Prolific Caddis Fly Hatch on the South Platte makes for fat trout and happy anglers
On Memorial Day weekend I had the opportunity to fish below Deckers. Leaving a moderate crowd around Deckers, I went downstream below Oxyoke. I found the river to be largely deserted of anglers. A massive Caddis fly hatch was just getting started when I arrived around 11:00 AM and it continued until around 4:30 PM. The bugs came in waves and at times were prolific, and as good as anything I have witnessed on the Arkansas or Roaring Fork. Trout were rising continually for 5 hours and most were not very selective. The Caddis seemed to vary in size from a #16 to #20 and had black bodies and grayish translucent wings. Effective patterns were the Peacock Caddis, Barr’s Web Wing Caddis and the Puterbaugh Caddis. It was one of the most memorable days I have had fishing dry flies to rising trout. By the end of the day the trout all had plump little bellies and I was also quite content. You must go!
Jim Cannon
I to have been slipping more and more down stream to avoid the crowds and have been rewarded with solitude and fish with attitudes, you are right on with the caddis hatch, at a little before lunch I have been dropping a tan sparkle pupa below my elkhair caddis and have been rewarded with several nice fat rainbows..
There is so much water that rarely gets fished by the fly fishermen. It doesn’t have as many fish over 16″ because the bait fishermen clean them out. But, there are lots of fish in the 10-14 inch range, and some larger fish too. Most of the fly anglers concentrate from the Deckers bridge up and then from Trumble up stream. Once you get below the OXYOLK the angling pressure thins out allot. I love it down there!!