Share your catch

South Platte River (Deckers) Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Front Range's home tailwater: Cheesman Canyon's technical rainbows minutes from Denver.

1/5
Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.
Flow
85 cfs
Air / High
89 / 90 F
Wind
W 11 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 06701900, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

1/5Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.

South Platte River (Deckers) feels the season turning: shorter days, grouping fish. The river is running 85 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind W around 11 mph, rising pressure near 1002 hPa and a high of 90. Water sits around 54 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutFair

Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown troutFair

Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

Tomorrow: Similar at 86 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from SOUTH PLATTE RIVER BLW BRUSH CRK NEAR TRUMBULL, CO.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 06701900.

10715019285 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp89 F
High / Low90 / 61 F
WindW 11-12 mph
Pressure1001.9 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 15%
Sunrise / Sunset06:32 / 19:27
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~54 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 90/61 F, wind 29 mph, rain 15%

Slow. Wind at 29 mph makes boat control the day's real problem; find protected banks.

Species guide

The species that matter on South Platte River (Deckers): seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Best: Sep-Nov

Wary, predatory and nocturnal by preference. The big ones eat streamers. Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

When to come: the South Platte River (Deckers) calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 54 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~54 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks South Platte River (Deckers) today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 89 F, wind to 18 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 89 F, wind to 16 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 84 F, wind to 9 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Colorado requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Artificial flies and lures only, catch-and-release in Cheesman Canyon; 2-trout bag below with size rules. Confirm with CPW.

Access

Roadside pullouts along CR-67 through Deckers; Gill Trail for the canyon; ample but popular: weekday dawns win.

About this water

Blue-ribbon tailwater of Cheesman Reservoir, Jefferson/Douglas counties, CO. Rebuilt strongly after the 2002 Hayman fire.

Fishing South Platte River (Deckers): the full guide

Deckers and the Canyon

The South Platte at Deckers is Colorado's most-fished trout water for a reason: stable Cheesman releases, prolific midges and baetis, and educated rainbows that teach presentation fast. Upstream, Cheesman Canyon's boulder pockets are the graduate seminar: 4X gets refused, 6X gets eaten. Winter fishes surprisingly well.

Cheesman Canyon, the graduate course

Above Deckers, the Gill Trail accesses Cheesman Canyon: boulder pockets holding some of Colorado's most educated rainbows. Sight-fishing at 6X-7X, size 22 midges and tricos, drifts measured in inches: humbling and addictive. The canyon fishes year-round thanks to bottom-release flows.

Reading the famous flows

The Platte here runs best 100-400 cfs: our gauge panel shows it live. Winter lows (50-90 cfs) mean spooky pods and tiny bugs; spring bumps bring the worm-and-egg window; summer afternoons push fish into riffle oxygen. Locals check flow before coffee: now you can too.

Winter's open water

Deckers' tailwater privilege shows in January: the dam-fed flows stay open and midge-fishable when the mountains lock up, and midday windows (11-3, sun on the water) bring pods of rainbows to the surface film. Crowds thin to the faithful; the fish pod up in the slow winter pools. A 20-minute drive difference between skiing and sight-nymphing: Colorado's front-range luxury.

Common questions

Is Deckers too crowded to enjoy?

Weekends near the bridge, yes. Walk ten minutes upstream or down, or take the canyon trail, and pressure thins dramatically: the fish are everywhere the water is.

What flies work at Deckers?

Small and honest: zebra midges, RS2s, black beauties (18-24), pale tricos in summer mornings, eggs and worms on bumps. 6X fluorocarbon is standard equipment.

Is fishing good at South Platte River (Deckers) right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Tough. Pick your battles. Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.

Nearby waters

Chatfield Reservoir21 miTarryall Reservoir21 miEvergreen Lake27 miElevenmile Canyon Reservoir27 miBear Creek28 miSpinney Mountain Reservoir30 mi
Share your catch