In this report
243 CFS—Right in the Window, but Fish Behavior Will Tell You Why
We’re sitting at 243 CFS this week, and that number lands exactly where Deckers fishes best: comfortably inside the 150–400 CFS sweet spot. Wading is honest—stable, readable, not pushy—and the current is organized enough that fish hold in predictable slots rather than scattering or tucking tight against the banks. Water temperature is running cool for early June (low 50s in the deep runs, low 60s in the shallows at midday), which keeps trout active through the afternoon and means you won’t face the metabolic slowdown that comes with warmer water later in the month.
The real story this week isn’t the flow; it’s what that moderate current does to the emergence window and drift geometry. At this level, Deckers’ riffles and runs have good definition. The faster water stays fast enough to push insects toward the surface without the chaotic, broken-drift problem you’d get at 500+ CFS. The slower pockets—the inside bends and tails of pools—aren’t so sluggish that PMDs and caddis pile up and spook before you can get a fly to them. If you’re planning a trip, this is a clean week to be here.
Pale Morning Duns Own the Midday Window
Pale Morning Duns are the dominant mayfly right now, and their emergence follows a predictable rhythm on Deckers. Look for #16–18 duns starting around 10:30 a.m. and peaking through 1:30 p.m., with stragglers continuing into early afternoon on cloudy days. This is not a “hatch” in the sense of simultaneous, dramatic density—Deckers is a freestone-tailwater hybrid with solid but moderate PMD pressure—but it’s consistent enough that selective fish will key on them, and it’s your most reliable dry-fly window of the day.
Fish the dun itself if you see risers, but don’t sleep on the emerger. A #18 PMD emerger in olive or yellow working the film as nymphs transition to winged adults often outfishes the dry outright, especially in the riffles where emergence happens and fish don’t have time to be picky. The current at 243 CFS pushes nymphs up steadily without blowing them off the surface, so emergers sit in the feed lane long enough to draw strikes.
Caddis will show up around dusk, typically #14–16 tan or brown patterns. Don’t overcommit to them—the spinner fall and egg-laying activity are present but secondary to the PMD window—but have a few Elk Hair Caddis or CDC-style patterns on hand and fish them on the tails and slower pockets as light drops. Trout will eat them opportunistically, especially if you’ve spent the afternoon fishing nymphs and they’re a little less spook-prone by evening.
Midges run the entire day, which is a reminder that your point fly should almost always be small. #22–24 zebra midges, RS2 emergers, or Barr Emergers in black or olive are your anchor, regardless of what else is hatching. Deckers holds a solid midge population year-round, and even during the PMD window, subsurface midge activity outnumbers everything else in terms of actual bug biomass. That’s your volume play.
How to Actually Fish It This Week
The Setup
Drop a #22–24 midge emerger or Barr Emerger (black or olive) on your point, and hang a #18 PMD emerger 18 inches above it as your dropper. Use 4X tippet to the dropper knot and 5X to the point fly—4X is stout enough to handle minor tangles and the occasional larger trout while still small enough that the tippet won’t spook fish at this flow and water clarity. The slight weight difference between the two flies gives you a natural, separated drift without requiring an indicator-based rig.
For subsurface work during non-hatch hours (early morning, late afternoon, after dark), switch the dropper to a small Barr’s Olive or a #16 Pheasant Tail nymph and add a single split shot 12–14 inches above the point fly. This gets you down to the seams and soft edges without overweighting and dragging. At 243 CFS, the moderate current will carry your shot through the run at a natural speed, and you’re not fighting the river to maintain depth.
The Water Types
Spend your morning energy on the riffles and the heads of runs—where water accelerates and aeration draws emerging insects to the surface. The PMD emergers will work best here, and the current dynamics are clean enough that a natural drift is achievable without excessive mending. You’ll feel takes on the droppper and see fish bulging under emergers.
As the afternoon intensifies and the hatch thickens (11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.), shift to the softer edges of deeper runs and the inside bends of pools. Fish will be feeding more actively in the slower water where food drifts longer, and the moderate flow keeps them from being as hyper-focused on position. Cover water methodically rather than hammering single spots; at this flow, fish aren’t stacked, and moving 10–15 feet between casts is often more productive than working one seam to death.
Skip the absolutely slowest back-eddy pools on Deckers; fish here are often fine and few between, and the water is clear enough that you’re casting to individual holding trout rather than a feeding lane. Your time is better spent in runs with some current push.
Late Afternoon and Evening
By 3:30 p.m., the PMD emergence tails off, and subsurface work becomes primary again. This is when switching back to the midge/nymph combo or adding split shot to get deeper in the runs pays dividends. Trout aren’t rising, but they’re still feeding, and a small nymph drifted tight to the bottom or through the mid-column will connect with active fish.
As light drops and if caddis begin showing (usually 7 p.m. onward in early June), fish the dries on the pocket water and tails. The slower light also means trout are less wary, so you can cover more water without fear of spooking before you cast.
Logistics: Water Temp and Weekend Crowds
Low 50s at depth is excellent for fish, but don’t take it for granted. If you’re handling and releasing trout, wet your hands first and minimize air exposure—even cool water fish are stressed by warm-hand handling. Barbless hooks make this faster and more humane. Current regulations allow 2 trout over 16 inches, but verify with Parks and Wildlife before you go; rules shift annually.
CO-67 sees weekend crowds from May through October, and early June marks the start of the season crush. If you can get to Deckers on a weekday, do it. The roadside access off Trumbull and Deckers Bridge draws predictable pressure, especially around midday. Parking fills fast, and the water in front of the obvious access points fishes harder as the day goes on. Consider arriving early or targeting less-obvious access points further out on the road if the main lots are packed.
Enjoy the week. 243 is genuinely good for Deckers, fish are active, and the hatch window is solid. Get there.