Where to Go South Platte River – Dream Stream
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Photo by Phil Tereyla
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Report Date: 1/13/2026
Current Conditions:
We have settled into our winter flow rates on the Dream, Current flows are at 64 cfs. and should remain at or near this through the winter and into spring. While there has been a lot of wind here, the weather has been pretty nice overall. The nicer weather will continue for the foreseeable future too. The fish have moved into winter mode and are mostly occupying deeper areas of the river. Water temps are cold and will struggle to get out of the 30's. This will remain the case all through winter and into the spring. The river has been fishing well, but will get a little tougher at these flows. Work areas thoroughly before moving on. Although the brown trout spawn has concluded, Please use caution with any redds you encounter on the river. There are a lot of them and they are likely holding eggs.
Hatches:
The overall hatches are dwindling as expected. Its mostly been a midge game up here and we will see that continue. There are still some BWO's around as well.
Tactics:
With the low water and extreme pressure these fish have seen this fall, be stealthy! 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 worm, egg, scud, and leech patterns right now. While a lot of people equate microscopic bugs to winter fishing, these other patterns can be quite effective.
Weather:
Short Term- The weather finally got its act together and remembered its winter. This much anticipated storm made its way through the state yesterday. Up here there was only a couple inches of snow, but there has been a good amount of wind. Temps are cold and feel more normal for January. The storm will exit the state throughout the day and we could even see some clear skies by this evening. Morning lows will be very cold over the next few days. As we head into the weekend we will still be cold but we will gradually warm up each day into next week. Another high pressure ridge will set up and we will see dry and mild conditions through the week. Not the best scenario for our snowpack, but at least the higher elevations in the basin got a little bit of snow. Snowpack still remains historically low.
Long Term- The longer range forecast is a bit tricky. Initially it looked like another system was going to come into our area late next week. Those chances have greatly diminished and the stubborn ridge of high pressure we will get next week will prevent any storms from entering the area. Temps will cool again next weekend to more seasonal averages, but it doesnt look like we should see any precipitation. All signs are pointing to a quiet and dry remainder of the month. Lets hope February can bring us some resolve to our sad snowpack conditions.
Tips:
A lot of the fish are starting to occupy deeper runs right now. That should be the focus. We have also seen some pretty great dry fly fishing up here during the midge hatches (if its not too windy)
RECOMMENDED PATTERNS
For a custom fly assortment for this location, click here!
Our Top 6 Nymphs for Today:
- Mercury black beauty, sizes 20-22
- Pale Ale midge, brown, sizes 20-24
- Mercury blood midge, red, sizes 20-24
- Poison tung bomb, size 18-20
- Wader midge, black, sizes 22-24
- Blindside midge, black, purple, size 22
Our Top Dry Flies for Today:
- Mole Fly, natural. Size 18-24
- Micro CDC cripple, olive, size 22
- Smokejumper, baetis, sizes 20-22
- 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.