River · Front Range
South Platte River at Deckers (Cheesman Canyon)
Seasonal notes
The South Platte from Cheesman Dam down through the canyon to Deckers is the most technically demanding trout water in Colorado and one of the best wild-trout rivers in the West. Cheesman releases cold bottom water all year, so the reach fishes on a tailwater rhythm rather than a runoff cycle, and the wild rainbows and browns that live here spend most of their time on size 20–26 midges, Baetis, and PMDs — refused far more often than eaten. Cheesman Canyon itself is hike-in, down the Gill Trail from the canyon trailhead on County Road 126 a few miles above Deckers; the walk is why weekdays still feel uncrowded. The Deckers water below the canyon is roadside and takes noticeably more pressure. Late-winter midging in February and March is the signature event, best on grey days when the dam is holding steady somewhere near 100–130 cfs. Late summer runs much bigger — 200 to 380 cfs is ordinary from August into October — which scatters fish out of the slow water and makes a weighted nymph rig the honest choice. Watch water temperature in July and August: the river picks up heat over the six miles between the dam and Deckers, and the reach can approach the 21°C mark that ends a trout's day.
What’s hatching
MidgeGoodYear-round, peak Feb–MarCloud cover
Best: grey days, steady release
CaddisIn seasonJun–AugIn season — no live conditions to judge it by
Best: evenings
Pale Morning DunIn seasonJun–AugIn season — no live conditions to judge it by
Best: mornings & evenings
Confidence is graded from live National Weather Service conditions and gage flow as of Jul 31, 1:35 PM MDT. Time of day is left to you — check the “Best” line above.
What changed this week
No new stocking, closures, or condition changes in the past week.
Current conditions
Discharge
191cfs
Gage height
1.39ft
Water temp
—
below normal for Jul 31 (17 yrs of record)
Last reading Jul 31, 2:00 PM MDT. Source: Colorado Division of Water Resources gage PLACHECO.
Flows shown are read at the Cheesman Dam outlet, about 6 river miles above Deckers. This is a controlled tailwater, so the release number tracks the water at Deckers closely — side inflow through the canyon adds little. There is a second gage, USGS 06701900, about 0.8 miles below Deckers. It is not where the live number above comes from.
Weather
Air temp
64°F
Wind
8mph
Precip
47%
Gusting to 16 mph.
Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Latest Stocking
No stocking recorded this season.
Special regulations
Gold Medal water, in two separately regulated segments, both artificial flies and lures only. From Cheesman Dam downstream to the Wigwam Club's south property line — the Cheesman Canyon water — every trout must be returned to the water immediately. From the Wigwam Club's north line downstream to Scraggy View Picnic Ground — the Deckers water — the limit is 2 trout 16 inches or longer. The stretch between the two, along the Wigwam Club frontage, is private. Parking at the Cheesman Canyon trailhead and at the Deckers pull-offs fills early on summer weekends.
Quick ref: Gold Medal. Cheesman Dam down to the Wigwam Club south line (Cheesman Canyon): artificial flies and lures only, all trout returned to the water immediately. Wigwam Club north line down to Scraggy View Picnic Ground (the Deckers water): artificial flies and lures only, 2 trout 16 inches or longer.
Location
Nearby waters
Nearby fly shops
Get South Platte River at Deckers (Cheesman Canyon) conditions every Thursday
Flow, the go/no-go call, CPW stocking and closure notices for South Platte River at Deckers (Cheesman Canyon) — one email, Thursday morning. Sign up and we'll send this week's report right now.