Fly Fishing South Platte River Colorado This includes a South Platte River fishing report
Type of Stream
Mostly Tailwater / Some Freestone
Fly and Gear ordering and delivery: We can get flies to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Please see the bottom of this column for ordering options.
We also have custom Perfect Fly selections in 3 different price ranges for this stream that come with or without fly boxes. They make excellent gifts. Click Here To Order or Call us at 800 594 4726 or email us at sales@perfectflystore.com.
Species
Brown Trout
Rainbow Trout
Brook Trout
Snake River Cutthroat Trout
(Wild and Stocked)
Size
Medium
Location
Central Colorado
Nearest Towns
Deckers
Denver
Season
Year-round
Access:
Easy to tough, fair to good
Non-Resident License
State of Colorado
Seasons:
Although trout can be caught year-round, fly fishing the Arkansas River during wintertime provides tough fishing conditions for most of
the river.
Winter:
Fishing below Pueblo Reservoir can be very good.
Spring:
The river blows out in May from the spring
runoff. April is the heaviest fished month of the year.
Summer:
Summertime fishing can be very good but
the stream flows remain fairly high and
wading can be tough.
Fall:
Autumn returns some very good fishing
mostly because its spawning time for its
many brown trout.
Recommended Tackle & Gear
Fly Line:
5 or 6 weight
Leaders:
Dry fly: 9 & 12 ft., 5 or 6X, Nymphing:
71/2 ft., 3 or 4X, Streamers 0-2X
Tippets:
Dry fly: 5 or 6X, Nymphing: 3 or 4X,
Streamer 0-2X
Best Fly Rods:
Perfect Fly Superb Five or Ultimate Six
Fly Reels:
For 5/6 fly line
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
Floatants, KISS Strike Indicators
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.
Fly and Gear ordering and delivery:
Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations. We can get flies and gear to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Your can also call us at 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide what flies and gear to use. All orders are shipped free in the U.S. If under a $100 order requiring Priority mail is a charge of only $8.10. Orders over a $100 are shipped free via Priority Mail.
Copyright 2013 James Marsh
South Platte River, Colorado Fishing Report – April 19, 2024 Good conditions exist. The stream is still flowing near a normal level and mostly clear. Good Light Green midges, Little Black Caddis and Skwala stonefly hatches are taking place. Check back often. We update the South Platte River fishing report often.
Stream Conditions: Rate: 143 cfs
Level: 3.24 ft
Afternoon Water Temperature: 49
Clarity: clear
Stream Flow Data Below Bush Creek near Trumbull
7 Day Weather Forecast: (click the link below for more detailed information)
Recommended Trout Flies:
Brown Sculpin and White Belly Sculpin and Articulated streamers, size 6/4
Black Matuka and Olive Matuka Sculpin, size 4/6
Blue-winged Olives: size 16, 18 nymph, emergers, duns and spinners
Aquatic Worms, size 12, pink, red, and others
Midges: Light Green and Red (Blood) midges sizes 20/22, larva, pupa and adult. Our larva and pupa midge flies, pre-rigged in tandem, are very popular here. You can fish them under a strike indicator keeping the larva fly near the bottom. https://perfectflystore.com/product/pre-rigged-tandem-midge-larva-pupa-tippet
Skwala stoneflies, size 10, nymphs and adults
Little Black Caddis, size 18, pupa and adults
March Browns, 12/14, nymphs, emergers, duns and spinners
Fly Fishing Guide to the South Platte River: The methods and strategies for fly fishing the South Platte River vary greatly depending on when and where you fish. The South Platte River is one of the most diversified trout streams in the nation. It has just about every type of water conceivable. You would need to use just about every fishing method and technique anyone ever heard of the fish all of its waters effectively. Much of the water is on private property, but there is still an ample amount left for the general public. Don’t forget that there are several different special regulations areas on different sections of the South Platte River. These regulations vary. Although the most popular area to fish the South Platte River is below the Cheesman Reservoir and dam, keep in mind the river flows through several lakes and reservoirs and has several sections of the river that provides excellent fishing. The section of the river below Spinney Mountain Reservoir is also very popular because of the size of its trout. If it is the right season, don’t forget about the spawning trout that move out of Spinney Mountain Reservoir up into the river to spawn. This includes the brown trout that spawn during the fall months and rainbow and cutthroat trout that spawn during the spring months. These fish are usually very large and provide some excellent opportunities for anglers that enjoy catching big fish. In this area the river is fairly small in width, averaging only fifteen to twenty feet wide in most places. It is a beautiful stream with some big fish during the spawning runs. It is also an excellent place to fish any other time of the year. The Spinney Mile, or tailwater section located below Spinney Mountain Reservoir, also has some big trout. Spawning trout move out of the Eleven Mile Reservoir to spawn. It is called the Eleven Mile Reservoir but it is only about five and a half miles below Spinney Mountain dam. This water is much wider in this section, averaging probably eighty feet and wider in most places. This section, called the “Dream Stream”, is included within the popular South Park area. It is mostly a wide open area where strong winds are normal. The water releases in this section of the river are controlled by the Aurora Water Board and are often very low. Stalking huge trout in this section is very popular. The section below the Eleven Mile Reservoir, called the Eleven Mile Canyon, is also a good fishery with quality size trout. It flows for nine miles into Lake George. The big advantage of this section is that you can avoid most of the high wind that prevails in the other sections, especially the South Park area that is surrounded with open land. This section has a lot of pocket water created by some huge boulders. Areas in the canyon can be difficult to navigate and access. Below Lake George, down to Cheesman Reservoir, is also good, but not near as popular as the other sections. The not so easy hike into the Cheesman Canyon between Cheesman Reservoir and Deckers doesn’t seem to steer many anglers away because it can be just as crowded as any area on the South Platte River. I guess that just attest to the fact it is a great location to fish. Even so, it is one of the most difficult to fish areas on the South Platte River. It has huge boulders, rough pocket water and highly trained trout. It is a beautiful canyon about three miles long. This is a Gold Metal Designated section with trout that probably average 16 inches. The area around Deckers is easy to access and also popular. It consist mostly of riffles but there are some sections of pocket water. It too, sees a lot of fishing pressure, but it often give up some very nice trout.The closest tailwater section to Denver is the five mile long Watertown Canyon section. The upper section of this canyon is probably the best section to fish. There is no vehicle access to this part of the South Platte, so you must hike in to fish it. There are two different sets of special regulations within Watertown Canyon. Most of the stream, and especially the tailwater sections, require longer, accurate cast. You must get a good drift to catch trout, especially where there is a lot of fishing pressure. It’s one of Colorado’s and for that matter, the Western United States, best trout streams. Even though it is very close to Denver and many people, and even though it is dammed from one end to the other, it is still a great location to fish for trout. It offers such a wide variety of water, you have a good chance to catch trout on any day of the year. Make sure you check the South Platte River fishing report often as we update it often.
Hatches and Trout Flies for the South Platte River: Our information on aquatic insects is based on our stream samples of larvae and nymphs, not guess work. We base fly suggestions on imitating the most plentiful and most available insects and other foods at the particular time you are fishing. Unlike the generic fly shop trout flies, we have specific imitations of all the insects in the South Platte River and in all stages of life that are applicable to fishing. If you want to fish better, more realistic trout flies, have a much higher degree of success, give us a call. We not only will help you with selections, you will learn why, after trying Perfect Flies, 92% of the thousands of our customers will use nothing else. 1-800-594-4726. Since this river is both a freestone stream and several tailwater streams all in one, it is difficult to identify specific hatch times for some of the insects without doing several individual hatch charts for each section. However, that said, you will find that the hatch times usually come within the time slots we provide. Remember that the time a specific hatch occurs may change with the weather and water conditions, but order in which the insects hatch shouldn’t change.You will find midges hatching most everyday of the year. Midge fishing is most popular during the winter months when there are no other hatches occurring, but it is actually effective year-round. The first mayfly to hatch on the South Platte River is the Blue-winged Olive. The hatches start about the middle of March and last through the month of May at various points along the river. This is a bi-brooded hatch that occurs again from September through the month of November. It consist of several different baetis species. Pale Morning Duns or PMDs begin to hatch around the middle of June. The hatch can last into the middle of August depending on the location. It is heavy in areas and don’t exist in other areas. The little Trico mayfly is another important hatch that takes place in some locations where the water flows slow to moderately. They hatch from about the first of August through the middle of October. Golden Stoneflies hatch from about the middle of May through the middle of July. Little Yellow Stoneflies, called Yellow Sallies, hatch from about the first of June through September depending on the particular location. There are several species of caddisflies that hatch on the South Platte River. The first major hatch are Little Black Caddis or species of Brachycentrus caddisflies. They start hatching around the first of May and last on until the first week or two of June depending on the particular location along the river. Probably the most important or plentiful caddisflies are the Spotted Sedges. These caddisflies can hatch from June through September, depending on the particular species. There is also a hatch of their Little Sisters that takes place in late June and July. Green Sedges are fairly plentiful in parts of the stream. Imitations of their larvae, called Rock Worms, are effective flies to use. They hatch from around the first of May through June, depending on the location. Terrestrials are very important in the meadow sections of the South Platte River, however, they can be found anywhere on any section of the stream. Ants, beetles and grasshoppers, are all important terrestrials to imitate. They become available from about the middle of June through September. Scuds are available for the trout to eat through the year. They are plentiful and a major source of food for the trout in some areas of the river.Streamers are always effective flies to use, but especially during the times the water is high or slightly off color from rain. The river has plenty of sculpin and various species of minnows and baitfish. They are also important flies to have with you when trout are moving out of any of the many lakes and reservoirs up into the river to spawn. If you haven’t done so already, we hope you will give our “Perfect Fly” line of trout flies a try. They are the most realistic and effective trout flies you can purchase. Several of our patterns have proven effective at catching trout on the South Platte River. We believe in them so strongly, we guarantee your satisfaction. Thank you for viewing the South Platte River fishing report.