Where to Go Middle Fork of the South Platte
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Report Date: 4/14/26
Current Conditions:
All areas of the middle fork are open now. The flows are pretty low and the fishing has been slow. If you do fish here, target deeper areas in the river.
The section above Spinney is basically non existent. The lake is so low that the inlet is almost a mile in from where it normally is. Fish cant get into the river from the lake.
This can be a fun option for the angler that wants to get away from the crowds.
Short Term- We have seen a good bit of wind up this way recently. Springtime is always the windiest, and this year is no exception. Today we will see some possible precipitation here. Temps will still be pretty warm so that should be in the form of rain or even sleet. Things will quiet down for the remainder of the week until Friday. Temps this week will be in the high 50's low 60's and be quite nice. A large storm system will come through the state on Friday and will be bringing some heavy winds and cooler temperatures. Precipitation should be limited to the front range and the high country, but we could get a few flakes here. Saturday will also be cold with low temps back into the low teens/single digits. Sunday will rebound nicely with less wind and temps in the upper 50's.
Long Term- Next week will start out nice. Temps will be slightly higher than average through about Wednesday. The highs will be in the low 60's and morning lows in the low 30's. Later on Wednesday (4/22), another large scale system will move through. The jury is still out on this system, but it could potentially be a larger and more impactful storm. Precipitation chances are decent and we could see another shot of some snow or rain. Right now it looks like this storm will last through at least Friday. Could this be our last shot at some measurable snow? We will have to wait and see.
While March felt like summer, April will feel like spring. We will have a chance to add a little more snow to our dwindling snowpack over the next 2 weeks.
While March felt like summer, April will feel like spring. We will have a chance to add a little more snow to our dwindling snowpack over the next 2 weeks. Time to do those snow dances one more time!!
Standard nymph rig set up for the South Platte:
Screenshot the diagram above to reference while you're out on the water!
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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