Where to Go South Platte River – Dream Stream
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Report Date: 5/27/2026
Current Conditions:
The flows are still going strong here with the draining of Antero reservoir. Current flows did drop down a bit and are currently at 223 cfs. These are great flows for the Dream and the fish are loving it. We do expect these flows to stay up as Antero drains. Antero is at 36% this morning, so we probably have about 7-9 days days left of seeing flows in this range. After that, we will likely see low flows return. The fishing has been good and the fish have been loving this volume of water. This has also "scrubbed" the river and cleaned up some of the sediment that was building up. The entire river has been fishing well, and we have had some great days out there. Crowds have not been too bad either and this is a great choice for the angler that wants to cover water. These flows have also put some larger food sources into the mix as well. Scuds, leaches, cranefly larva, and worms will be a good idea.
Hatches:
We are starting to see the proverbial bug factory start to develop up here. We are seeing strong midge activity early, followed by BWO's. The fish are paying attention to the BWO's in all life stages, and we have even seen some great dry fly opportunities in some of the slower seems in the river. Caddis are also becoming more and more active, although those opportunities are mostly subsurface for now. Water temps are in the ideal range for a lot of bug activity with temps from 50-55 degrees, so its only a matter of time before the caddis action really blows up. Yellow sallies will also be on the menu soon. Lots going on in terms of bugs up here right now.
Tactics:
These flows open up the entire river and the whole stretch is going to fish well. Its always a good idea to cover ground up here.
Weather:
Short Term- Cool and wet is the forecast. We will see conditions more akin to March than late May. This little stretch of cooler and wetter weather has sure been nice. After record warmth in March, its nice to see things stay cool and even get some rain. We will see some decent precipitation chances this whole week. Temps will be in the 60's and should see some afternoon rain each day. Things will briefly dry out on Saturday and Sunday and we should have a good amount of sun. After this week it will be nice to see the sun! Winds look calm for the most part, but could get intense with the arrival of a thunderstorm. This is the time of year where you want to keep your head on a swivel.
Long Term- At the conclusion of the weekend, we will return to more of a daily rain pattern. Each day is a carbon copy of the next and you can expect afternoon thunderstorms each day next week. Temps will be nice in the 60's and 70's and some of the storms could get rowdy. In all, it will be well below average temps and above average precipitation chances as we head into June. And to be honest, this is the best case scenario for the dry winter we had. Longer range forecasts are keeping this overall pattern in place, but as always we will have to wait and see. If the jet stream shifts even a little bit, we could be in for some hot and dry conditions.
Tips:
With the higher flows, dont sleep on some of those larger patterns. Scuds, cranefly larva, worms, and stoneflies can all be great additions to the typical hatching insects.
These flows can also be a great time to throw some streamers. With the higher water, do more of the down and across style of streaming fishing and strip the fly a little slower back to you. Be sure to give it some time to get your fly down. A lot if times you can pull these fish off of the banks or the bottom of the river for that opportunistic take.
RECOMMENDED PATTERNS
For a custom fly assortment for this location, click here!
Our Top 6 Nymphs for Today:
- San Juan worm, brown or red, sizes 14-16
- Tungsten jig mop fly, tan, size 10
- Foamback emerger, brown, sizes 20-22
- Barrs graphic caddis, tan, sizes 16-18
- Stalcups baetis, olive, sizes 20-22
- Barrs emerger, BWO, sizes 20-22
Our Top Dry Flies for Today:
- Mole Fly, natural. Size 20-24
- Iwane-dun, BWO, sizes 20-22
- Neils BWO, olive, size 20
- BWO Comparadun, olive, size 20
- Parachute Adams, sizes 20-26
Our Top Streamer Patterns for Today:
- Extrovert, olive, size 6
- Mini Flatliner, brown/white, size 8
- Tips up, tan, size 2
- 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.