February 22, 2024
The South Platte River – Deckers, The Road Hole to Between the Islands Run
Flows: 140 cfs, bumping up to 156 cfs at 2p.
Moon Phase: Waxing Gibbous (96% illumination).
Water Temp: 38F.
Water clarity: Very clear.
Air Temp: 20F @ 8:30a – 41F @ 4:15p.
Hatches: Midge: 10a – 3:30p (Size ~22/24. Some looked like the fuzzy ones in the afternoon.)
Spawning: No redds seen or spawning activity observed.
The start of the day. A beautiful, crisp winter morning.
(Standing on the sunny side of Mark's Run.)
Flies: #16 & #18 Red Copper John, #16 Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ear, #20 Black Spider Midge, #22 Black Manhattan Midge, #18 Mercury Flashback Pheasant Tail, #24 Top Secret Midge, #22 Black Beauty, #22 Mercury Flashback Black Beauty, #22 Black Rojo Midge, #20 Parachute Adams, #24 Matt’s Midge, #22 Griffith’s Gnat, #20 Parachute BWO, #22 Red Top Secret, #22 Red Bubble Back Midge , #22 Bead Head Blindside Midge, #16 Tungsten Rainbow Warrior, #10 Egg.
Top producers: Manhattan Midge, Black Beauty, Parachute BWO, Red Top Secret, Red Bubble Back Midge , Bead Head Blindside Midge, Tungsten Rainbow Warrior.
Looking into the Cable Hole as clouds rolled in.
It’s a late-winter day – but spring is in the air. In fact, it felt more like a blustery spring day in the mountains than a winter day. Crisp air. The sun breaking through the high clouds every now and then, shining brightly. Then lower, darker clouds rolling in cooling things off considerably, then spitting snow. We were out in the elements fly fishing – Brian and I.
We were supposed to go fish the Tailwater in Pueblo, but we didn’t make it more than twenty feet into the one-and-a-half-hour drive before we stopped to check the flows. Brian mentioned that one of the fishing sites reported a sudden drop on the Tailwater. It was significant and could throw off the fishing.
Cell phones out, quickly Googling and finding that they did indeed drop the flows from 90 cfs to 38 cfs.
Later I would find the flows reported by the USGA may have been flawed. There are two gauging stations on the Tailwater, one above the hatchery and one in town near Moffat Street. We only checked the Moffat Street station which reported the sudden drop. Later I checked the flow report from the station above the hatchery and it didn’t show any drop. So the Moffat Street station could have malfunctioned, got iced up, or maybe construction on the river above it messed up the flows. Not sure what happened.
Brian caught his 1st rainbow early in the day above Mark's Run.
Brian Kenney.
Anyway, it didn’t matter – we went with the flow and headed to Deckers. Brian had fished it a couple days before with his son-in-law and even though they didn’t land a bunch, he said the river was fishing well. The only downside was we were dressed for Pueblo weather – which was supposed to be much warmer than Deckers.
We decided to start at Mark’s Run because it gets sun most of the day as opposed to some places in the canyon which are in the shade all day – and are much colder. It was 8:15a and 20F when we pulled into the parking area. It would definitely be a cold start to the day.
After gearing up we both headed to the north side of the river as the sun was just clearing the canyon wall to the south casting direct light on that side of the river. Even in below freezing temperature the sunlight felt warming. An added benefit was I could see clearly into the water from that side.
Brian may have caught this guy twice.
(Notice his lower jaw jutting down).
Brian Kenney.
I was by the downed trees and there was a guy fishing across the river from me. Brian was upstream on the sunny side of the river where he saw a guy land a few fish a couple of days before. I was just scouting and decided to fish farther downstream. Even though I wouldn’t have been encroaching on the guy that was in the run on the other side, I wanted to give him – and me – some space.
It was cold but a beautiful winter morning. Quiet, fresh mountain air, and bright sun light – and I wanted to enjoy it in solitude.
When I was up by the downed trees, I chatted with the other guy who had already landed two fish. He said he got one a Top Secret and the other on a Black Zebra Midge, both size 22. With that in mind I rigged up a #16 Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ear as my lead fly and followed it with a #22 Mercury Flashback Black Beauty and a #22 Top Secret Midge.
Looking at the top of the lower island, with the start of the mini-canyon in the background.
I was farther down the run when I rigged up and there was a nice rainbow in sight just off the bank which I went after. I was anticipating a quick strike – BANG – get that bad boy and move onto the next one. But that didn’t happen. The fish ignored my offering. The next one did too – and the one after that.
Later Brian would tell me that he’d been struggling the past few times out and he began to wonder if he forgot how to fish. This happens. Doubt creeps in. It’s happened to me before and it was - at that point – creeping into my mind again. When this happens I go back to basics. Checking to make sure that my weight and flies are spaced properly and making sure my indicator depth is right. Then I go about doing what I know how to do.
A lot of times the fish are just not feeding – especially in the winter, or they’re feeding selectively. Or the flows are so slow and the water so clear that the fish are almost impossible to fool. So you do what you know how to do and move on. And that is what I did. But only after thoroughly covering the run.
I landed this brownie late in the morning in the Road Hole.
After I was in the run for about an hour Brian joined me. He had caught one rainbow upstream and now wanted to give Mark’s a try. As he moved in, I moved downstream to fish the run by the huge boulder and the upper island. I wanted to get into faster water. Even though I didn’t spot any fish, I covered the run from memory - casting my flies into the various holding lies and fishy spots.
It got to be about 11a when I decided to head upstream to the Road Hole. There is a deep hole right next to the road and a bunch of small pockets and a few troughs scattered about from the hole to the other side of the river. A place you can sight fish.
The hole next to the road was empty so I waded across the river as slowly and carefully as possible searching for fish as I went. Just as I got into position to cast to a couple of brownies the clouds rolled in and it got noticeably colder, then it began to snow. That’s the kind of day it would be. Broken high clouds blocking direct sun light, then they would move out and the sun would shine bright and warm things up, then dark clouds would roll in and we’d have spitting snow, sometimes driving snow.
The same brownie Brian caught earlier?
Brian Kenney.
When the first snow squall came in I was actually happy. I’ve had many days before in this river in weather like this that kicks off a hatch and turns the fish on. Most of those time though, it was later in the spring and the hatch was BWOs. There were no BWOs out – it’s still a bit early for them - but there were now some midges flying around. In fact, it was a pretty decent hatch.
My flies were too heavy – getting caught on the bottom as I casted to the brownies. I had left my other rod on the other side of the river near the road, now wishing I had taken it with me so I could rig up a Dry/Dropper set up. Without it I had a choice. I could rerig my nymphing rig as a Dry/Dropper, or I could take all weight off and fish a light nymphing rig. I wanted to give a light nymphing rig a shot and first took my split shot off, then my Guide’s Choice. I replaced it with a non-weighted Pheasant Tail. Eventually I replaced my target flies too. I now had a #22 Black Rojo and a #22 Manhattan Midge following my Pheasant Tail.
A very light nymphing rig still fishes different than a Dry/Dropper rig. With a Dry/Dropper rig you can adjust the length of the Dropper and the target fly to suite the depth of water you’re fishing. The Dropper is usually no more than six to eight inches from the Dry and the target fly is maybe a foot to eighteen inches below that. This gives you a lot more control of where your flies are drifting and the ability to get them into the zone.
It was more like winter as the day wore on.
With a light nymphing rig, I find it almost impossible to get the indicator down far enough to mimic a Dry/Dropper setup. The result is my first fly is a good three feet – or more – below my indicator and my last target fly is about three feet below it - approximately six feet in all from my indicator to my last fly. Now my flies may be swinging out in the current and even though my indicator is on target, my flies are not. A lot of times in order to get your flies on target you have to cast your indicator off target and it’s now in a different flow – moving slower or faster - so the flies are not presented properly.
With all this it was a struggle with my light nymphing rig, but I was able to entice a hit from one of the brownies. It was a fighter as most brownies are, and took me for a walk into the middle of the river amongst all the submerged boulders. It was all I could do to follow him without getting tripped up and falling into the river, but I finally netted him. A nice 17” brownie who had taken the Manhattan Midge.
There were other fish in sight, both brownies and rainbows as it was getting to lunch time and my plan was to rig up my Dry/Dropper after eating and come back after them. As I waded back across the river I continued to search for fish. May as well catch one on the way back if I could.
I got this smaller rainbow in the pocket water on the north side of the Road Hole.
I was only about a quarter of the way across when I spotted a rainbow in one of the troughs. After several casts to him he finally hit. With all those submerged boulders it was another difficult fight – stumbling about – but I netted that bad boy. He was about 15” and took the Manhattan Midge too.
Now on the other side of the river, I decided to take a look into the Road Hole to see if I could spot any fish. If so, I would go after them before eating lunch. I quickly spotted a rainbow rolling about in the pool, half way up in the column. He was obviously feeding on something. On my third cast into the pool, my indicator shot off. No pause or wobble – it just shot out into the middle of the river. I brought my rod up to set the hook.
Oh yeah – I got that bad boy!
He hit the Black Manhattan Midge and put up quite a fight for a 16” rainbow.
One of Brian's brownies.
Brian Kenney.
After netting him it was now lunch time. Sitting along the side of the road on a bank in the middle of yet another snow squall. It doesn’t get any better ---- well maybe I could think of a few things that would be! But I was fishing.
Once finished I waded back across the river this time with my Dry/Dropper rig. It was set up as I had left it last time with a #22 Parachute Adams followed by a #22 Griffiths Gnat with a #22 Black Manhattan Midge dropped off it. I decided to give it a shot.
There was a nice brownie sitting in one of the small pockets and I would see him occasionally sip a fly just below the surface. After several tries with no interest from the brownie, I decided to change up my flies. This time a picked a #18 Parachute BWO as my Dry – even though there were no BWOs hatching, I wanted it for its buoyancy and because it’s easy to see. I didn’t expect a fish to hit it. I followed it with a #24 Matt’s Midge with a #20 Black Spider Midge dropped off it.
A beauty. Got him in the Between the Islands Run.
The Black Spider Midge is my adaptation of Stewart’s Black Spider that he invented in the mid-1800s. Yeah, it’s old school – very old school. Mine looks basically like a Black Beauty tied with a soft hackle. Stewart is widely accepted as the creator of the soft-hackle fly. It looks like something a trout would like and I thought I’d give it a try to see if it’s still effective.
By the time I was done rerigging the brownie had moved out! It didn’t seem to take that long to get everything set up, but my fingers were cold and I probably wasn’t working as fast as normal. Not that I’m that fast to begin with.
Not only was the brownie gone, but there wasn’t any other fish in sight. It was time to move on. I walked downstream on the bank still looking to see if I could spot any fish. I did see a rainbow feeding near the bank earlier and I wondered if he was still there. And there he was in the same place as before – no more than three feet off the bank sitting in slow water. As I observed him, he seemed to be just sitting there and he definitely wasn’t feeding on the surface.
Another rainbow that Brian got in Mark's Run.
Brian Kenney.
With nothing to lose I casted to him. On about my third cast my flies were drifting to him on target and I watched him as he slowly rose to the surface and casually sipped one of my flies. BAM – I set the hook. He was surprised and bolted like a bat out of hell across the river. I waded in – again stumbling over the submerged boulders - but was able to quickly net the bad boy – this one about fourteen inches.
And what do you think he took? None other than the Parachute BWO! So much for matching the hatch.
All the while as I was fishing this section of the river I could see Brian fishing downstream in Mark’s Run. Every now and then when I’d glance that way I would see him netting a fish. He had evidently solved whatever was ailing him – broke the curse – and I was happy to see that.
I would join him in Mark’s Run after releasing that rainbow. It wasn’t too crowded the whole day and now the sparse crowd was starting to thin out and Brian had the whole run to himself. He was getting some nice rainbows and brownies in a seam where the slower water meets the faster water about mid-river across from the downed trees.
Standing in the Between the Islands Run with a rainbow in hand.
At one point he had caught a brownie with a distinctive lower jaw. I’ve seen brownies like this where their lower jaw kind’a juts out. They look like some kind of subspecies. Anyway, a bit later Brian catches another one with the same kind of jaw and he’s sure it was the same fish. And he hit the same fly – his Red Bubble Back Midge!
I was farther down in the run and finally had a hit – the first one in this run all day. It was a nice size brownie and he was taking me downstream. I must have gotten lazy – or maybe I was getting tired – but for some reason instead of following him downstream, which I normally do – I pointed my rod right at the fish.
Not a good idea.
When you point the rod at the fish, you lose all the action of the rod. The line is tight and provides leverage for the fish as he shakes his head - or rolls about - enabling him to spit the hook. Added to that, the drag of the reel is the only thing left to provide a little give as the fish fights to swim away – but it doesn’t provide anything to keep the line tight when the fish pauses or swims back to you. Slack line is no good and gives yet another advantage to the fish.
Within seconds of pointing my rod at the fish – he was gone.
Brian got this one in Mark's Run.
Brian Kenney.
I would get another brownie later though – at the end of the run. It was a nice, healthy 17 incher and took the #22 Black Beauty. It was the first fish I’ve caught on a standard Black Beauty in a long time. Mainly because I don’t fish them – instead picking the Mercury Flashback Black Beauty. It’s because I don’t like the way they’re tied. My goal this week is to break them all down and retie them.
It was getting late in the day and we had about an hour of fishing left. As the day wore on, it got cloudier, colder, and snowed more – and it was snowing pretty good at this time. It was then that I decided that I wanted to go downstream and try the Between the Islands Run. In an hour I could get more than several good drifts through it.
Second cast into the run – just beyond the submerged boulders – BANG-BANG – fish on! I was now fighting a 16” rainbow trying to get him into the slower pocket water and guide him around the many boulders that make it up – finally netting him without tripping and falling into the water. He also took the #22 Black Beauty.
A fly fisherman covering the very top of Mark's Run.
(The downed trees on the left bank.)
I would get another rainbow and a brownie – both in that seam of calm water just beyond the submerged boulders. I got them pretty quickly – then it dried up. The snow was still blowing as I moved a bit upstream to try a few spots where I’ve caught some nice fish in the past. Not finding anything this time I decided to call it a day and head to the car.
We decided to go with the flows on this day and it worked out. We both had several nice brownies and rainbows in the net – and even though we were both chilled to the bone – it was great to be outdoors.
In the mountains. In the blowing snow. Catching trout.
Nothing better!
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