June 5, 2024
The South Platte River – Deckers (The Campground Run, and from the Cable Hole to the beginning of the Mini-Canyon).
Flows: 536 cfs.
Moon Phase: Waning Crescent (1% illumination).
Water Temp: 58F @ 9a.
Water clarity: Off color.
Air Temp: 52F @ 8:30a –76F @ 4p.
Hatches: Midge: 8a to 10a. BWOs: Here and there 12N to 3:30p. Caddis: Sparse throughout the day.
Spawning: No redds seen.
Flies: #10 Cranefly Larva, #16 Cased Caddis Larva, #16 Tan UV Scud, #12 Tan San Juan Worm, #20 Flashback Black Beauty, #16 Sawyer’s Pheasant Tail, #20 Chocolate Thunder.
Top producers: UV Scud, San Juan Worm, Chocolate Thunder.
Brian working the Campground Run in the early morning.
Our plan was to hike into the Canyon on Tuesday last week. The setup was perfect – the water has been spilling over the dam warming the water in the river and the fishing has been lights out. These conditions don’t happen every year – or even years – and we were both looking forward to it. It would be our first trip of the year into Cheesman Canyon.
Then something came up and I couldn’t make it on Tuesday. Luckily Brian was open on Wednesday – the only other day of the week that I could go. The only thing was that I had to be home by 3:30p so that I could get ready to attend Carlos’ Continuation Celebration. It’s a celebration of 8th grade graduates leaving middle school and entering high school.
It would be tight for a trip into the Canyon – so we opted to stay in the Deckers area. I was disappointed as it would be my last fishing outing for the next three weeks. You never know what the conditions will be by the time I get back and I’m hopeful that I’ll get lucky, and the high-elevation run-off will keep the reservoir full – and it will still be spilling over.
Well at least I’d be able to get on the river for the better part of a day.
The Campground Run.
The soft water near the riverbank is where we'd find the fish seeking shelter from the swift current.
That was my suggestion as a place to start. We could park in the campground itself and avoid crossing the river in the high flows. The river is wide there with a few bends and twists that would provide some soft water for the fish to lie in and avoid the swift current. Plus, we haven’t fished it a long time – maybe a year.
It was a bright, sunny morning as we geared up in the campground property. Crisp morning air scented with smoke from pine burning in pits and bacon cooking over an open fire. For a moment I felt like getting a cup of coffee and some breakfast rather than fishing! But that craving passed quickly and I headed to the river.
I was anticipating a good day and was happy to see the whole run open. Not a fisherman in sight. When I got to the river I saw that Brian had taken up a position at the top of the run near the riffles. I entered the river on the downstream side of the run and stealthily waded near the bank – river left – peering into the shallow water as I did.
In the shallow water near the bank there are a few small depressions and boulders where fish like to hang out. I’ve caught plenty in the past no more than three to four feet off the bank. In the slower, clear water they are very skittish though – and they will spook at the slightest boot splash or stumble.
As I made my way I spotted two fish about half way up the run. They were in one of the small depressions about three feet off the bank. Rainbows. I had two rods with me – both rigged for nymphing. My 5-weight was rigged up with a #16 Sawyer’s Pheasant Tail followed by a #20 Grey Sparkle Wing RS2 and a #16 Tan UV Scud. My 6-weight was rigged up with heavier bugs.
Looking into the Horseshoe Bend.
I picked the 5-weight – the lighter of the two. But I had to change out the Sparkle Wing RS2. I guess I could have left it, but it was early – too early for BWOs - and there were midges hatching. So I replaced it with a #20 Flashback Black Beauty.
The sun was just coming over the canyon wall and the river was running to the east from where we were standing. With the sun glare you could see into the water looking upstream and to the west – but not when looking downstream - to the east.
Once I was finished rigging up I looked up and the fish had already bolted. After we both worked different parts of the run for the better part of an hour – in which I hadn’t spotted another fish – I decided to move upstream leaving the run to Brian.
As I approached the river just upstream of the campground where the granite face of the hillside descends into the water, I spotted a nice brownie moving in a seam near the shore. I was on the river-left side of the river which I would find out later was not the “right” side of it. In order to get to the fish you had to wade into the water and cast back to the shore where they were lying as they sought shelter from the swift current. That would mean I had to get into the swift current.
I made a change to my flies before going after the brownie – and as earlier when I spotted that first fish – when I was done the brownie was gone. I moved downstream intent on wading a few feet into the river so that I could get a cast upstream and into the bank. My last step on the bank – right before I would put my next foot into the water – and out came a nice rainbow. He bolted from his lie next to the bank, streaking into the middle of the river and safety.
I got this beauty later in the day in the Between the Islands Run.
It wasn’t long and I saw Brian working his way up the river toward me. I was just finished working the bank and walked down to meet him. We decided to stay and work this area of the river a bit and changed places. He worked the upstream part of the river as I worked the downstream side.
Still nothing.
We then moved back down to the campground to give it another try. There still weren’t any fish in sight – at least I didn’t see any – and I wasn’t feeling it. I was about to mention that we should leave just as Brian hooked up. He had a nice fish on right in the middle of the run but after a brief fight the fish broke off.
I knew Brian wouldn’t want to leave after just getting one hooked up – so I kinda kicked around at the top of the run. After waiting a bit I suggested that we should move on – but Brian wasn’t ready to. Not yet.
After giving up on the run we got into the car a drove down toward the resort. Brian was on the passenger side with a view of the river and spotted the different runs to see what was open as we drove along. Once at the resort we hung a right and continued up the YMCA camp road. We ended up going all the way to Mark’s Run and parked there.
What looks like a Cranefly landed on Brian's hand mid-day.
The run was open and we began to cover it. Strangely, there were no fish in sight. What the heck was going on? After a bit we decided to move upstream to the Cable Hole. By this time the fishermen were out. It was like the clock struck a certain hour and when I looked up there was a guy or two in each run.
Not in the Cable Hole though – and not in the Road Hole when we passed by either. We were on the river-right side of the river as we covered the Cable Hole. The river bends to the left as it flows toward the road and there is a soft spot on the river-left side of the river at the bend. That would have been the spot to fish this hole from but neither of us wanted to cross the river in the high flows.
I spotted a fish in front of a huge boulder that was almost entirely submerged in the water and went after him. After several unsuccessful tries I gave up and walked down the road toward the Road Hole. As I was walking toward it there was a guy walking toward it from the other direction. I could tell he was heading to the same place as me.
I got there first but instead of just jumping in I asked the other guy if he was intending on fishing this spot. He said no and we chatted a bit. As we were chatting I spotted a nice rainbow in the deep pool and said I was going to go after him.
The end of the Between the Islands Run.
The pool is about fifteen feet long and there is a short, steep bank along it. I walked to the far downstream side of the pool so that I could get into position without spooking the rainbow. As I began to get ready to make a cast – the other guy came sliding down the opposite end of the bank – making all kinds of commotion. What the heck?
This guy was obviously not a fisherman. I quickly left the hole, shaking my head as I walked down the road.
I ended up at the bottom of the Between the Islands Run. There were two guys fishing upstream of me and one of them hooked up. The fish immediately swam into the fast current. As the guy lost control of him I was thinking maybe he foul hooked him. Either way, he must have been hooked up pretty good as the guy continued to fight him as the fish moved toward me. I had my line out of the water just in case the fish swam into my zone.
The fish broke off just upstream of me. The guy and I exchanged a few pleasantries. He was disappointed losing the first fish he had hooked up. “It was one of those days” was my response.
The river bends to the left on the river-right side of the river - this is where I got my 1st fish of the day.
Soon after that I decided to head farther downstream. There is a little run with some soft water at the bend – river right – before the river enters the Mini-canyon. “Maybe there’s a fish or two in it”, was my thought. It was on the “right” side of the river.
This spot used to fish differently – that was before a storm washed a bunch of granite gravel into the pool along the bank. That’s where I used to find rainbows by the handful – big, bright ones. Now the fish seem to be farther out where there are a bunch of small pockets in the slower water as it bends to the left.
That’s where I found my first fish of the day. FINALLY!
I was using my heavier rig with a #10 Cranefly Larva followed by a #16 Cased Caddis Larva and a #16 Tan UV Scud – and casting into the slower pocket water. Even though the flow is slower in this part – it was still flowing fast enough so that my heavier rig wasn’t getting hung up on the rocks.
The rainbow – a 16” beauty – smacked my UV Scud. What else?
The rainbow put up a decent fight – what I expected, but once in the net he seemed to go crazy. If you’ve ever seen a video or show where salmon swim up over a small waterfall or a man-made ladder – this is what the rainbow was doing in my net. I thought to myself, “it’s going to be hard to get a picture of this guy”. And it was. He jumped out of my hands once but luckily, he landed back in my net. The second time he landed back in the river.
A smallish brownie - the "huge boulder" in the background.
No picture of that beauty. Camera shy I guess.
As I was walking back up toward the bottom of the Between the Islands Run – where I had left earlier – the guy I had chatted briefly with and his mate were walking down. We chatted some more and he told me that he hooked up four nice fish in a small run – and pointed it out. He said he thought they were hitting a #20 Chocolate Thunder but wasn’t sure because they all broke off after getting into the swift current.
The run was on the right side of the river.
A lot of times when someone fishes a run and catches or hooks up a few fish or several fish – the run is spent. There’s no use trying it again for a while – it needs to rest. Just the same I thought I’d take a look. As I got to the run I spotted a rainbow. He was no more than two feet off the bank – river-right - in a small depression. He was too close for me to cast to, so I carefully waded downstream.
Once in position I casted my lighter rig – my 5-weight with the #16 Sawyer’s Pheasant Tail this time followed by a #20 Chocolate Thunder (I tied it on after getting the tip from the other fisherman) and a #16 Tan UV Scud – upstream letting my flies float back down into the zone. As usual it’s tricky getting your flies into the right part of the current that will carry them directly to where the fish is feeding. A little bit to the right or left and your flies drift off target.
After several tries the fish hit. BAM – fish on! This one was a fighter and he took me into the pocket water where there are submerged boulders all over the place. A place where you have to watch your footing, or you will be swimming with the fish!
Another look at the big rainbow I got near the shore in the Between the Islands Run.
He was tiring – or maybe I was – and I had him near me but not in an ideal position. He was off to my left and just downstream of me – maybe 1 ½’ or 2’ below me. As I reached for him with my net, I pulled up with my rod in an attempt to guide him into the net. That really hasn’t ever worked for me – and it didn’t this time.
He broke off.
Jeez – that was irritating!
I had him close enough to see that he hit my Chocolate Thunder. I was glad for the tip that guy gave me and I just happened to have an exact match of the one he was using. It’s been in my fly box for a number of years. I bought mine at Flies & Lies and I’m pretty sure that’s where the other guy got his too!
After resetting my gear – and myself - I moved back upstream thinking that that little depression would be empty, but it wasn’t. Another fish was now in it. Amazing!
After a few casts I had another fish on! It was another nice rainbow. He took the Chocolate Thunder! I didn’t miss netting this one – a nice 16” beauty.
After releasing the rainbow I moved upstream a bit and saw that there were a few more fish in that run. I hooked up a couple of them and they took me out into the fast water – I was fighting them in the same spot as the guy earlier. And losing them just as he did. I decided to tighten my drag – make harder for the fish to get a jump on me and easier for me to get control of them.
Another small brownie I got on my last cast of the day.
After making that adjustment I spotted a rainbow that looked to be in the 20” range. Wow – I was going after him. On one of my drifts my flies got caught up right in front of him and he got spooked. He moved off but not very far – he was now just downstream and a little farther out than where I had hooked up the other two fish.
I liked that spot better - I could get cleaner drifts to him. After a few drifts my indicator paused and I set the hook. BAM – I got him! He made it about ¾ of the way to the fast water before I was able to get control and turn him. Tightening the drag was a good idea. After an arm-tiring fight I had the bad boy in my net. He had taken the UV Scud and I measured him with my net. He was somewhere between 19” and 20” with a wide girth. A real beauty!
That big rainbow had taken me all through the run and after releasing him it was empty. Any fish that were still there before I hooked him up were now gone. I gave it some time to rest – to see if any of them would come back but they didn’t.
That little run was a lot of fun but it was over. Time to move on. I gathered my stuff and headed upstream to see how Brian was doing. He’d been in Mark’s Run for a while, and I thought he must have gotten into some fish.
As I walked along the road I saw Brian fishing the run beside the huge boulder. He said he had hooked up a handful of fish but they all took him into the fast water and broke off. It was a common theme for the day.
Looking upstream at the lower island.
When fishing in Colorado we use a 7 ½’ tapered leader. The end of the leader is designated as 5x – which indicates its tensile strength. We typically tie 5x or 6x tippet to the leader and to the flies attached to it. After giving it some thought – I think changing the leader to a heavier one – one that is tapered to 4x or even 3x – and using 4x tippet is advisable when fishing in the fast water. The heavier setup will allow you to tighten the drag even more and offer more control when hooking up.
The spot where Brian was fishing was on the river-right leg of the river that flows around the top island. There is a huge boulder that I often reference near the top of the run which helps form a nice little pool beside it. That’s where a lot of fisherman target and catch fish.
As I walked past Brian and the huge boulder I was peering into the river right next to the road. There are pockets of soft water there and many times I’ve found some nice brownies in them. This time I spotted a small rainbow farther out in shallow water. Then I spotted about four more – nice size rainbows. They were lined up and feeding on something.
I chose my lighter rig – my 5-weight still rigged with the Sawyer’s Pheasant Tail, Chocolate Thunder and Scud – and began to cast to them. After several on-target drifts one of the rainbows hit – I watched him take my UV Scud. Once I set the hook he shot like a lightning bolt into the middle of the river and fast current. I didn’t want to lose this fish and throwing caution into the wind, I waded into the fast current following him downstream.
This was a fight. I was fighting to stay upright as I moved as quickly as possible in the swift current and the boulder strewn riverbed – and fighting what looked like an 18” to 20” rainbow. He took me about thirty feet downstream – but it seemed like a mile. He moved into a little pocket of water behind a boulder where he took a leap clean out of the water. That’s how I knew his approximate size.
The pocket was just downstream of where I stopped. I couldn’t go any farther without risking being swept away in the current. It was a standoff – he wouldn’t come out of the soft pocket water, and I couldn’t get any closer to him. I could only try to guide him – actually pull him – toward me. That’s when he broke free.
It was an exciting fifteen minutes.
Disappointed – I waded back up to see if any of the other fish were still there. The one I hooked up was at the end of the line of fish, and I was hopeful we didn’t spook off the others. I was glad to see that we didn’t. But these ones wouldn’t hit. I had several on target drifts or near enough drifts – and they wouldn’t even give my flies a sniff.
With that I changed out my Chocolate Thunder for a #10 Tan San Juan Worm. That didn’t work either.
By this time Brian had waded up to where I was. As we chatted he said another angler had caught a bunch of brownies in a seam right next to the huge boulder. We had about fifteen minutes left before we had to go. In order to get into position to cast to that seam I’d have to cross the river and wade downstream about forty feet.
I decided to give it a shot.
First cast into the seam that Brian had pointed out and fish on. BAM! He hit my San Juan Worm in pretty swift current. A place I didn’t expect him to be. It was a smallish brownie. After releasing him I went back into the seam and on my second cast – BAM. Another fish on! He too hit the San Juan Worm and he too was another smallish brownie.
Releasing the catch of the day.
After releasing the second brownie I looked up at Brian who was watching the action from the road. He signaled that it was time to leave. That was a fun fifteen minutes!
As we geared down we both wished that we could have spent more time on the river. That action was heating up and almost all the other fishermen had gone. But as the old saying goes “all good things must come to an end” and I had an important event to attend.
It was a challenging day fighting fish and the swift current. And it was a fun day as we netted some nice fish on the right – the river right – side of the river.
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