Fishing Pressured Tailwaters — What Actually Works on Deckers
Deckers is the most-fished tailwater on the South Platte. Here's what actually catches fish — small flies, light tippet, clean drifts, and the seams nobody else works.
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Deckers
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Wet Wading: Why I Leave the Waders at Home
Wet wading on the South Platte isn't for everyone. But once you understand when and how to do it right, you might find yourself ditching the waders more often than you'd expect.
What I Bring to the River: An 80-Day-a-Year Angler's Day Pack
Real gear from 80-plus days a year on Colorado tailwaters. The pack, the rod, the fly boxes, the tools, the layers, and the small stuff that makes the day work.
Fly Guide
The Duracell Jig: Red Wire, Silver Bead, and Why It Runs the South Platte in Winter
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.
Fly Guide
The Frenchie: Lance Egan's Competition Jig That Never Left the Guide Box
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.
Fly Guide
Mayer's Mini Leech Jig: The Small Dead-Drift Leech That Out-Catches Streamers
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.
Fly Guide
Olsen's Blowtorch: My Favorite Fly and the Variations I Tie
My favorite fly. Devin Olsen's competition jig with a hot-tag and opalescent rib. Why I tie the Blowtorch in orange, green, with and without CDC — and how to fish it tight-line.
Fly Guide
The Perdigon: Why the Fastest-Sinking Nymph on the South Platte Works
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.
Fly Guide
The RS2: Rim Chung's South Platte Emerger That Defined a Tailwater
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.
Fly Guide
Walt's Worm: The Pennsylvania Nymph That Belongs in Every South Platte Box
Walt Young's 1984 Pennsylvania limestone nymph — buggy hare's ear body, cigar profile — imitates scuds, cased caddis, and crane fly larvae all at once on Deckers.
Fly Guide
The Wooly Bugger: The Most Copied Fly in History and Why It Still Works
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.
A Cigar on the South Platte — The Best Use of the Midday Lull
Between the morning midge hatch and the evening caddis, there's a dead window on the South Platte where the fish go quiet. I stopped fighting it. Now I bring a cigar.
River Guide
Deckers in May: How to Fish the South Platte During Spring Runoff
Tactics, fly selection, and water reading strategies for fishing Deckers on the South Platte River during spring runoff in May.
The South Platte Caddis Hatch — Timing, Flies, and Where to Be
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.
Fly Guide
Barr's Emerger: The PMD Pattern Every South Platte Angler Needs
John Barr's classic emerger imitates mayflies stuck mid-hatch. Recipe, rigging, and when to fish the PMD and BWO versions on Deckers and the Dream Stream.
The Dry-Dropper Rig on the South Platte — How to Fish It Right
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.
Seasonal
Fishing the South Platte During Spring Runoff
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.
Why First Lite Took Over Every Layer of My Wardrobe — and I'm a Fly Fisher
A Colorado fly fisher wearing a hunting brand head to toe. Why First Lite — Wick Merino, Navigator Hoody, the pant rotation, the Rugged Wool — owns my wardrobe year-round.
Fly Guide
PMD Hatch Guide — Pale Morning Duns on the South Platte
The complete guide to Pale Morning Dun fishing on the South Platte — hatch timing by section, exact patterns, and how to adjust for refusals.
Euro Nymphing the South Platte — A Practical Guide
How to euro nymph the South Platte's technical tailwater — leader setup, fly selection, reading current seams, and where it outperforms indicator fishing.
How to Read Water on the South Platte
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.
River Guide
Deckers: The Complete Fly Fishing Guide to the South Platte
Everything you need to fish Deckers — access, hatches, fly selection, flows, and regulations for the South Platte Gold Medal section.
Seasonal
Fall Streamer Fishing on the South Platte
September through November on the South Platte — when to throw streamers, which patterns work at Cheesman and Deckers, and how to fish them correctly.
Fly Guide
Trico Hatch on the South Platte — Late Summer Fly Fishing Guide
When and how to fish the Trico hatch on the South Platte — July through September spinner falls on the Dream Stream and Deckers flat.
Seasonal
Fall BWO Season on the South Platte — October Fly Fishing Guide
Fall Blue-Winged Olive fishing on the South Platte — why October BWOs are better than spring, hatch timing, patterns, and tactics.
The Best Fly Shops Near the South Platte
The fly shops worth stopping at before your South Platte trip — local intel, guided options, and who actually knows the river you're fishing.