April 6, 2022
The South Platte River in Deckers – The Bridge Crossing Run & The Cable Hole to Between the Islands Run.
Flows: 172 cfs.
Water Temp: 38F @ 9a.
Water clarity: Very clear – to about 6’.
Air Temp: 19F @ 8:30a – 50F @ 4p.
Hatches: Light midges in the AM. Heavy BWOs 1p to 4p (when we left).
Flies: #10 Egg Sucking Leech, #22 Mercury Black Beauty, # 22 Miracle Midge, #18 Red Quill, #24 & #22 Sparkle Dun BWO, #22 Stalcup Baetis, #24 Barr Emerger, #20 Black Zebra Midge, #20 Red Zebra Midge.
Top producers: Egg Sucking Leech, Mercury Black Beauty, Miracle Midge, Sparkle Dun, Black and Red Zebra Midge.
Brian fishing below the island in the Bridge Crossing Run.
Golf is one of my other hobbies. Most golfers I know have their off days – and struggle. I certainly do. Then they – or me – will strike an absolutely beautiful shot. The playing partner will invariably say “that’ll keep you coming back”.
I had one of those days this week in Deckers.
As Brian and I were driving down to the river, we were discussing where to start. It was a toss up. I was thinking of the Rock Garden. The big Kamloops Rainbows come out of the private waters of the Wigwam Club to spawn and they are frequently in that part of the river. Then we were thinking we could stop in Trumbull. Maybe fish there in the morning. Then we were thinking of skipping that and just going to the end of the YAMC road and fish from the Cable Hole downstream.
Another view of the Bridge Crossing Run.
As we approached the Bridge Crossing Campground I suggested that if the run was open we should give it a try. I’ve fished it before and there are usually fishermen in the run as we drive by on our way to Deckers.
It was open.
So we pulled into the parking lot. It’s a short run and starts just below the private water of the Swayback Ranch and from there, it flows into a small canyon. The entire run is about ¼ to ½ of a mile. There is an island at the top of the run and a deep pool just below it. Then there are braids – deep channels – that flow down toward the bridge. The braids are about thigh deep. After the bridge the river flows into a small canyon and bends to the left. The water deepens as it bends and forms a deep run and pool, then gives way to more shallow, rippled water.
The morning was a picture perfect Colorado Rocky Mountain morning. It was crisp. 19F when we arrived with bright sun. It was a bit breezy and didn’t feel like 19F until the wind hit you. It was a gorgeous start to the day. Very quiet. The only thing I could hear was the sound of the water running and the wind blowing through the pine trees. Occasionally a car would go by and break up the silence. The water was crystal clear but it was hard to see into it because of the reflection of the sun on it.
My 1st fish of the day. A brown who took my Egg Sucking Leech.
My nymphing rig was already set up with an Egg Sucking Leech followed by a Mercury Black Beauty and a Miracle Midge so I didn’t have to rerig it. Brian started in the pool below the island and I was downstream of him peering into the braids to see if I could spot any fish as I casted into them.
I didn’t see any fish, so I thought I’d walk up to the bridge and see if it gave me a better vantage point. It did. I could see three or four fish in a pool near the western bank just upstream from the bridge. I picked out some landmarks so I could find the pool once I walked back down to the river. You’d be surprised how things look different once you get riverside.
Water flowing downstream under the bridge and into the small canyon.
Once in position, I casted to where I thought the fish were but didn’t get any hits. Wondering if I spooked them, I walked back up to the bridge and took another look. They were still there – but closer to the shore than I was casting. I walked back down approaching the river carefully. The water was very slow as it flowed into the pool where the fish were.
An interesting shot of a rainbow in my net.
I casted closer in to the bank and my indicator slowly floated into the pool. After a few drifts I set my hook. I can’t tell you why. Maybe my indicator jiggled – or stopped – but it wasn’t a conscious decision. A brown trout had taken my Egg Sucking Leech. It was a nice one too – about 17”. It’s fun catching brownies. They fight like hell and sometimes put on an arial display.
After releasing the brownie I continued to fish into the pool close to the shore and landed another brownie and a rainbow. Both were 16” to 17”. As the first fish, I set the hook for some unconscious reason. They both took my Miracle Midge. I was glad to see that. I haven’t fished the Miracle Midge in a while and I’d recently redressed them by adding UV glue to their head. In my opinion it made the head look more insect like. Maybe the fish think so too!
Releasing a rainbow back into the Bridge Crossing Run.
As the morning wore on I began to fish the deep pool below the island. The water flows fast as it drops into the pool and I could see fish feeding in the upper column at the top of the pool. I had a #6 split shot for weight – it’s only .12 grams – and I thought it would be enough weight to get the flies deep enough. I didn’t want my flies too deep and miss them. But after watching my flies it seemed that they were floating higher in the water and going over the fish. So I added a bit of mud – pliable tungsten weight.
A view just below the island. The deep water of the pool is darker green.
That did the trick and got my flies in the zone. These fish must have just been sipping flies – even in this faster water. Again, I’m not sure what made me set – but it certainly wasn’t an aggressive hit. Just a slight indication and I had a nice 16” rainbow on. He took the Mercury Black Beauty.
It was now getting toward lunch time and we decided to head down toward the resort to see if we could find any open water. We ended up parking at Mark’s Run. There was a lady fishing it when we arrived and we watched her cover the water as we ate our lunch. She left before we finished and the run was now open.
This 17" brown took the Miracle Midge.
Brian was fishing the middle of the run and I was at the top of it. Brian covered the run moving downstream as he did. Then he crossed the river and was on the north bank of it and I saw him land a nice 16” rainbow. After releasing the fish he continued to fish the north side of the run and I moved into the middle of it. I was mid-stream when my indicator stopped. The set was a conscious decision this time!
This 16" rainbow took my Mercury Black Beauty.
A feisty 13” brownie hit my Miracle Midge. And he put up quite a fight even going arial a couple of times. It’s thought that brownies don’t jump out of the water – but they do, on occasion. Most of the time they bull rush you – heads down, darting all over the place.
With the wind gusting at times, I didn’t think we would see much in the way of a hatch. But at about 1p the BWOs started to hatch. They were bigger than I expected. Pat Dorsey says that a lot of anglers mistake the large midges that hatch in the spring for BWOs and I was wondering if I was. But they sure looked like BWOs as they flew in the air. I asked Brian if concurred and he did.
They presented an opportunity for us. Brian had switched one of his rigs to dry flies as the hatch began – but I was still fishing nymphs. I still had the Egg Sucking Leech leading, but changed my following flies to a #22 Stalcup Baetis and #24 Barr Emerger BWO.
A 17" rainbow got on the north side of Mark's Run.
Brian Kenney.
As I was fishing the top of Mark’s Run I spotted a few fish in the shallow water near shore rising to the BWOs. I called out to Brian and suggested that he come up and try get them with his dries. As he did, I moved downstream some and casted my nymphs into the shallow water to see if I could entice one of them. When the fish are rising, they will also take a wet emerger pattern – like either my Stalcup or Barr Emerger. One did. I saw him chase the flies downstream – and he hit. But I set a little too quickly – and pulled the flies downstream away from him.
I continued to watch the action as Brian was casting his dry flies into the river. I was standing still and the fish were near me and I saw a nice rainbow swim just out of my reach downstream. He then stopped and turned to face upstream and began to rise and eat the BWOs floating by. That was enough to convince me to go get my other rod and rig it up with dries.
Releasing one of my rainbows.
Brian and I took turns fishing the run and we both landed a few of the rainbows. They all took the Sparkle Dun BWOs. Mine was a #24 and Brain’s was a #22. One of the rainbows took me downstream a bit and as I was working to release him I saw a fish rise out of the corner of my eye. It was further downstream in ankle deep water where the river bends to the right. It was about twelve feet off the shore. After finally releasing the rainbow and getting my stuff in order I walked a short distance to get into position to cast to the rainbow I saw rising.
I stood on the shore so I didn’t spook the fish. There were actually two of them in the shallow water sipping the BWOs. On one of my casts I saw one of the fish move toward my dries and hit. It was a 15” rainbow. After fighting him the other rainbow darted off.
Brian got this one on a #22 Sparkle Dun BWO.
Brian Kenney.
When the BWOs come off in bunches like they did that day – the fish will move into dangerously shallow water to feed on them. Their natural instinct is stay out of sight of predators – but the pull to eat is evidently too great. It’s interesting to watch them and a ton of fun to cast dries to them. The excitement and the anticipation of a fish rising to eat your fly is one of the great experiences of fly fishing.
That’s how the day ended.
A 16" rainbow in hand. Got him in the shallow water you can see close to shore.
Brian Kenney.
It was one of those days that’ll keep you coming back.
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