It had been a depressing start to the 2014 fishing season, with only one fruitless day spent on the Pueblo Tailwater before heading up to fish the Deckers area yesterday. I have fished the Pueblo section of the Arkansas a few times this winter, but have only managed to fool a few fish, despite trying everything in my boxes. It's extremely humbling to fish a water for multiple days with nothing to show for it. The 2nd day in Pueblo was the one of the first skunkings I've taken since I first picked up a fly rod nearly 4 years ago. I appreciate that catching fish is only part of the awesome adventure of fly fishing, but bringing fish to the net help to validate that we actually have it somewhat figured out on the water.
Headed up to Deckers with a new fishing buddy yesterday, with the hopes of getting the first fish of 2014 under our belt, and the South Platte did not disappoint. We started fishing above the Deckers bridge, and the first couple holes gave us what we were looking for, giving us both fish in both Midge Hole and Bend Hole. It seems like the fish are finally starting to appear from their winter holes, with active fish in every hole we fished. We headed down to fish some our favorite holes below Trumbull, where more fish were caught. Ended up in Duck Run, where some nice Browns were fooled. Flies of the day were eggs and the normal assortment of South Platte midge patterns, with the Top Secret Midge taking the most fish. We eventually surrendered to the blistering wind, calling it a day, and deciding to drive the back way to 285 following the South Fork down to its confluence with the North Fork. The ice is starting to recede on the North Fork, meaning spring is just around the corner and the fishing will really heat up.
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| A day to forget in Pueblo |
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| Radar fishing Turn Hole |
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| Duck Run |
Mark, I'm a little embarrassed to say I've never fished the South Platte. Maybe you can guide me when the weather is a little more accommodating.
ReplyDeleteHoward,
DeleteWe've talked about fishing together for a while now, so when you feel up to it, you got an all-expenses-paid trip to the Deckers section of the South Platte, courtesy of tieandflycolorado. I'm not a guide, but I gurantee we'll have a good time!