The South Platte at Deckers has settled in at 250 cfs, and fishing’s looking pretty good! Water temps are staying reasonably cool throughout the day, and the fish have been happy as a result. Bigger bugs have been the name of the game; don’t be afraid to size up your nymphs a bit! That being said, there’s still plenty of opportunities to fish dries, nymphs, and streamers successfully throughout the day.
Nymph rigs and hopper droppers have been the most successful techniques as of late, with heavier and larger droppers taking an ample amount of fish. Big, foamy hoppers with a squirmy, pats rubber legs, or heavy perdigon dropped below have been producing well throughout the day. However, dropping a smaller baetis, midge, or caddis pupa imitation behind the bigger bugs has also been doing well, particularly in the morning.
For the dry fly enthusiasts, plenty of opportunities still exist for surface action in the morning and late afternoon, with fish primarily keying in on tricos, caddis, and midges. While PMD’s are still around, we’re on the tail end of PMD season and don’t expect consistent hatches to continue for much longer. Strong trico hatches are still present in the mornings, so be sure to stock up on tiny trico spinners and light tippet for those picky, early morning risers. Expect sporadic hatches of PMD’s, midges, and caddis throughout the day, though hopper fishing has the most consistent for mid-day dry fly action.
We expect the fishing to stay good throughout the rest of the summer, and should get even better as fall approaches. Swing into the Lone Tree shop to restock on flies and ask us any questions you may have! See y’all on the water
Tyler Banker