Where to Go South Platte River – Dream Stream
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Photo by Phil Tereyla
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Report Date: 5/10/2026
Current Conditions:
The flows are really good on the Dream right now! Keep in mind, we havent seen the flows this high in quite some time, and they wont be lasting for long. With Antero being drained the flows are about twice as high as normal right now. Its expected that these flows will last until the end of May. The fish are loving all of this water and the entire river has been fishing well. Current flows are at 251 cfs. This is the perfect time to fish up here. 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:
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 larger flows will tamper the dry fly activity for a short time, but things should ramp up again soon. Caddis are also becoming active subsurface.
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- There will be a pretty good stretch of really nice weather coming up. Today will be the coolest with temps in the 60's. As we roll into next week, we will see temps akin to summer time highs. Expect sunny and sometimes windy conditions with highs in the 70's! Around mid week we will see some slight precipitation chances come back into the picture. This last week has been nice and cool, and we even saw some decent precipitation in the area. While it wasnt really enough to turn things completely around, it was extremely helpful. In all, this coming week is going to be absolutely gorgeous!
Long Term- Next weekend, things will remain nice with temps in the upper 60's/ low 70's. Precipitation chances will increase as we get into the following week. Right now, its too far off to tell, but all signs are pointing at some extended wet and cool weather. Longer range weather forecasts are showing a wet pattern for the state. This would be the ideal scenario after a dry winter. One thing to note about that.. There has been a lot of talk about our lackluster winter. While that was the case, we are in decent shape for water in our local basins. No doubt we will see water restriction, etc. but the fishing will remain very good clear throughout the season and into fall. One thing we learn living here is that things can change very fast. And a spring and summer with normal or even slightly below normal rainfall, will keep us in good shape this year.
Tips:
Throw some scuds, worms and cranefly larva in the mix!
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
- Slapshot scud, green, orange, sizes 14- 16
- Foamback emerger, brown, sizes 20-22
- Scud bomb, orange, rainbow, sizes 14-16
- Slim Shady, 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:
- 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.