Deckers

Anyone that's picked up a fly rod and is local to Denver knows Deckers.  It's a stretch of the South Platte River that is less than an hour from the metro area.  The fishing here is incredible despite the fact that it sees a lot of pressure.  Not to mention, in the summer you will undoubtedly battle a steady parade of kids tubing down the river.  Don't let it discourage you though.  I caught the fish shown above just after a group of tubers passed over it.  It was a summer day in August.  It was hot and nobody was catching anything in the afternoon.  After working the deep runs with RS2's and a variety of midges, I decided to move into the shallows.  I typically always run a dry dropper rig in late summer because of the terrestrial activity.  My favorite is a size 10 or 12 Amy's Ant because it mimics a couple of different bugs, is highly visible, and very buoyant.  Sometimes the trout just can't ignore a meal like this.  Luckily, that was the case here as this trout was drawn up when there appeared to be no surface activity otherwise. 

The only time I can recall having a stretch of the river completely to myself was mid-day during a weekday in December with snow on the ground (see photo below).  The fish were moving and feeding low.  I tried a variety of usual midges (Black Beauty, Mercury Midge, etc) which typically produce in the winter.  No dice.  I decided to completely change my approach and tied on a Pat's Rubber Legs stonefly imitation.  I was sight fishing to a specific trout.  The first time I ran it past him, there was no resisting it.  I went on to catch the fish above in a deeper pool. 

Deckers Flybox

• Amy's Ant
• Parachute Adams
• Elk Hair Caddis
• Craven's Two Bit Hooker
• RS2
• Black Beauty (normal and Mercury)
• Mercury Midge
• Zebra Midge