South Platte River: Cheesman Canyon

Cheesman Canyon flows are holding at 112 cfs, which is ~40 cfs above the historical average. It was a cold and technical week in the canyon due to sub-freezing air temps. A few mild days are sprinkled into the forecast but for the most part, we are expecting classic winer conditions. Take advantage of days with warmer air temps but be prepared to navigate a crowd. If the canyon is busy, use it as an opportunity to explore and pick apart all the nooks and crannies. There are plenty of pockets that get overlooked by other anglers, so give those a shot and you may be surprised what you find. For the most part, trout are stacked up in pronounced pools, runs and pockets but don’t rule out soft riffles, transitions and tailouts during a midge hatch. An active hatch will incentivize trout to move into those more opportunistic feeding lies. Regardless of the section, getting your flies down deep and ensuring a clean drift is key. If you’re not snagging the bottom every few casts, add more weight to your line. Patterns such as Top Secrets, Chocolate Foam Back Emergers, Manhattan Midges, WD-40s and RS2s have been particularly productive during the afternoon. Trail one of those patterns behind a midge larva, baetis larva or small attractor.