Where to Go Middle Fork of the South Platte
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FALL HOURS 9am to 6pm Daily
Report Date: 12/3/2025
Current Conditions:
All areas of the middle fork are in winter mode and the fishing is tough. We are starting to see ice build up in the river on all sections. We will begin updating the report in the spring when things start to thaw out! There are much better options for fishing through the winter.
Short Term- This current storm brought some much needed precipitation to the area. As of the writing of this report, about 5 inches of snow has fallen in this area. This storm will persist through the day and clear out of the area late tonight. Temps will be cold today in the teens and low 20's. Starting on Thursday, we will warm back up a bit and get closer to seasonal averages. This will remain the case clear through the weekend and we will see highs in the 30's and overnight/morning lows will be in the single digits. We could see quite a bit of wind as well as we roll into the weekend.
Long Term- After this weekend, the forecast is somewhat undecided. Right now, it looks like another high pressure system will roll through the area. If this happens, we will warm up quite a bit through next week. In fact, we could see high temps in the 50's and a good bit of sunshine. Morning lows will still get very cold, but the mid day into the afternoons will be beautiful. Longer range forecasts are still all over the place, but we could see some large scale changes by mid month. We are still well below average snowpack levels and need all of the snow we can get. Lets hope we can at least get lined up with some consistent storms this winter.
Standard nymph rig set up for the South Platte:
Screenshot the diagram above to reference while you're out on the water!
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR "WHERE TO GO" PAGE FOR DETAILED INFORMATION ON OTHER AREAS!
About Alma SWA
Middle Fork of the South Platte River finds its headwaters above Hoosier Pass. Water is diverted from the Breckenridge area and passed through a tunnel under Hoosier Pass into Montgomery Reservoir. This augments the flow particularly in the early summer.
About Tomahawk
Tomahawk is the Middle Fork of the South Platte River. This stretch of the river is a great place to find solitude from the crowds. Summer and fall are a great time of the year to throw big hoppers to eager brown trout. In the summer, bring insect repellent because the mosquitos can get bad. In the fall, bring heavy leaders because large browns come out of their typical hiding spaces and move up river from Spinney to spawn.
This is an area we specialize and are permitted to guide, so give us a shout if you have any questions or if you are interested in allowing one of our Orvis-Endorsed guides show you how best to conquer Middle Fork of the South Platte.
Interested in Booking a Trip?
Directions to Alma - 88.9 miles - 1 Hour 42 Minutes
- From Angler's Covey head west on US 24 W/Cimarron St, go 63.2 miles
- Turn right at CO-9 N towards Fairplay, go 16.1 miles
- Turn right at US-285 N, go 1.0 mile
- Turn left at CO-9 N/ Main Street, Fairplay and through Alma, 8.1 miles
- Watch your speed, this area is famous for speed tickets.
- Turn left at Co Rd 4, Park along stream in desinated areas.
Directions to Tomahawk - 70.5 miles - 1 Hour 19 Minutes
- Head West on US-24, go 63.2 miles
- Turn right on Co-9, go 7.2 miles