Fishing Outlook & Conditions
Water Temp:
38
Orvis Cherry Creek's Tip of the Week
Happy Holiday from our crew at Orvis! Winter is here! GO SMALL! The flow will go down depending the demand on water downstream! The winter flow today is 145 cfs which is great for this time of the year. This year the trout are smaller than the past years! Trouts around 12 to 18’ are generally caught this year whereas in the past, large trout around 20” plus are readily available! The temperature in the coming week will be in the 40’s degree. Ice is starting to form below Deckers. Winter fishing: You can get up later and not have to worry. The best time to fish is between 10 am to 3 pm. With the cooler weather, start down sizing the flies to 20, 22 and 24, Indicators, lighter leaders, tippets and rod too. Finesse is a must! Don’t splash the flies with heavy indicators! Trouts are not in the riffles as much. They are more spooky and picky! They are back in the deep lies and seams. Fishing will be more technical with the lower water! Fish will key on particular flies. Don't forget BWOs (20-22), midges (size 20-24)through out the day. Mercury midges, bling midges, Top Secret emergers, Chocolate Thunders, RS2's and all small beatis patterns are proving effective. UV scuds, worms, stoneflies, and brown and olive leeches are great attractors. By late morning, watch for hatches! Dry flies fishing should start late morning or the late afternoon if and when you see hatches. Micro San Juan worms and eggs are the effective flies! Please handle the fish be care1. If you have a rod vault, don’t leave any valuable in the vault. Thieves are targeting the rod vaults around Deckers and Cheeseman area.
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Water Flow Data
5-Day Outlook as of 12/28/24
The flow is at 145 cfs! The flow is above normal for winter! Use midges and BWO all day! Midge hatches usually come later on in the morning. Watch out for dries with the cloudy days. Olive and brown mini leeches are very effective right now. Since the flow has come down a bit, fishing is very technical! The water is getting colder.
Techniques & Tips as of 12/28/24
For fall fishing, fish generally gathered at deeper pools and runs that the trout doesn’t need to spend energy to feed. Small midges and baetis are the ticket, smaller diameter tippet and adjusting depth frequently is a key strategy. Match the hatches!! Fluorocarbon tippets in 5 & 6 and even 7X are most effective for nymphing. Utilize heavier split shot or larger tungsten head point flies to get down deep, adjust depth prior to switching patterns. With lower water level, use smaller indicator! If you're not having success with the micro flies and midges, throw out scuds, leeches, eggs or worm. I like to use mini leeches to entice the trouts especially when nothing is working! If you see some action on the top water, no mercy midge or Matt's midge are the keys. Adams are great flies to use in the early and late afternoon! With the flow this week, 5X and 6X will catch you a lot of fish. Come see Gene at Orvis Cherry Creek for more information!
Local Species Available Year Round, Prime March through October
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Brown and Rainbow Trout
Orvis Cherry Creek's Recommended Fly Patterns
"Must-have" fly fishing patterns in descending order of importance:
Name: | Colors: | Size(s): |
---|---|---|
Bead Head Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail | Natural | 18-20 |
Rojo Midge | Red | 20-24 |
Midge | Black/Red | 20-26 |
Bead Head Brassie | Brass | 18-24 |
Top Secret Midge | Brown or Purple | 20-24 |
Splitcase BWO | Olive | 18-22 |
Bead Head Woolly Bugger Streamer | Natural | 6-12 |
Bead Head Prince | Black | 20-22 |
Mayer's Mini Leech | Black/ Olive/ Brown | 14-16 |
Poison Tung | Black or Blue | 20-24 |
Bead Head Soft Hackle Pheasant Tail
Wet fly patterns don't get any better than this.
2.49
Item #164J
Orvis Cherry Creek's Recommended Gear
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Best Leader:
Super Strong Plus Leaders
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Best Tippet:
SuperStrong Plus Tippet in 30- and 100-meter spools
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Best Fly Fishing Rod:
5-Weight 9' Fly Rod
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Best Floating Fly Line:
PowerTaper WF Fly Line
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Best Sinking Fly Line:
Coldwater Intermediate