In this report
Low Water, Low Light, and Midges—the October Sweet Spot
We’re running 105 CFS at Deckers right now, and that’s notably below the 150-CFS floor of this water’s comfortable range. That’s the story of the week: clear, slow, and honest about what it means.
Low water on a freestone reach like this doesn’t play the same way it does on a big tailwater. You lose riffles. The current tongues that usually break up fish and spread them across the channel compress into thin ribbons along the deeper slots and behind the bigger rocks. Holding water becomes obvious and finite—which is good for knowing where to look, and bad for fish that feel exposed. Wading is easier (you’re rarely over your knees in the shallower runs), but that same shallow clarity cuts both ways. A poorly placed cast or a sloppy approach will spook everything in a 20-foot radius. Temperature is staying mild in early October—the water isn’t warm enough yet to stress trout badly—but low volume always means less thermal buffering. Watch for fish tucked tight to cover and willing to eat, but also less forgiving of mistakes.
The upside: Deckers at 105 CFS is still very fishable. It’s just asking you to slow down, wade softly, and trust small flies and tight line work. That’s not a curse on this water. That’s Deckers being Deckers.
What’s Hatching Now
Blue-Winged Olives are beginning their fall push on gray days, but they’re not the main meal yet. October’s bread and butter here is midges—specifically black midges in sizes #20–24, emergers, and the occasional pupa in the film. This is midge season on the South Platte, full stop. Tricos are done. PMD mayflies are history. What’s left is small, dark, abundant, and patient.
On a day like this—early October, overcast conditions—the midge emerger bite typically opens mid-morning and stays decent through afternoon. Trout in the slower, clearer slots will key on #22 and #24 emergers, especially anything with a small split-shotted anchor (a Mercury Midge or Barr’s-style dark nymph) to hold in the film. When you do get a sparse BWO hatch on a genuinely gray day, it will be sparse: a few #20–22 duns, mostly on moss-covered rocks and along the bank. Don’t count on it. Count on midges.
Browns are beginning their pre-spawn behavior—they’re more aggressive, darker, and willing to eat streamers in the early mornings. If you want to throw streamers, a black or dark-olive Woolly Bugger in #8 or #10 fished early and in deeper slots can turn a fish. But that’s not the main event this week. Small bugs, small lines, and patience are the ticket.
How to Fish It
Rigging for the low-water, midge-focused week:
Start with a 9-foot leader tapered to 4X, then tie a 12-inch section of 5X tippet below that knot. This tippet section is critical at 105 CFS: thin enough to present small emergers without drag, but not so fine that you’re fighting every snag and the inevitable brown trout’s head shake.
Your point fly: A Mercury Midge or small Barr’s Emerger in #22 or #24, tied in black or dark gray. Add a single split shot 18 inches above it—no more. In this low water, you’re not chasing depth; you’re chasing the shallow slots and current lines where fish hold. That one shot gets you ticking bottom in 2 to 3 feet of water, which is most of what you’ll find here this week.
Your dropper: Tie a 10-inch dropper loop 12 inches above the point fly. Thread a #20 or #22 midge emerger (RS2, Barr’s Emerger, or a simple black nymph) through the loop. This gives you a two-fly rig that lets you fish the zone where emergers hang—not on the bottom, not in the film, but in between.
Indicator or tight-line? At this flow and water clarity, tight-line nymphing works better than a bobber. A tight line lets you feel the subtle take of a midge-feeding trout (which is usually a tiny pause, not a dramatic strike) and keeps your rig presentation cleaner in skinny water. Use a small euro-nymph cast if you know it, or a standard upstream nymph cast with a tight hand and a sensitive rod tip. Deckers rewards feel over flash.
Where to focus:
Ignore the shallow, fast-water run types this week. At 105 CFS, those rifles have thinned out and flattened. Instead, hunt the slightly deeper slots where current still moves water but trout can hold without getting pushed downstream. Look for the inside bends of meanders and the soft water immediately downstream of basketball-sized rocks. These aren’t dramatic, deep pools—this is a roadside freestone, not a canyon—but they’re the places where a trout can sit and eat without working. Work those seams hard, make short, accurate casts, and let your rig drift naturally at its own pace.
The calmer runs, too, are worth time. Trout will be stationed right at the head of slower sections where water transitions from broken to smooth, often inches below where current begins to slow. Dead-drift your rig through those windows with a slack-line cast—one false cast, direct delivery, let it go. You’ll surprise fish that way.
Logistics and Stewardship
Access is easy. CO-67 is fully open, and parking at Deckers Bridge or the Scraggy View picnic area is straightforward. Weekend traffic is still moderate in early October; you won’t see the summer crush. Arrive mid-morning and you’ll have room to work.
Wading is forgiving. The low flow means stable footing and rarely deep water. Watch for slick rocks—they’re always treacherous—but you can move around confidently and cover water in a short morning or afternoon without battling current.
Fish welfare: At 105 CFS and mild October temperatures, trout aren’t stressed by flow or heat. That said, handle carefully. Low water means every fish you land is visible to every other fish nearby, and word travels. Keep it quick, keep your hands wet, and let them go.
Remember: this is flies and lures only, and you can keep two fish over 16 inches if you want to. Verify current regulations before you fish—they can shift year to year.
This is honest fishing. Low water, small bugs, and a trout that knows your business. Deckers is asking you to think, move carefully, and trust the details. Do that, and you’ll find fish.