Deckers, CO. South Platte River. January 9, 2013
Remarkable. Fishing in January at 6,200 feet in close to 50 degree weather. The fish are supposed to be difficult to catch at this time of year, but with the help of my guide we were able to spot dozens of fish and pass flies right in front of their noses and catch close to a dozen. My biggest challenge is to keep “tight lines” after hooking the fish. I go momentarily insane with excitement and stop thinking about the last step, i.e. actually getting the fish into my net.
The Deckers area of the South Platte is an especially good winter fishing spot because the access to the fishing is a matter of opening up your car door and walking a dozen feet or so to the river. We only spotted another half dozen or so anglers, so you have the river mostly to yourself.
My biggest lesson today was not actually on the water. It was the end of the day, and I decided I would be very clever and not take my rod apart so as to be all ready to go tomorrow morning. So, I put the rod on top of the car as I made room in the truck to lay her down. (I have a Sage rod that cost about $600.) We took off our waders and set off to scout some spots where I could successfully fish the rest of the week.
On our way back out of the canyon, I spotted a rod laying on the road ahead of us and yelled for my guide to veer off. We saw a few anglers at the riverside and checked to see if they’ve “misplaced” their rod. In the meantime I got out to pick it up and gasped when I discovered that it’s my rod. Yep, drove for several miles before it fell off the top of the car where I left it, but rediscovered it all in one piece. That could have put a little dent in the budget.
