Where to Go South Platte River – Dream Stream
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Photo by Phil Tereyla
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Report Date: 3/21/2025
Current Conditions:
PLEASE LEAVE SPAWNING FISH ALONE!
Flows on the Dream dropped again a couple of days ago and are now at 55cfs. These are extremely low flows for the river this time of year. These flows have also urged most migratory fish to return to the safety of 11 Mile reservoir. Most migratory fish are out of the system now and things are starting to return to somewhat normal up here. Its still busy, especially on the lower river. Resident trout will be seeking the deeper water in these low flows, but will venture out into riffles, etc. to feed. Please be mindful of any Redds or still spawning fish you see. Please leave them be. There will be a ton of wind over the next 3-4 days. Morning lows can be pretty cold up here. The river has been insanely busy at all times of the day.
Hatches:
We have been seeing good midge activity on the river. The dry fly fishing has been very good as of late, but in small windows. With these slightly higher flows, dont be afraid to fish worm and scud patterns. They have been effective as of late. Its also time to start carrying some longer profiled midge with you as we are starting to see a few of the big spring midges on the water.
Tactics:
Nymphing will be the most effective technique through most months. Fish consume around 85% of their diet sub surface. We are seeing some small windows of decent dry fly fishing during the warmest parts of the day. But the wind has made dry fly fishing rather difficult if not impossible. This is a great time to really cover water as well. When fishing streamers, dead drifting has been the most effective.
Weather:
Short Term- The wind machine has been cranking as of late. We still have a few more days of heavy wind up here before we get some relief. This weekend, especially Saturday, will be insanely windy. Forecasted winds on Saturday are 35 mph sustained with 55 mph gusts. Sunday will still be windy but not quite as bad. Temps will be in the 40's and we should see a lot of sun. Monday will again be windy but starting on Tuesday we should see several days with way less wind. Next week looks pretty inactive in these parts in terms of storms and weather. Temps will be way above seasonal averages as well and in the 50's and even 60's! Look for the winds to increase again next weekend as a storm system enters the state.
Long Term- Next weekend a storm system will be coming into the high country. Right now it doesnt look like it will have much of an impact in this area besides more wind. Since it still a week or so away, things could change. Longer range forecasts are lining up to show some potential storm activity at the end of March/first part of April. Lets hope this happens as all of this recent wind has really dried things out. Speaking of wind, we will be seeing quite a bit more of that this spring. We are getting too warm too fast this early spring.
Despite the recent warm weather and wind, we have seen some higher elevation storms in the South Platte basin. Our snowpack is holding strong. This basin is one of the strongest in the state actually and is sitting at 101% of average as of today. As we roll into spring we will have longer days, a higher angle of the sun, and a lot of wind. This combination can start to decrease the overall snowpack at a good pace. With our biggest snow months historically on the horizon March and April), lets hope we can keep building this for our summer water. Snow now means water later, and we can use all we can get!
Tips:
The flows are low and there has been a ton of traffic on the river over the last 3 weeks. While most migratory fish are now gone, there is still a good population of resident trout up here. PLEASE leave all redds alone, they are likely holding eggs.
RECOMMENDED PATTERNS
For a custom fly assortment for this location, click here!
Our Top 6 Nymphs for Today:
- Egg patterns, all colors/sizes
- Pale Ale midge, brown, size 22
- Wader midge, size 20
- No Mercy midge, sizes 20-22
- Blindside midge, purple-grey, size 20-22
- Mini leech, olive, black- Sizes 16-18
Our Top Dry Flies for Today:
- Mole Fly, brown. Size 22
- Parachute Adams, size 20-24
- Matts midge, sizes 20-22
Our Top Streamer Patterns for Today:
- Mini dungeon, olive, size 6-8
- Sculpzilla, natural, size 6
- Slumpbuster, black/brown. Size 4
- Thin mint, black, sizes 6-8
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.