South Platte — Deckers and Cheesman · fly box
Two rivers in one: a pocket-water canyon above and a walk-and-wade flat below.
| Pattern | Imitates | Size | Technique |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jujubee Midge | Chironomid larva | #20-22 | Tight-line nymphing in the canyon pocket water, rod high, no indicator. |
| Mercury Black Beauty | Chironomid pupa | #20-24 | Drop it 40 cm behind a heavier anchor nymph and let it swing at the dangle. |
| RS2, grey | Baetis emerger | #20-22 | Fish it in the surface film on a 5-metre leader; watch for a tiny boil. |
| Pheasant Tail Nymph | Mayfly nymph | #16-18 | The anchor fly in a two-nymph rig when you need depth in fast pocket water. |
| Foam Beetle | Terrestrial beetle | #14 | Deckers flat, cast to the undercut grass bank and let it drift untouched. |
The dressing plate
On this river
Pocket water in the canyon
Cheesman is a series of small, deep pockets behind boulders, each about the size of a bathtub and each holding one or two fish. Fish them one at a time: two-metre cast, two-second drift, step. The whole canyon is fished at a range shorter than most people's back cast.
Trico mornings at Deckers
From late July the Trico spinner fall starts around 07:30 and lasts until the sun hits the water, sometimes only 40 minutes. Use a 5-metre leader tapering to 7X, a single #22 spinner, and position yourself upstream of the pods so the fly arrives before the leader. When it ends it ends completely — do not keep casting at dead water.
Winter nymphing without an indicator
In January the fish are in the slowest, deepest third of each pocket and they will not move for a fly. Sink a single small midge larva on a Euro rig, keep the rod tip within 30 cm of the water, and feel for the take rather than watching for it. Cold-water takes feel like the fly stopping, nothing more.