Deckers and Cheesman Canyon (132 cfs) Monday, November 24, 2025
CFS (Canyon Fly Shop) River Report for the front range tailwaters on November 24, 2025 specifically Cheesman Canyon and Deckers.
Stop by @thecanyonflyshop and we can get you all set up to have a great day on the water from fly selection to tippet size and even dial in your weight and depth. Your most beginner friendly shop in the front range! Guided Trips available every day!!!
Don't focus on the fish you see especially in the deep holes, those fish can see you and are typically not sitting in those deep spots to feed but to rest and for protection. Trout typically feed in 2-4 feet of water where bug life is plentiful so focus on that type of water and cover ground!
Fly recs:
Eggs, Worms, Leeches, tiny midges in the morning and bwo in late morning-early afternoon
Baetis patterns are on fire!!! Darth Baetis, Juju baetis, Black Beauty, Flashback pheasant tail, radiation baetis, olive RS2, olive WD40
Red or Cream bling midge 22-24
Disco midge size 22-24
Demon midge size 22-24
Gray and Olive RS2’s 22-24
Pale Ale size 20-22
Olive wd40 size 22-24
Blue poison Tung size 22-24 Pat's Rubber Legs, Golden stones, Leeches, Squirmy's
Tailwater fishing can be intimidating for a lot of people and for good reason but Deckers section of the South Platte can be a great place to get a few fish to the net especially on some of our more mild front range days. You should even see some trico rises on the warm mornings with some very good bwo hatches following in the afternoon. You can either use a glo bug on a hook or our personal favorite, the peg egg. Squirmy worms, leeches and floss worms are some more go to leads. Remember, your lead fly can pick up fish for sure but you're mainly using that fly to get your tiny flies down to the bottom, put appropriate split shot above your leady fly 8-10 inches. For your middle and bottom fly be thinking in the 20-26 range. We love to use a purple juju, rainbow warrior or hot head sow bug as our mid fly followed by a size 22-26 midge. Black zebras, gray and black RS2s, chocolate thunders, top secrets and WD-40s all in that size range will produce plenty of fish most days on this section.
Deckers is said to hold 3,000 fish per mile so don't be afraid to cover some ground and try to find an open run. If you love peace and solitude, you may want to avoid this section but it can be very rewarding when you catch it on a great day. It's not uncommon to be catching a couple dozen trout in the 12-22" range on a good day when your flies and drifts are dialed in. Presentation is everything here, good presentation and the right depth on the right tippet is always the key.
The Canyon Fly Shop. 6814 W 38th Avenue, Wheat Ridge, CO