19 posts tagged “Cheesman Canyon”. Browse all tags →
Craig McDonald's Scottish jig nymph — red wire rib, UV brown body, silver bead. Named after the battery. Why it dominates Deckers and Cheesman November through April.
Lance Egan's UV pink hotspot Pheasant Tail jig — competition-bred, guide-proven. Why this pattern works year-round on Deckers and Cheesman when standard PTs stop producing.
Landon Mayer's pine squirrel mini leech on a jig hook. Dead-drift, jig-style — why this small pattern out-fishes traditional swung streamers on South Platte tailwaters.
Spanish competition nymph with a UV resin body that sinks 40% faster than traditional patterns. The anchor fly that gets your rig to depth before the current wins.
Rim Chung tied the RS2 in the 1970s for the South Platte. Fifty years later it's still the most-fished emerger on Deckers, the Dream Stream, and Cheesman.
Russell Blessing's 1967 Pennsylvania pattern is the most-tied fly in fly fishing. Why the Wooly Bugger still earns its place in a South Platte box for fall browns and high water.
The caddis hatch on the South Platte runs May through July and triggers the best dry-fly fishing of the year. When it happens, what to throw, and which sections fish best.
The dry-dropper is the most versatile South Platte setup. How to build it, when to use it over a straight nymph rig, and which fly combinations work at Cheesman and Deckers.
How to fish the South Platte when flows spike — which sections stay fishable, tactics for high water, and what the runoff window means for the rest of the season.
Rain changes everything on the South Platte — what it does to the fish, which hatches it triggers, and how to dress and fish when the weather turns.
The complete guide to Pale Morning Dun fishing on the South Platte — hatch timing by section, exact patterns, and how to adjust for refusals.
How to euro nymph the South Platte's technical tailwater — leader setup, fly selection, reading current seams, and where it outperforms indicator fishing.
The current seams, structure, and holding lies that matter on South Platte tailwater — how to find fish in Cheesman Canyon, Deckers, and the Dream Stream.
Exactly what I pack for a South Platte day trip to Cheesman or Deckers — not the aspirational gear list, the actual one built over years of getting it wrong.
December through February on the South Platte — midge fishing in Cheesman Canyon, gear for cold-weather wading, and why the off-season crowds are gone.
September through November on the South Platte — when to throw streamers, which patterns work at Cheesman and Deckers, and how to fish them correctly.
Fall Blue-Winged Olive fishing on the South Platte — why October BWOs are better than spring, hatch timing, patterns, and tactics.
The fly shops worth stopping at before your South Platte trip — local intel, guided options, and who actually knows the river you're fishing.
Everything you need before your first trip to Cheesman Canyon — directions, the hike, Gold Medal regulations, best beats, and timing.