Where to Go South Platte River – Dream Stream
Current Reports
Angler's Covey Bug of the Month
Bug of the month videos here
Visit the blog here
FALL HOURS 9am to 6pm Daily
Photo by Phil Tereyla
Pikes Peak Trout Unlimited has recently installed water temperature sensors here. Check out the water temps HERE
Report Date: 12/8/2025
Current Conditions:
Its feeling like winter up on the Dream right now. 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 flows dropped again a couple days ago and are now at 73 cfs. These are pretty typical flows for the Dream this time of the year. The river has been fishing well, especially for the anglers that are take their time on the water. 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.
Spinney reservoir is around 42% full.
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, 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 and egg patterns right now. There were enough spawning fish in the system that everything is paying attention to them.
Weather:
Short Term- A large scale high pressure ridge is developing across much of the west. This ridge will prevent any storms or cold air from coming south. Temps will gradually warm up as we head through the week, and we could actually see some record warm temperatures in this time. High temps this week will be in the 40's and 50's, with morning lows still getting quite cold. The big story will be the wind this week. Winds look to be in the 20-30 mph range with gusts in the 40's. This looks to stay persistent clear into the weekend.
Long Term- These recent storms have definitely helped out our overall snowpack, but we are still a good bit below average for this time of year. In terms of snow, the long range forecast is bleak. This stubborn high pressure ridge looks like it will stick around for at least 12 days. During this time we will see warmer than average temperatures and likely quite a bit of wind. In terms of snowpack, we shouldnt lose a whole lot with the low sun angle we see this time of the year. Hopefully as we get closer to Christmas we will see this pattern change. But for now, enjoy the warmer temps!
Tips:
A lot of the fish are starting to occupy deeper runs right now. That should be the focus.
RECOMMENDED PATTERNS
For a custom fly assortment for this location, click here!
Our Top 6 Nymphs for Today:
- No Mercy midge, camel, sizes 20-22
- Pale Ale midge, brown, sizes 20-22
- Mercury blood midge, red, sizes 20-22
- Eggs patterns, orange, peach, or chartruese. sizes 16-18
- Mercury RS2, grey, size 22
- Blindside midge, black, purple, size 22
Salmon- There are still a few zombies in the system. Anything red usually works for them
Our Top Dry Flies for Today:
- Mole Fly, natural. Size 18-22
- 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.