Deckers – South Platte
14 Day Forecast: Look for sporadic hatches of midges.
Effective Patterns: #20-22 Top Secret Midge, #20-22 Manhattan Midge, #20-22 Jujubaetis, #20-22 Top Secret Baetis, #20-24 Chocolate Foam Wing Emerger, #18 Micro Egg, #20-22 Red Larva, #20 Mercurry Blood Midge, #20 Flashback Mercury Black Beauty, #20 Buckskin, #20-22 Pat's Midge, #20-24 Griffith Gnat, #22 Mole Fly, and #22-24 Parachute Adams.
Measurements
Colorado Fly Fishing Report for Deckers on the South Platte by Pat Dorsey
The mileage below Cheesman Canyon is the renowned Deckers area, a world-class fishery with easy access and lots of opportunity. The best fishing is from Bridge Crossing to the lower boundary of the Tee Pee Club. Like Cheesman Canyon, the fish are challenging to catch, and there is no substitution for a good dead drift. Deckers can offer good dry fly fishing at times but like upstream in the “The Canyon” a good nympher will catch the majority of fish. Anglers can expect to catch assortment of browns and rainbows with some exceeding 20 inches. The river is made up of riffles, runs, shelves and gravel bars, and nice pocket water. The ideal flow for Deckers is between 150 and 400 cfs. The regulations are two trout over 16 inches in length and flies and lures only. Please consider catch and release on all fish caught in the area.
Deckers is a world-renowned stretch of the South Platte River. There are miles of public water to fish in and around the hamlet of Deckers.
Tips & Other Information:
Outflows are currently 92 cfs below Cheesman Reservoir, which is below normal for this time of year. Denver Water has reduced the flow the last three days in an effort to conserve water. Cheesman Reservoir is at 80% capacity as of this morning. Considering all things, and the drought we’re experiencing, it could be much worse. Fishing is starting to pick up in and around the Deckers area. Target the deeper runs and slower pools with spider web thin tippets and tiny midges. As the water warms the fish move into the riffles in the afternoon. The midge hatches are really starting to intensify. We’re seeing both the large spring midge and the standard small midge right now. Observation is key, make sure you make the appriopriate fly changes based on what the fish are keying on. It’s to your advantage to cover lots of water as the trout wisen up quick in the slower water with repetitive casting. Look for some sporadic BWO’s in the days to come on the lower river. The best fishing is between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Revised 3/11/26