As all of our guides and several of our frequent guests know, winter is an excellent time to fly fish in Colorado!In this ‘secret season,’ the waters are crystal clear, the air is crisp, and crowds from summer have long gone.Our many tailwater fisheries provide incredible winter fly fishing environments and are home to beautiful trout willing to take your fly! Fly-fishers need to bring their A game as low, clear flows, ice-cold water, sporadic hatches, and lethargic trout all add to the challenge and complexity of the winter season. Beneath Cheeseman lies the most popular stretch of the entire drainage; Deckers. In the winter and spring, nymphing is … The portion of river near the property is considered Gold Medal water with some of the best Rainbow and Brown trout in the nation. 15. Deckers is a world-renowned stretch of the South Platte River. This is a subreddit for anglers who pursue, or wish to pursue, their favorite fish on fly rods. The blog was created as an outlet that allows us to share information, stories and tutorials about all things related to fly fishing we can. FlyCast has collaborated with our friends at Anglers All ​to package a dozen flies that are hot at Deckers right now - Click here for hand selected flies. Runs and Riffles was started in February of 2019 as an extension of one person's fly fishing hobby. Deckers is famous for it's deep holes and runs but can also provide great pocket water fishing. Sure, there are inherent perks to fishing on a comfortable 70-degree day, but winter fly fishing in Colorado offers anglers unbeatable solitude and a great way to break up the monotony of winter. So, with the idea of improving your cold season angling experiences and outcomes, we came up with 17 winter fly fishing essentials no … youtu.be/4YpZWE... 2 comments. Almost all of the public fishing access in Deckers is roadside, making the ease of access one of the main attractions. The one thing to keep an eye out for is ice/slush runoff during the morning hours. For more information about fishing the Deckers area or Cheesman Canyon, feel free to stop by the shop or call. Top Secrets, WD-40s, Chocolate Foam Back Emergers, Mercury Black Beauties and RS2s are great pupa/emerger patterns. ** Find the full Fly Fishing in the Winter series HERE. The best fishing is from Bridge Crossing to the lower boundary of the Tee Pee Club. Nymphing will be more consistent than dry flies during this time of year. Freshwater Fishing Mercury Midge (#22-24), Black Beauty (#22-24), Miracle Midge (#22-24), Bling Midge (#22-24), Zebra Midge (#20-24), Blood Midge (#20-22), Disco Midge (#20-22), Top Secret Midge (#22-24), Manhattan Midge (#22-24), Jujubee Midge (#22-24). Winter fly fishing in Colorado: One of this sport’s largest misconceptions is that fly fishing is solely a spring-fall activity. save. You will … Surface: Parachute Adams (#24), Griffiths Gnat (#22 - 24), Need flies for your trip? hide. This entire stretch can be accessed by road. Experience some of the best winter water in Colorado, only a few minutes from your own front porch. Although a lot of public access points can be found upstream, as you get closer to the property you will find greater privacy and seclusion on the river. Only 322 miles of Colorado’s 9,000 miles of trout streams, and three lakes carry this “Gold Medal” classification. Winter Fly Fishing Clothing. General rule of thumb for winter fishing is to target fish in the slow, deep pools. Expect to catch mostly Browns and Rainbows, with the occasional Cutthroat. ... I’m new to fly fishing, this was the most exhilarating fishing experience I’ve had I was so excited! In the winter and spring, nymphing is the name of the game. Must Have Flies: Winter Edition. Adjust slider to see a specific acreage range. There tend to be some slippery slopes and crowds, but it’s popular because of its plentiful midge hatches. Let’s take a look at the top spots for winter fly fishing in Colorado: Cheesman/Deckers: This is a busier area in the South Platte. Aside from the hoards of anglers that flock to this river every weekend, it is one of our favorites to fish. There are miles of public water to fish in and around the hamlet of Deckers. Lazy Bones Ranch is only a two mile snowshoe from the South Platte and accessible by car year-round. Sections where the sun hits the water is where you can find feeding fish. David Bacon, a.k.a. "Capt. The Deckers stretch of the South Platte River is a heavily sought after and highly productive stretch of river located roughly one hour from Denver. This is when trout become most active during the day. While most rivers form thick ice layers during the winter months, tailwaters like Deckers are warm enough to stay ice free throughout the winter. For steelhead fly fishing, the upper 40 miles of the Trinity near Lewiston is perfect because of its deep pools and ledgerock shelves situated in between canyons and lush evergreen forests. Sub-surface: Mercury Midge (#22-24), Black Beauty (#22-24), Miracle Midge (#22-24), Bling Midge (#22-24), Zebra Midge (#20-24), Blood Midge (#20-22), Disco Midge (#20-22), Top Secret Midge (#22-24), Manhattan Midge (#22-24), Jujubee Midge (#22-24), RS2 (#20-22), Barr's Emerger (#20-22), Chocolate Foam Wing Emerger (#20-22), JuJu Baetis (#20-22), Mercury Pheasant Tail (#20-22), WD 40 (#20-22), Buckskin Caddis (#18), Guides Choice Hares Ear (#16-18), red Copper John (#18-20), Rainbow Warrior (#16-28), Pat's Rubber Legs, pink/green scud, leech pattern and San Juan Worm. Only eight miles from Lazy Bones Ranch, Deckers offers some of the best fly-fishing in Colorado. Use an attractor pattern in front of the midge such as an egg, stonefly nymph, scud, or San Juan worm. The Deckers section of the South Platte river is easy accessed from many locations. share. The key to winter fishing is staying comfortable. Winter fishing is oftentimes the most technical fishing of the year. Fishing can be done from the shoreline, a pier, a kayak, a private boat or a state-of-the-art large vessel. Deckers is found directly downstream from Cheesman Reservoir along Highway 67. The water temperature and available food sources in the river allow large Rainbow and Brown trout to inhabit this section of river year round. Since Deckers is technically a tailwater, you can find good fishing and solitude here during the winter if you aren’t afraid of using light tippets and particularly small flies. hide. Winter fly fishing at Deckers, Colorado with my pup. Type any word of phrase to find relevant properties and articles (ex: "Trees Ranch" or "trophy elk"). This Gold Medal section of the South Platte starts below Cheesman Reservoir and ends just downstream from the Scraggy View Picnic Area. Winter fly fishing at Deckers, Colorado with my pup. Winter Trout Fly Fishing in Pennsylvania The winter months in Pennsylvania can vary quite a bit. It's proximity to Denver and it's wade friendly features makes for a great destination for anglers of all experience levels. report. Fishing the Deckers stretch of the South Platte River is arguably one of the most difficult but rewarding rivers in the state. One of the things that makes Deckers incredible is its’ year-round accessibility and warmer water temperatures. The Blue River: This runs out of the Dillon Reservoir and is an ideal spot for winter fly fishing. Colorado Fly Fishing Report for Deckers on the South Platte by Pat Dorsey. According to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the Deckers stretch of the South Platte contains just over 3,000 trout per mile with Rainbows, Browns and Cutthroats making up this healthy population. https://www.mirrranchgroup.com/winter-fly-fishing-at-deckers Our renowned fly fishing guides , to include Colorado’s only two Simms Ambassadors , know every aspect of Deckers on the South Platte River and we invite you to join us on one of our guided fly fishing trips to Deckers . When the flows are up and the winter storms have subsided, you can sometimes catch fish greater than 20” on this specific stretch of river. FlyCast has collaborated with our friends at Anglers All ​to package a dozen flies that are hot at Deckers right now -. To explore more about the ranch, check out our recent blog on the Holidays at Lazy Bones Ranch. Deckers. That said, for the unprepared, winter fly fishing can not only be a frustrating snooze, it can turn ugly and downright dangerous in a heartbeat. 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