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: 4/18/2026
Current Conditions:
The flows have dropped pretty low up here. Current flows are at 57 cfs. and not likely to come up anytime soon. With the lower flows, the fish have been a bit more spooky. The fishing has still be decent, but stealth will be absolutely key right now. Fish will move into riffles to feed during pronounced hatches. We have also started to see some excellent dry fly fishing. The annual spawn is all but done, and with that the crowds are now decreasing a bit. That being said, there may still be some spawning fish in the system. If you see paired up fish on Redds, PLEASE LEAVE THEM ALONE! These fish get absolutely hammered every spring. Lets all try to care for the resource so these fish and their eggs have a chance to reproduce. Its the future of this fishery. Water temps will certainly become a concern this season. We are already seeing water temps reach 55 degrees by 1pm. While this is great for the bug life, its about 7 weeks earlier than we normally see water temps in that range.
Hatches:
There are still a good number of midges in the system and the BWO's are in full force. This has made for some really good rotating hatches each day. The BWO's have the trouts attention as well and the fishing has been good during all stages of their hatch. Cloudier, less windy days have been fantastic for these spring mayflies.
Tactics:
Covering ground is always a good tactic up here. Sightfishing is fun right now and there is opportunity all throughout the river. Dont sleep on fishing worms, egg, scud, and leech patterns right now. While a lot of people equate microscopic bugs to spring fishing, thats not always the case.
Weather:
Short Term- Today will remain cooler behind a quick storm that came through the state yesterday. This storm brought some much needed snow and precipitation to the high country. Things rebound quickly and we will be back in the low 60's on Sunday. Nice and mild weather will continue well into next week with highs in the 60's and morning lows in the 20's. Wednesday (4/22) we will see some pretty intense wind up this way. This is ahead of another and potentially larger system that looks to be coming into Colorado late next week and into next weekend.
Long Term- Late next week we will see some large scale changes coming to the area. Exact details are still spotty, but we will see a significant increase in precipitation and cooler temperatures. Temps will cool into the 30's and 40's. This system will hang around for 3-4 days and give us a chance to get some key precipitation. Temps will be cold enough that any precipitation will be in the form of sleet and snow. This will be a great opportunity for the high country to get some more snow. In all, we are pretty excited about this weather late next week!
April is definitely feeling more like spring.
Tips:
Strikes are super subtle. Set the hook on everything. We have also seen some pretty great dry fly fishing up here during the BWO hatches (if its not too windy)
RECOMMENDED PATTERNS
For a custom fly assortment for this location, click here!
Our Top 6 Nymphs for Today:
- Stalcups baetis, olive, sizes 20-22
- WD-40, grey, size 20
- Foamback emerger, brown, sizes 20-22
- RS2. grey, sizes 20-22
- Slim Shady, olive, sizes 20-22
- Barrs emerger, BWO, sizes 20-22
Our Top Dry Flies for Today:
- Mole Fly, natural. Size 22-26
- Iwane-dun, bwo, sizes 20-22
- Matts Midge, sizes 22-24
- Parachute adams, sizes 22-26
Our Top Streamer Patterns for Today:
- Baby Gonga, rainbow, size 8
- Slumpbuster. olive or black, sizes 6-8
- Sculpzilla, natural, sixes 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.