South Platte River – Deckers (Ray’s Run to Fishermen’s Run.)
Flows: 186 cfs till noon. Then dropped to 176 cfs.
Moon Phase: Waning Crescent (10% illumination).
Water Temp: DNM.
Water clarity: Crystal clear.
Air Temp: 41F @ 9:30a – 54F @ 4p.
Hatches: Midge: Sparse, 9a – 10:30a. PMD: 12:30a – 3:30p. Heavier after 1p.
Spawning: None observed – no redds seen.
Flies: #10 Chubby Chernobyl, #10 Tan San Juan Worm, #16 Olive Scud, #20 Flashback Black Beauty, #22 Mercury Black Beauty, #16 Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ear, #24 Grey Sparkle Dun, #22 Olive RS2, #24 Purple Jujubee Midge, #24 Chocolate Thunder, #20 PMD Barr Emerger, #16 PMD Pheasant Tail, #20 Thorax Dun PMD, #20 Parachute PMD, #22 BWO Sparkle Dun.
Top producers: San Juan Worm, Flashback Black Beauty, PMD Barr Emerger, Parachute PMD, Thorax Dun PMD.
Looking upstream from Ray's Run into the Rock Garden.
How do spell fun?
PMD.
That’s how I spell it.
Why?
Because it seems that every time the PMDs start to hatch the fun begins on the river.
It followed script yesterday on the South Platte River in Deckers.
It was a chilly, cloudy and stormy day. The kind of day that you’d expect would produce strong insect hatches. But it didn’t – at least not in the morning. I was surprised to find hardly any bugs in the air or on the water when I arrived. There was just a smattering of midges here and there – but that was all. It had rained through the night in Lone Tree and I thought maybe it did here in Deckers too, and that may have thrown off the hatch.
It’s late in the year for PMDs. According to the hatch charts they’re supposed to be gone by mid-September and I thought at first they were BWOs. In fact there may have been some BWOs hatching – but I’m sure the PMDs were out and in big numbers. A very healthy hatch.
Here's a PMD. (This one somehow showed up at my house in Lone Tree last week.)
I started the day in Ray’s Run. On the way I did give Fishermen’s Run a cursory look. There were no fish in sight and I continued to wade up into Ray’s. I usually see lots of fish along the way and especially in the lower part of Ray’s, but not on this day. No fish in sight.
One of the reasons I wanted to start in Ray’s Run was because of the deep – or deeper – pool at the top of the run. I thought it would be a more likely place to find trout in the morning. My plan was to fish that in the morning then hit Fishermen’s in the afternoon. Thinking as things warmed up the trout would be moving into the faster, shallower water.
The late summer storm and flash flood has changed Ray’s Run. The deep pool is now filled with granite pebbles. Not entirely – but it’s not as deep as it used to be and there is not as much cover for the trout. The riffles feeding into it seem to be flowing slower too. I think the depth of the pool has something to do with that. There is also a bunch of muck – thick mud – along the north bank of the river. It has actually covered some of the boulders that line this part of the run.
Got this one in Ray's Run on a San Juan Worm.
The middle-to-the far side of the river seems to be where the fish are congregating now. Or should I say they seem to be more catchable in that part of the run. I did find some in the middle of the pool and at the end of it, but they are in gin clear water that is flowing slower where they are less likely to take one of your offerings. I found that they would actually move out of the way of my flies as they drifted to them. A clear sign to move on.
I was in the run all morning. I started with a HDC rig thinking it would be more effective in the slow clear water and the pocket water upstream of the run. I had my #10 Chubby followed by a #18 Red Copper John. A #20 Flashback Black Beauty and a #24 Grey Sparkle Wing RS2 were my target flies. As I worked the run I made several adjustments, changing in different midge and BWO patterns, and going with smaller flies that I thought would work considering how clear the water was.
As I worked downstream a fisherman jumped into the top of the run. As I began to rig up my nymphing rod, two more joined him and it was getting a bit crowded. I focused on the bottom of the run – the south side nearest the road. It’s a place that I’ve had success hooking up brownies in the past. I got them near the shore where there are submerged logs and boulders.
A bunch of PMDs hatching.
One of the fishing reports that I read said they were having success with San Juan Worms, Scuds, and Mini-leeches. As I set up my nymphing rig, I tied on a #10 Tan San Juan Worm as my lead fly and followed it with a #16 Olive Scud and a #22 Mercury Black Beauty.
As I worked the bottom of the run, the fishermen at the top left and I was able to work back upstream. The water is faster the closer you get to the top of the run and I added some weight as I went hoping to get my flies lower in the water column. About mid-way up I casted to the far side bank trying to get them near the submerged boulders. On one of my drifts my indicator abruptly stopped. I set the hook – then nothing. I thought I was hung up on one of the boulders. After a few seconds I lifted my rod again to free them and the fish started fight.
Oh yeah – fish on ---- finally!
I knew it was a brownie. And a nice one. The feel is familiar. At first, just a heavy set and not much fight. Then the fish must realize he’s hooked up and the fight begins. Head down. Strong runs. It takes time and patience to bring a big brown to net. About mid-fight I could see that he took the San Juan Worm. I had tied it with 5x tippet which is pretty strong and I handled him a bit more aggressively, trying not to overdo it. Even with strong tippet you can’t horse the fish. If you do, bad things will happen.
I finally got him to net. A nice 18” brownie.
A 17" rainbow in Fishermen's Run.
It was about 11:30a and I had been fishing for about two hours when I finally landed that guy. I was happy to have one in the net though. My thought was that it was going to be a slow day. There just wasn’t a lot happening.
As I was working the run, I had my eye on the pocket water just upstream. It’s the start of the Rock Garden which is a section of the river that is literally strewn with a bunch of boulders - big and small – which form a bunch of nice pockets. You’d be surprised of the size of the fish you’ll find in some of the shallow pockets. I’ve caught many 17” to 18” brownies and rainbows in them. And it’s a fun place to fish.
After lunch that’s where I headed. The only downside of the fishing the Rock Garden is all the rocks! They make it very hard to wade and I feel lucky to get out of there dry. As I began to wade that way, I spooked a rainbow who was hanging out close to the shore. I took note of where he was and intended to see if he came back when I was done upstream.
Looking upstream from Fishermen's Run into Ray's Run.
Surprisingly I didn’t see any fish in the pockets. It was just one of those days. I was wondering where in the heck they all went.
As I waded back downstream I looked into the spot where I had spooked the rainbow earlier and didn’t see him. Then as I waded to the shore to grab my pack and spare rod I spooked him again. This time he was inches from the shore. I was wondering what he was doing there and took a closer look. There was a little dug out in the bank about one foot wide and in the little hole was a bunch of PMDs. I thought at first they were Tricos. Looking closer, I thought they were BWOs. Later I would find out they were PMDs. He was just sitting in there sipping them.
PMDs are supposed to hatch on the South Platte River in Deckers from June to mid-September. That’s why I didn’t go to PMDs right away. They were supposed to be gone according to the hatch chart. This is almost mid-October, but they are still hatching. It’s not unusual for the charts to be off – as they are really a guide and conditions on the ground and mother nature have a way of effecting the timing of such things.
Releasing an 18" rainbow back into Fishermen's Run.
I could see into Fishermen’s Run and it was open. I grabbed my stuff and left the river. Walking along the bank and road was the fastest and easiest way there - I wanted to get there before someone else claimed it.
When I got to the run, I still didn’t see any fish in the usual places. In this run, I like to start on the south side of the river and work across it to the other side. As I got to the other side I finally saw one. He was in along the rocks on the north side of the river – river left. Still thinking that BWOs were hatching, I hadn’t changed my flies yet. Had a #18 Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ear on as my lead fly and following it was a #20 Pheasant Tail and a #20 Flashback Black Beauty. I casted to the fish and got him to hit. It wasn’t the biggest rainbow but he was game and put up a good fight. Too good in fact. Somehow I lost control of him and he headed downstream. There were small boulders all around me and I couldn’t navigate that fast. I found myself stuck and couldn't move downstream after him. When he got directly behind me I knew I had lost him – and he broke off.
As I began to work my way back across the river I noticed PMDs in the air. They fly differently from BWOs with their bodies kinda straight up in the air. And they’re bigger than BWOs too. And then I saw some trout working the troughs. They were in the upper column.
An 18" cutbow.
As soon as I saw that I changed my flies choosing a #16 Pheasant Tail PMD as my lead followed by a #20 Barr Emerger PMD. I was thinking of changing out my Black Beauty too – but decided to leave it. I also took off all weight and now had a very light setup. No weight and no weighted flys.
On about my second cast into the troughs I had a fish on. I was thinking "those PMDs are killers" as I fought the rainbow to net. When I got him there I saw that he had taken the Black Beauty! Go figure! It was a nice 17” rainbow. You will find a lot of similar trout in this spot. Brownies, rainbows, cutbows - most of them in the 17” to 19” range in the troughs ten to fifteen feet off the south shore or in the shallows right next to the bank.
I felt like I had it dialed in now and continue to cover the troughs from both sides and landed a couple more rainbows. As I was standing in the middle of the river casting back towards the bank I noticed fish starting to rise. Since my flies were drifting in the film just below the surface I thought I could still get them. But on several drifts they ignored my flies, instead rising to hit adults off the surface.
It was time to change to dries.
Releasing a brownie in Fishermen's Run.
I quickly tied on a #20 Thorax Dun PMD and followed it with a #24 Sparkle Dun BWO and hung my #20 Barr Emerger PMD off of it as a Dropper.
Then it got interesting. Or should I say more fun.
I got three or four in quick order. One small one – about 8” to 10” – and a couple more in the 14” range. I was able to release them mid-river. No measurements. No pictures. I had my hands full with my rod, my net, and trying to get the fly out of the fish’s mouth.
Then I got a nice 17” rainbow. That’s what I’m talking about. Then another. These ones put up a good fight and I had to wade downstream with each in order to keep them across – or in front – of me. Finally leading them into the net.
An 18" brownie who I watched as he casually sipped my Thorax Dun PMD.
Then they seemed to be on to me. Or should I say my flies. I got a few lookers and missed a couple. And as I continued to work the seam about twelve feet from the shore I noticed some nice fish rising just off the bank. I’d see their nose or their tail fin slowly rising to sip a fly – then submerging back into the water. As casual as could be.
I would have to cast over the other fish in the seam to get my flies to them – or I’d have to wade into the seam and fish from there. The wind was blowing pretty good making casting and mending difficult as I tried to cast to them. Added to that when I did get my flies on target, the seam of fast water kept pulling my flies through the zone.
I finally decided the heck with it and waded into the seam where I had caught the fish earlier - disregarding the fact that I’d spook them off. Sometimes if you want to go after bigger fish – you have to ignore other opportunities. It paid off as I got a few of the big fish – brownies, rainbows, and a cutbow all in the 17” to 18” range. These ones on a #20 Parachute PMD. (Somehow I had lost my Thorax Dun PMD earlier.)
A river scene with the fall colors on display.
The highlight was one of the brownies – an 18 incher. He was in very slow water – almost stationary. As my flies slowly – very slowly – drifted toward him, I saw his head come out of the water and watched him sip my fly. Then he sank back under the surface and I set the hook. BAM! I bet he was surprised!
On another one – this one a 18” cutbow – I lost track of my flies. There were a lot of naturals on the water, mixed in with foam and other debris – so it was a challenge to keep track of my flies. But I had an idea of where they were and I saw a fish come up and take something near where I thought they were – then disappear. It probably took me about five seconds as I thought to myself “did he just take one of my flies?” – when I decided to set my hook. And – BAM – he was on!
Weather wise – it turned out to be a really nice day on the river. Not too cold with sun coming out every now and then, splashing me with its warmth then going behind a cloud again. It did get a little windy at times – but I’ve been in worse.
Releasing the 18" brownie in Fishermen's Run.
The fishing? It was PMD. (everyone else would spell it FUN)!
Comments