Where to Go South Platte River – Dream Stream
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Photo by Phil Tereyla
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Report Date: 11/17/2025
Current Conditions:
Fishing on the Dream has been decent over the course of the fall season. There are still some zombie kokanee in the system, and pretty much any of the few lake run browns have returned to the lake. Fishing for resident trout has been good and we have seen some great dry fly action up here. Current flows are at 123 cfs. and just slightly above average for this time of the year. We do expect these flows to come down at some point with Spinney being so low. Please use caution with any redds you encounter on the river. There are a lot of them and they are likely holding eggs. If you see these or any fish exhibiting spawning behavior, please leave them be.
Spinney reservoir is around 42% full.
Hatches:
There are quite a few hatches happening right now. We are still seeing some Tricos, but BWO's, and midges are becoming the main attraction. Midge hatches are happening pretty early, and followed by the Trico's and BWO's. The bug life is pretty diverse and fishing the above mentioned patterns has been a ton of fun. This can be one of the best times of the year for dry fly fishing on this stretch.
Tactics:
Covering ground is always a good tactic up here. There are still some groups of people occupying certain areas all day, but there is open water that is holding actively feeding fish. Sightfishing is fun right now for resident trout, just be sure to be stealthy. They are on high alert! Dont sleep on fishing worm and egg patterns right now. There were enough spawning fish in the system that everything is paying attention to them.
Weather:
Short Term- After a long period of not having much to talk about regarding the weather, we are finally getting some interesting (and seasonal) weather around here! A quick system made its way through the state last night and brought some colder temps and some snow (for some). The high country was able to get a few inches of snow but not much happened in this area. We saw a brief dusting of snow but it did not amount to much. Today will be chilly but not super cold overall. Temps will stay in the 40's today and we could see a good amount of wind. On Tuesday and Wednesday, temps will rebound nicely and it will be quite nice. Highs will be in the 50's and the wind looks to be calm. On Thursday night and into Friday, some more changes will again be coming to the area. While this storm doesnt look all that impactful, it could mean the first real snowfall for our area. Right now precipitation chances are in the 50% range, so not a guarantee at all but we could see an inch or two of snow. Temps will be cold and feel more like they should with highs in the 30's and lows quite cold in the teens.
Long Term- Going into the weekend, we will warm up a bit again and conditions will be very pleasant. Temps will be right around averages with high temps in the mid 40's. As we head towards Thanksgiving, longer range forecasts are pointing at another system moving through the area. The jury is still out on exact details, but there will be a lot of moisture in this system. Depending on where this storm tracks will determine how much, or little snow we will see. As nice as it is to have had really nice weather this time of year, we desperately need the moisture and snow. Statewide snowpack is dismal right now and it will be great to finally get some chances at getting some snow.
Tips:
The river has been either really busy or not crowded at all. If there are a lot of people, be prepared to walk a lot and cover ground. A lot of the fish are starting to occupy deeper runs right now. That should be the focus.
RECOMMENDED PATTERNS
For a custom fly assortment for this location, click here!
Our Top 6 Nymphs for Today:
- No Mercy midge, camel, sizes 20-22
- Daysaver baetis, olive, size 22
- Pheasant tail, natural, sizes 20-22
- Eggs patterns, orange, peach, or chartruese. sizes 16-18
- Mercury RS2, grey, size 22
- Buckskin, sizes 16-20
Salmon- Anything red. Worms, eggs, copper johns, 2 bit hookers.
Our Top Dry Flies for Today:
- Mole Fly, natural. Size 18-22
- Neils BWO, size 20-22
- Smokejumper, baetis, sizes 20-24
- Trico spinner, black, size 22
- Parachute adams, sizes 20-24
Our Top Streamer Patterns for Today:
- Barely legal, olive/white, size 4
- Mini dungeon, black, olive, size 6
- Slumpbuster, black/brown. Size 4
- Mini Boogeyman, black, size 6
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!
The South Platte River below Spinney Reservoir is known to most local anglers as the "Dream Stream." This tailwater doesn't have many hold over fish and is subject to high wind speeds and inclement weather. The spring and fall have been the Dream Stream's saving grace because of the spawns. Large rainbows and cutthroat trout move into the river in the spring, and Large browns and kokanee salmon move in in the fall. There is no camping available next to the river; however, several great campgrounds are downstream along Elevenmile Reservoir. There is a $9 parks pass fee to park in the last lot below Spinney.
This is an area we specialize and are permitted to guide in, 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 South Platte River – Dream Stream.