wild trout on the fly.com's Kevin Pitney fishes a stretch of Cheesman Canyon. Photo M. Miller.
south platte river
The South Platte starts it's journey in Colorado's South Park. From her headwaters to the Denver metro area this is one of Colorado's most popular and famous streams. The South Platte has copious public fishing that sometimes wavers on outstanding, hence the term given one section called the 'Dream Stream'. The reports provided here are for the major sections of this river, the 'Dream Stream' (also known as the Spinney Mile), Elevenmile Canyon, Cheeseman Canyon, Deckers, and of course the closest tailwater to metro Denver, Waterton Canyon. All of the before mentioned sections provide some of the best fly fishing opportunities in the Colorado Rockies, however, due to her popularity the South Platte can tend to get a little crowded on the weekends. Some recommended flies for the South Platte drainage are as follows: adams (para), barr's emerger bwo,pmd, black beauty, blue wing olive, copper john, hoppers (excellent in summer along with several other terrestrial patterns), elk hair caddis, barr's tentwing caddis, blood midges, scuds, pheasant tails, pale morning duns, and there are several other effective patterns that work in this drainage as well.
The five and a half miles of river below Spinney Mountain Reservoir in Colorado's South Park could be considered by some a fly fisherman's paradise, with abundant aquatic life and truly spectacular spawning runs of rainbow and Snake River cutthroat trout. During the pre and post spawn activities anglers have the chance of landing the fish of a lifetime. The flows in this section of the South Platte are regulated by the Aurora Water Board and the flows can drop as low as 50 cfs at times making this one of the ultimate challenges in the stalking of trophy trout. This section of the South Platte holds resident brown, rainbow, cutthroat, cuttbows and the seasonal kokanee salmon run from Elevenmile Reservoir (the Kokanee run has recently been decimated by gill lice infestations). With constant flows from Spinney this section has a plethora of aquatic life and with new river restoration there is no wonder why it is called the 'Dream Stream'.
Flows have been increased and holding steady. Pretty soon it'll be time to start looking for those big lake run bows and cutts. To be successful you may have to take several exploratory trips to South Park, but the end result could be the fish of a lifetime. Remember to avoid fishing to actively spawning trout and watch your step when on the streambed.
Current recommended: #14-#16 micro san juan worms red and pink, #16-#20 red tungsten Copper John, #20-#24 Red Mercury Flashback Pheasant Tail, #22-#26 Dorsey'sTop Secret Midge, #22-#24 Rojo Midge, #22-#24 Sparkle Wing RSII, #22-#24 Craven's Jujubee midge red & black, #20-#24 Mercury Flashback Pheasant Tail, #20-#26 mike's midge black, #22-#26 mike's midge red, #20-#22 K.P. Special black, #22-#24 K.P. Special red, blue or black, #24-#26 griffiths gnat, #14-#16 caddis larvae, #16 orange flash tail egg.
The spectacular canyon below Elevenmile Dam is an incredible fishery with sweet riffled runs and nice pocket water, and with prolific midge activity and tremendous recent fish counts this is one of the best year-round fisheries within an hour of the front range. Elevenmile canyon is weatherlocked and does not get much sun along the canyon floor, so even some of the hottest days in Colorado can be nice and cool along this section. The majority of the fish caught in this section of the South Platte will be rainbow trout in the 14" to 16" range, with a few fish getting much larger than that. This is a great scenic canyon with massive boulders and tree falls. Some of the river is difficult to access, so make sure you are in top health if venture to the canyon bottom in some spots. Some browns and cutthroat can be caught here as well, mostly in the 12"-16" range. Elevenmile Canyon is definitely a nice place to get away for a weekday but the weekends can tend to get overcrowded, especially on nice summer days. Don't feel like hitting the canyon? Check out the Happy Meadows section just below the town of Lake George and get into some nice fish.
Flows have been dictated by the weather as of late. Flows are completely manageable for getting into fish, now is the time to check out the canyon for some nice hatches and some nice fish.
Current recommended flies: #20-#24 mercury flashback black beauty, #22-#24 blood midge, #22-#24 RSII, #20-#24 black beauties, #22-#24 mercury midge, #20-#26 red and black mike's midge, #14-#16 micro San Juan Worm tan and red, #20-#24 Mercury Red Pheasant Tails, #16-#20 tugnsten Red Copper John, #22-22 Mercury Baetis, #20-#24 Jujubee Midge black or red, #20-#24 Mercury Pheasant Tails, #20-#26 Parachute Adams, #22-#26 blue wing olive, #18-#24 Barrs Emerger, #22-#24 griffiths gnat, #22-#26 adams.
Cheesman Canyon can be considered to be one of the single most difficult sections of river to fish along the South Platte. It is said that if you can catch a fish in the canyon that you can catch a fish anywhere in the world. With massive boulders, bizarre current flows, extreme fishing pressure, and some of the most highly "trained" trout in the South Platte drainage, Cheesman Canyon can leave even the most diehard of fly fishing veteran wondering what he did wrong. Cheesman Canyon is a three mile stretch of canyon water that creates one of the most magnificent wild trout fisheries in the Colorado Rockies. Even with the fifteen to 45 minute walk (this depends on how far up the canyon you decide to go.), crowds are not kept to a minimum, even on the weekdays. The average size trout in this section is 16", but you will definitely need to work for them. Due to the nature of the canyon, this river is best fished with a two nymph setup. Please remember this is a Colorado designated "Gold Medal" fishery and catch and release techniques are absolutely mandatory.
Fishing below Cheesman Dam has been productive lately. With decent flows and active fish, it has been difficult to get the bend out the rod for those willing to work hard for their catch. Remember to look before you fish and don't fish one spot all day if you are looking for success, these trout see a lot of flies and approach can be everything. Fish to the feeders and avoid those fish that look inactive.
Current recommended flies: #20-#26 mercury midge, #20-#26 mercury blood midge, #20-#24 sparkle wing RSII, #20-#24 black beauties, #20-#24 mercury flashback black beauty, #20-#26 Dorsey's Top Secret Midge, #20-#26 red and black mike's midge, #22-#24 red and black mighty mike midge, #14-16 San Juan Worm tan and red, #20-#24 Rainbow Warrior, #20-#24 Craven's Jujubee midge red and black, #14-#16 olive or orange scud, #22-#26 blue wing olive, #20-#24 Barr's emerger.
Dream Stream rainbow. Photo M. Miller
deckers (current flow rate, current weather) The Deckers area is another great section of prime trout fishing water that has wonderful amounts of riffled water with the occasional pocket pools. As with Cheesman Canyon the trout in this section of water see several fisherman over the course of a year, so the fish can sometimes seem just out of reach. This is another one of those places that a weekday would be the opportune time to get a line wet. This stretch of river is restricted to fishing with artificial flies and lures only, and catch and release ethics are highly encouraged.
Fishing has been good to great depending on the day in and around the town of Deckers. wtotfer Michelle Edwards had her hands full just above the Rock Gardens earlier this week as fish were both active and hungry. The most productive fishing has been between Trumbull and the YMCA property, but the river has been crowded on the weekends. We recommend hitting this stretch of water during the week when everybody else is stuck in the office.
Current recommended flies: #22-#26 mercury midges, #20-#26 black beauties, #22-#26 Dorsey's Top Secret Midge, #22-#26 mercury blood midges, #22-#24 RSII, #22-#26 red and black mike's midge, #22-#26 red/green/black mighty mike's, #20-#24 Mercury Red Pheasant Tails, #20-#22 Rainbow Warrior, #16-#18 cased caddis, #14-#16 micro san juan worm tan or red, #20-#26 jujube midge.
waterton canyon (current flow rate, current weather) Waterton Canyon is the closest tailwater to metro Denver. With a staggering 5 miles of superb fishing for rainbow, brown, and the occasional cuttbow, this fly fishing paradise can be hit right after work with ease. There is no vehicle access inside the canyon and no dogs are allowed, so you must either walk or bike into this spot, but it can definitely be rewarding. The first three miles of this river are not restricted, so the trout population is not as great, and the lower river really tends to gets pretty crowded on the weekends. The best fishing along this stretch of the South Platte is in the upper 2 miles of the canyon, here the fishing is restricted to flies and artificial lures only, with a two fish maximum, and now due to the changes in restrictions any two fish may be taken. We still highly recommend catch and release on all the waters we fish.
The best way to access the upper section is to use a bicycle for transportation as this allows for more fishing and less time traveling. Most of the fisherman who get to the upper stretches tend to practice catch and release, so there are some very large trout that live in the canyon, the hardest part is just finding where they like to hide out.
Fishing has been fair in the canyon as of late, we recommend getting out the bike and trekking to the upper couple miles of this section.
Current recommended flies: #22-#24 mercury midges, #22-#24 black beauties, #22-#24 Dorsey's Top Secret Midge, #22-#26 mercury blood midges, #22-#24 RSII, #20-#26 red and black mike's midge, #22-#26 red/green/black mighty mike's, #6-8 Barr’s Cranefly, #14-#16 San Juan Worm red and tan, #20-#24 Mercury Red Pheasant Tails, #18-#20 Rainbow Warrior, #18-#20 adams, #20-#26 para adams.
The best information about a stream can sometimes come from local shops and the businesses listed below are no exception. Check out these local shops when fishing the South Platte River.
Anglers All 5211 Santa Fe Dr. Littleton, CO 303.794.1104 or toll free 800.327.5014
Anglers Covey 295 S. 21st Street Colorado Springs, CO 719.471.2984 or toll free 800.75FISHN
Blue Quill Angler 1532 Bergen Pkwy. Evergreen, CO 303.674.4700 or toll free 800.435.5353
While finding the fish along the South Platte River can be a fairly easy task, hooking up with these cunning beauties can be a different story. To get ahead of the curve check out one of the fly fishing guides below to help you find the fish and get them to the net on this legendary river.
Anglers All 5211 S. Santa Fe Drive Littleton, CO 303.794.1104 or toll free 800.327.5014
Anglers Covey 295 S. 21st St. Colorado Springs, CO 719.471.2984 or toll free 800.75FISHN
ArkAnglers 7500 West Hwy 50 Salida, CO 719.539.4223
Blue Quill Angler 1532 Bergen Pkwy. Evergreen, CO 303.674.4700 or toll free 800.435.5353
Trout Trips P.O. Box 11181 Englewood, CO 303.518.4337
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