Where to Go South Platte River – Dream Stream
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Photo by Covey Guide Phil Tereyla
Report Date: 9/22/2023
Current Conditions:
WE ARE SEEING VERY HIGH WATER TEMPS ON THE RIVER. IF YOU FISH HERE, PLEASE BE SURE TO MONITOR THE WATER TEMPS!!! EVEN WITH THE COOLER WEATHER, THE WATER TEMPS ARE STILL PRETTY HIGH!
The flows are still holding at 150 cfs, but we have no idea how long that will last. The water temperatures have been a major concern and will stay an issue until we start to get sustained cooler temps. It will take some time for the water temps to drop overall, so be vigilant in checking them. The fishing has been good in the mornings with Trico, PMD, and BWO hatches. Get up there in the mornings while these flows are good! This section of the South Platte will be touchy over the next couple of months. We have NOT seen any migratory salmon or brown trout yet.
It has been EXTREMELY busy up here. Not really sure why...Maybe people looking for spawning fish? We are not seeing any migratory fish in the system yet. The water temps will have to cool down significantly before anything like that happens.
The South Park reservoirs are all full and they have nowhere to move water to. If the Dream increases, then they would have to increase 11 mile canyon. With the lowhead dam removal project now happening in 11 mile canyon, they will be running flows of no more than 100 cfs throughout the entirety of the project (December)- Source: Flywater construction
Hatches:
Trico's, PMD's, midges, Caddis, and fall BWO's are on the river right now. Fish are keying in on them in all life stages.
Tactics:
Nymphing is generally the best method here, but the dry fly fishing has been good early in the day. Fish will key in on these hatches so be sure to have a wide variety of different patterns and sizes. Smaller terminal tackle is the name of the game. 5x is a pretty solid bet. Anglers can expect challenging fishing at low flows.
Weather:
It definitely feels like fall, especially in the mornings. We will continue to see some absolutely gorgeous early fall weather over the next week. Today and Saturday will be pretty windy. Highs will be in the 60's with morning lows in the low 30's. There does not look to be a lot of chances for rain, buts its always a good idea to keep an eye out for that rogue storm. This time of year its a good idea to have some warmer clothing options with you...Just in case. In all, it about as perfect "fall" weather as we could ask for. Get out there!
Tips:
While the fall brings hoards of people to the river searching for migratory fish, its important to remember a few things.. Please give others space. There is enough water for everyone. Second, under no circumstances is it OK to fish to spawning fish. As we progress into fall, trout will start building their spawning beds (redds) These are clearly visible and should be left alone at all costs. We would also suggest not fishing at night during the spawn. These fish dont get a break.
This is an area we offer guided walk/wade trips, please give us a call if you are interested! (We are currently only offering early morning half day trips here)
RECOMMENDED PATTERNS
For a custom fly assortment for this location, click here!
Our Top 6 Nymphs for Today:
- Barrs emerger, sizes 20-22
- Graphic caddis, green. Sizes 16-18
- Barrs PMD emerger, cream. Size 16
- Iron Sally. Sizes 16 & 18
- RS2, grey, black, purple. Sizes 20 & 22
- Buckskins. Size 18-20
Our Top 6 Dry Flies for Today:
- Mole Fly, brown. Size 22
- Neil's BWO, green. Sizes 22 & 24
- 180 Trico, black. Size 22
- Iwane Dun, black. Sizes 22
- Sparkle Dun, PMD. Sizes 16-18
- Elk Hair Caddis,tan/green. Sizes 16-18
Our Top Streamer Patterns for Today:
- Meat whistle, black. Size 4
- Mini changer, white, rainbow. Size 8
- Slumpbuster, black/brown. Size 4
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 holds 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.