Where to Go South Platte River – Dream Stream
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FALL HOURS: 9AM TO 6PM DAILY
Photo by Phil Tereyla
Report Date: 4/15/2024
Current Conditions:
Things are definitely transitioning out of the spawn for the rainbow and cuttbow trout. The spawn is pretty much done and the resident lake fish have returned to the safety of 11 mile reservoir. Now is the time where we can see some post spawn fish packing in the food. Post spawn fish will try and get back all the mass they have lost during this annual ritual. The flows are at 128 cfs and have been at that rate for almost 4 weeks now. These are great flows for the river this time of year. These flows should stay at or near this rate through April (Barring any changes by Denver Water and Aurora Water) This will ease up the immense pressure a bit. The crowds have still been very thick and the parking lots are filling up...even on weekdays. The spring brings a lot of anglers to the area and its a good time to remember some key things about this time of year. First and foremost, please leave any actively spawning fish alone! This fishery does support natural reproduction and we all need to work together to ensure the success of the spawn. There are plenty of feeding fish in deeper water. All redds should be completely avoided as well. If you are unsure what Im talking about, take a minute and please read THIS . Fish that are building or occupying redds are not eating. Throwing flies through them only causes them to become foul hooked and then the stress can force them to prematurely drop their eggs. A fish photo isnt worth potentially destroying thousands of trout. Plus, everyone knows where these redds are located so fishing them will be an open invitation to have confrontation with other anglers. Any empty redds you may encounter are likely holding eggs, so please do not walk through them. Please do your part in protecting this iconic fishery.
The fishing has slowed down a bit as expected. There are still some lake fish in the system, but its dwindling day by day as they return to the safety of 11 mile reservoir. Fishing has still been on the technical side of things and anglers will want to focus on that. Every hole/run is not holding fish. Walk around and find those spots. You will see typical early spring conditions on the river right now. Fish have occupied deeper areas of the river and are not moving much to eat until the water warms a bit. Drifts need to be perfect and dead on the fish. Paying attention to your depth and weight while nymphing is an absolute must right now.
Hatches:
We are seeing a lot of midge activity as expected. The big spring midge has also been prevalent and we are even seeing a few early BWO's now. The BWOs will increase as water warms. Dont be afraid to use larger profiled (slender) midge patterns, followed by pupa or emergers. The baetis are active late morning/early afternoon.
Tactics:
Nymphing is generally the best method here, but the dry fly fishing has been very good during the midge hatches. Midges are hatching pretty heavy every day. Smaller terminal tackle is the name of the game. 5x will be a staple. Anglers can expect challenging fishing with the massive crowds on the river.
Weather:
Short Term- The weather will remain warmer, but a bit unsettled this week. We will see a ton of wind the next several days. That wind should open up more and more water on all of the lakes. Temps will be close to 60 for the next 5 days. There will be chances of precipitation on and off this week as well, but it doesnt look like anything really impactful. Lows are still getting below freezing, so be prepared for that. Overall it will be a very nice week, but also very windy. Heading into the weekend we could see some changes.
Long Term- After this week some changes are headed to the area. We will have good precipitation chances both Saturday and Sunday. The temps dont look to get all that cold, so most of the precipitation should be in the form of rain. Higher elevations may see a good shot of snow. This will be worth keeping an eye on. After the weekend, we will rebound into some warm spring temperatures. In fact, we could see temps close to 70 degrees in South Park by mid week! We still have a little time to add to our snowpack. That time is nearing though as we usually peak in our snowpack the first 3 weeks in April. Current snowpack in the South Platte basin is at 104% of average.
Tips:
With the rainbow, cutbow and cutthroat trout now spawning, please avoid any redds you may encounter. You may also see paired up fish or fish chasing each other in shallower water. Please leave those fish alone! - Go to deeper water and target that water. That is where you will find feeding fish.
This is an area we offer guided walk/wade trips, please give us a call if you are interested!
RECOMMENDED PATTERNS
For a custom fly assortment for this location, click here!
Our Top 6 Nymphs for Today:
- Egg patterns, sizes 14-18
- RS2's, grey, olive. Sizes 20-22
- Blindside Midge, black, purple, sizes 18-22
- Rojo midge, red, sizes, 16-22
- Stalcups baetis, olive, size 20-22
- Massacre midge, sizes 20-22
Our Top Dry Flies for Today:
- Mole Fly, brown. Size 22
- Neil's BWO, green. Sizes 22 & 24
- Griffiths gnat, size 22-24
- Matts midge, size 22
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.