it with Brian, but he declined and headed to Fishermen’s.

Lots of times you only get a few chances when casting to rising fish. Sometimes only one! If you’re off target – or if your flies don’t land gently on the water – the fish will disappear. Spooked. The slightest breeze will work against you. It can be frustrating. One this particular occasion – I didn’t get many chances – and my casts weren’t the best. Needless to say – they soon spooked.

It was somewhere around 1:30 or so and the PMDs were now at the height of their hatch with lots of them in the air. Before casting into Fishermen’s I changed my last fly on my Hopper/Dropper setup to a #18 PMD Pheasant Tail. I was on the south side of the run and Brian on the other side of it as we fished it from top to bottom.

A female brownie waiting to be released.

Brian Kenney.

I could see some fish in the trough closest to my shore and casted to them. The PMD Pheasant Tail was THE fly. They attacked it with gusto! 17" and 18” rainbows, brownies, and cutbows. It was fun. As my flies drifted into the zone there would be a big commotion – water splashing everywhere – then the fish would take a run for the fast water.

It proved to be a challenge to get them in the net. They would head straight into the fast water and were able to get downstream of me because there was a deep pool along the bank below me that I couldn’t wade through. So I had to bring them back upstream. Not an easy thing to do with the sizable fish that they were. I found it better to lead them into the deep pool where the water was calmer. Then I only had to fight the fish – not them and the fast current.

Releasing a brownie back into the pocket water between the islands.

Needless to say, I did lose a few. One in particular took me way downstream. He took off so fast and I couldn’t turn his head. I thought I had foul hooked him. I asked Brian – who was in the middle of the river - to take a look. He said it looked legal – I had him in the mouth. I did get him to the point that I saw that I did, and it looked like he had the PMD Pheasant Tail in his lip. As I attempted to get him into the soft pool he broke off.

Oh well – sometimes you get the fish – and sometimes the fish gets you!

Brian would get a handful of the same – 17” and 18”rainbows, brownies, and cutbows. He got his on a #16 Chain Red Worm and a #22 Mercury Black Zebra Midge. He showed me the Chain Red Worm, it’s a pattern that he designed out of children’s jewelry. It’s a chain dyed red and tied like to look like a worm. Quite an imaginative pattern.

Another nice brown trout.

Brian Kenney.

One of the fish I lost earlier was a nice 18” brownie. I didn’t really lose him. I had him in the net and as I worked to get my fly out his mouth he fell out of the net. He was still hooked up and in the water behind me. When I picked up my foot to turn around I inadvertently kicked the tippet with my foot and it broke. There went the 18” brownie with a few of my flies. I was most upset because one of my flies was the Tungstone. It’s not the easiest fly to tie and I only had two of them.

Amazingly, Brian would later catch that bad boy. No joke! Brain says to me that the fish had a few flies stuck to him and showed them to me. I took a look and said “that looks like a Tungstone”. Then I saw a PMD Pheasant Tail tied below it. They were the ones he swam off with after I struggled with him in the net! I was happy to get the Tungstone back.

A big brownie who took the PMD Pheasant Tail in Fishermen's Run.

Just as we were getting ready to leave we saw some fish rising in the pool of soft water. They looked to be sizable and I couldn't resist going after them. There was an eddie flowing into the pool. An eddie is formed as water floats back upstream and creates kinda of a swirling current. It’s very difficult to get a good drift into it. High sticking it is one way but that isn’t always easy either.

After several – well more than several – of determined tries I finally got one of them to take. It felt like the same size fish we were catching earlier. When I got him near the net I could see that he was. When he saw the net he took another run. I then realized that I had the net out too soon. As I was standing there – net in one hand, rod in the other – the fish took a run just downstream of me and my line hit the net. That’s all it took for the fish to break off.

Just when you think you’ve seen, or experienced all the ways to lose a fish – you find another one!

Got this one on a Parachute Adams in the Cable Hole.

That’s not a good way to end the day. But all the earlier success eased the blow.

The end of summer is prime time for terrestrials. Grasshoppers, beatles and ants – and the trout are tuned into them looking for a big meal.

They were aggressively hitting the Cubby in the morning.

To be sure, I’ll be back with my Chubby in hand – or tied on – anticipating the exciting take of the Chubby Chasers!