South Platte River
Middle Fork

General Overview

Things will be relatively variable in this section until flows have stabilized after snow melt slows.

Stream Conditions

Flowrate above Spinney Reservoir: 609 cfs

Clarity: Tinted (1-2ft of Visibility)

Suggested Methods

You can find some fish in this section throwing rubberlegs, crane fly larva and worms. Clarity should be coming around any day now with runoff tapering quickly...and then we'll see fish on some of the more standard hatch matchers.

The South Platte below Cheesman Res is a different fishery at the moment with flows around 960 cfs. When things bump up to the +500 CFS range as they are now it's all about nymphing bigger bugs with plenty of weight and heavier tippet. Think leeches, scuds, caddis pupae and larvae, bigger mayfly emergers, rubber legs stonefly nymphs, attractor jigs like the HDA variant, etc. Streamers can even be in play in Cheesman and down at Deckers when flows are on the higher side. I've always had the best success in here with relatively smaller white or cream-colored streamers. Other sections like Eleven Mile and above Cheesman are also fishing great with similar bugs and rigs.

Griffiths Gnat #18-22
Parachute Adams #18-22
Sprout Midge #18-20
Mole Fly #18-20
Para Extended body
Smokejumper (BWO) #18-22
Sprout midge black (18-24)
Squirmy Worm #12
Girdle Bug #10 Tung Golden Stone #12
UV orange scud #14
UV Olive Scud #14
Balanced Swim leech
Split Foam BWO #16-18
Iron Lotus #14-16
Micro Mayfly #16-18
Top Secret Midge #18-22
RS2 #18-22
Black Beauty #20-22
Zebra Midge #20
Blue Poison Tung #18-20
UV Scud #16-18 Hunchback Scud #16-18
Mercury Black Beauty #18
Tung-Soft Hackle Pheasant Tails #16-20
Rainbow Warrior #18-20
Girdle Bug #10-12
Pine Squirrel Leech #12
Medallion Midge #18-22
Disco Midge #18-22
Johnny Flash #18-22
Chocolate RS2 #18-24,Foam Back Emerger #18-24
Eggs #14-16
Copper Johns #16-20. Coffee Sparkle Minnow #4-8
Dungeon #4
Sculpzilla #4-8
McCunes Sculpin #2-6
T&A Bunker #4-6
Swimmin' Jimmy #4-6
Clawdad #4.