Where to Go South Platte River – Dream Stream
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Photo by Phil Tereyla
Pikes Peak Trout Unlimited has recently installed water temperature sensors here. Check out the water temps HERE
Report Date: 4/8/2025
Current Conditions:
The flows on the Dream have come down again today. Current flows are at 74 cfs. It would be nice to see some more water in the system..Lets hope Aurora needs some water soon! The fishing has been good for resident fish all throughout the river. The migratory fish have all but returned to the lake but you may still see one here or there. Its very important to leave any spawning fish or their beds (redds) alone right now. Tread lightly and watch your step! Resident trout will be seeking the deeper water in these flows, but will venture out into riffles, etc. to feed. Keep an eye on the weather this week...it will be...Interesting.
Hatches:
We have had some great midge activity on the river and we are starting to see some BWO's! Fish have started to key in on the blue wings both sub surface and on top of the water. This is the beginning of some great fishing all over. Be prepared!
Tactics:
Nymphing is always the most effective technique but dont overlook the dry fly fishing. We are seeing some windows of decent dry fly fishing during the warmest parts of the day. The BWO's will only intensify and we should have some stellar dry fly opportunity coming up. This is a great time to really cover water as well. When fishing streamers, dead drifting with small strips has been the most effective.
Weather:
Short Term- We are having some very nice weather up this way this week. Temps will be in the 60's through the week. Wednesday will be fairly windy so keep that in mind. As we head into the weekend we will see the warmest temps of the year. High temps will be in the upper 60's. Sunday will be nice but we will see some intense winds return. In all, its absolutely beautiful right now!!
Long Term- Long range forecasts are not in agreement on anything right now. As we go into next week we will have the possibility of a front moving through the area. Right now it does not look to impact this are a whole lot besides lowering the temps about 10 degrees. Some forecast are pointing at some changes around the 20th, but we will have to wait and see. We have had a pretty warm and dry end of winter/beginning on spring. Luckily things arent warming up too fast yet. Lets hope that remains the case as we roll through April and into May.
In the South Platte basin, we have seen some regular storms at higher elevations over the last couple of weeks. This has kept the overall snowpack fairly stable. As of today, the South Platte basin is looking good at 102% of average snowpack. We still have about 2 weeks until we hit the normal median peak, so lets hope we can keep adding to that in the coming weeks.
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
- RS2, grey & olive, sizes 20-22
- Slim shady, olive, size 20
- Stalcups baetis, olive, size 22
- Blindside midge, purple-grey, size 20
- 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:
- Peanut, 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.