Effective Patterns: #20 JujuBaetis, #20-22 Choc Foam Wing Emerger, #22 Stalcup's Baetis, #20-22 Mercury Midge, #20-22 Manhattan Midge, #20 Pale Olive Midge Larva, #22-24 Black Beauty, #22-24 Bling Midge, #22-24 Top Secret Midge, #22-24 Minute Midge, #22-24 Jujubee Midge, #22-24 Matt's Midge, #22-24 Griffith Gnat, #20 Sparkle Dun, and #24-26 Parachute Adams.
The mileage below Cheesman Canyon is the renowned Deckers area, a world-class fishery with easy access and lots of opportunity. The best fishing is from Bridge Crossing to the lower boundary of the Tee Pee Club. Like Cheesman Canyon, the fish are challenging to catch, and there is no substitution for a good dead drift. Deckers can offer good dry fly fishing at times but like upstream in the “The Canyon” a good nympher will catch the majority of fish. Anglers can expect to catch assortment of browns and rainbows with some exceeding 20 inches. The river is made up of riffles, runs, shelves and gravel bars, and nice pocket water. The ideal flow for Deckers is between 150 and 400 cfs. The regulations are two trout over 16 inches in length and flies and lures only. Please consider catch and release on all fish caught in the area.
Fishing in and around the Deckers has been good as of late. Anglers can expect to see a reliable midge bite in the a.m. followed by some olives around 1 p.m. The water is currently stained a bit from the bump in flows the past two days. This happens each year during the initial flow rise, as it removes a lot the debris from the substrate. The water is still extremely cold so targeting the soft water margins is still your best best. Dead drifting midge pupae and Baetis nymphs during the height of each hatch has been producing some nice fish. Dry fly enthusiast are finding their fair share of rising fish as well.