South Park

Choose the season, stream and fly

Photo: Hatch Fly Shop

by Jeremy Hyatt
The Hatch Fly Shop
The South Fork is recovering from devastation in the last few years. Starting with Colorado’s largest forest fire, the Hayman fire. The Hayman fire burned 137,000 acres. On June 5, 2002, the devastation began. The fire was started by a human and fed by very dry forest due to an abnormally low snowpack. Following the fire were the floods, which had more impact on the river than anything. The floods put lots of sediment and decomposed granite in the river.

The South Platte River below Cheesman Dam is called Cheesman Canyon, also known as The Canyon. The Canyon is a world-class fishery littered with boulders and beautiful runs, riffles and pools. The scenery is unforgettable. The canyon walls are covered with pine trees and granite walls and domes. The fishing is catch and release only! All fish caught must be returned to the water immediately. Flies and lures only.

Spring
Springtime offers some of the best fishing with midge and baetis hatches. The baetis hatch is one of the hatches that made the Platte famous. The fish really look up when the duns are on the water.

Summer
Summer also offers great fishing. Sight fishing with small nymphs can be very productive. Summer hatches consist of yellow stone flies, pale morning duns, caddis and midges. Aquatic worms will also always produce lots of fish

Fall
In the fall the flows will start to stabilize some, the PMDs (Pale Morning Duns) will start to taper off, and the midges will continue to hatch. The baetis will return for a couple of months.

Winter
The worst thing about fishing The Canyon in the winter is the walk-in. The Gill Trail can get icy in spots. Weatherwise, it is usually not bad. Fishing will be mainly with midges subsurface.

The Canyon is classic tail water fishing with exceptional year round fishing.

The fishing in Cheesman Canyon is technical. The fish are known to have PhDs. Fishing light leader and tippet, small flies and good presentation are all a must.

To access Cheesman Canyon from Denver drive south on U.S. 285 to the town of Pine Junction,and go left on CR 126 for roughly 18 miles. The Gill Trail parking lot will be on your right a couple miles before the town of Deckers. Located in the town of Pine Junction is The Hatch Fly Shop. Stop in and pick up flies and advice before heading out down CR126.

Like Cheesman Canyon, Deckers was not severely burned by the Hayman fire, but greatly affected. The public water starts just up stream of Deckers. The fishing is flies and lures only; you can keep two fish over 16 inches from Deckers to Scraggy View. Scraggy View to the confluence is open for bait fishing. The fishing in Deckers is similar to fishing Cheesman Canyon but is not as technical.

North Fork of the South Platte
The majority of the water in the North Fork comes from Dillon Reservoir. The water goes through the Roberts Tunnel and portals in the town of Grant. The river is best known for its private-water fishing. The famed Boxwood Gulch and Long Meadow Ranch put the North Fork on the map. Now the river is littered with well-managed fly fishing destinations.

To give fishermen rewarding and unforgettable experiences, some of the fishing destinations are Boxwood Gulch, Long Meadow Ranch, Farmers Union and Crystal Lake Resort. All locations require a guide to insure maximum experience on the water. At most of the ranches you will be the only party on the water that day. To book a fully guided day on the private water, call The Hatch Fly Shop at (303) 816-0487 or go online to www.thehatchflyshop.com.