Fishing Season: Year Round, Prime March through October

South Platte River - CO

Fishing Outlook & Conditions

Water Temp:

42

Orvis Cherry Creek's Tip of the Week

Winter is here! Weather is in the 50’s degree. This time of year, midges, BWO and smaller black stoneflies are hatching. Dry fly fishing is slowing down, usually in morning and late afternoon! The flow will fluctuate depending the downstream water needs. The flow today is 141 cfs. Happy to say that browns are starting to pair up for fall spawning. Watch out for the redds! With the lower flow this time of the year, trouts are feeding hard before the cold weather sets-in. Fishing is better above the bridge or below Tumbull! After the last Spring storm that washed down sands and debris from the hill side, below the bridge and at Hole in the Wall, there are too much sediments. The best time to fish is between 7 am to 7 pm. Trouts are still feeding in the riffles! They are spooky and picky! The trouts are more concentrated at the deeper pools. Fish will key on smaller flies, midges (size 20-26) and BWOs (20-24) through out the day. Mercury midges, bling midges, Top Secret emergers, Chocolate Thunders, RS2's and all small beatis patterns are proving effective. UV scuds, worms, eggs, stoneflies, and brown and olive leeches are great attractors. Late morning, watch for hatches! Dry flies fishing should start late morning and/or the late afternoon if and when you see hatches Micro San Juan worms and eggs are the effective flies! A small little bird told me that a small white midge with flash works really well right now. Please handle the fish with care!

Directions open in app

Map of South Platte River

Water Flow Data

Orvis-Endorsed guides nearby

Orvis Cherry Creek
Anglers Covey
Freestone Outfitters
Sunrise Anglers

5-Day Outlook as of 12/11/25

Deckers is coming back to life! The Winter flow is around 1410cfs. This is really a good flow for trout fishing at Deckers! Trouts are in the deeper pool in the morning and riffle in the warmer part of the day. The flow will fluctuate quite a bit in the upcoming weeks. Use smaller midges, stonefiles and BWO all day! Watch out for dries with the cloudy days. As we head into fall, larger brown Trout will be more active in preparation for spawn. While fishing dry flies is a great choice, start thinking about streamer fishing as Brown Trout become more aggressive. Dress in layers this time of year!

Techniques & Tips as of 12/11/25

For Winter fishing, fish generally concentrate on the runs below pools. Early in the day, small midges, caddis and baetis are the ticket, smaller diameter tippet and adjusting depth frequently are the key strategies. Match the hatches!! Fluorocarbon tippets in 5 & 6 and even 7X are most effective for nymphing. Utilize heavier split shot or larger tungsten head point flies to get down deep, adjust depth prior to switching patterns. If you are not having success with the micro flies and midges, throw out scuds, leeches, eggs or worm. I like to use mini leeches to entice the trout especially when nothing is working! If you see some action on the top water, Adam’s, no mercy midge, mole flies and Matt's midge are the keys. Adams and Griffith’s Gnats are great dry flies to use in the early and late afternoon! With the flow this week, try a few larger patterns like eggs, worms, stoneflies and leeches. Additionally, make sure to include streamers in your approach. Fall spawn is here, making brown trout very aggressive and willing to chase after prey. With streamer fishing, make sure to focus on the river banks, strip streamers through deep pools, or even try drifting a jigged streamer through a fast riffle. Come see Gene or Mike at Orvis Cherry Creek for more information!

Local Species Available Year Round, Prime March through October

  • Fish Icon

    Brown and Rainbow Trout

Orvis Cherry Creek's Recommended Fly Patterns

"Must-have" fly fishing patterns in descending order of importance:

Name: Colors: Size(s):
Tunghead Pheasant Tail Natural 18-20
Rojo Midge Red 20-24
Midge Black/Red 20-26
Bead Head Brassie™ Brass 18-24
Juan’s Money Midge Brown 20-24
Splitcase BWO Olive 18-22
Bead Head Woolly Bugger Streamer Natural 6-12
Bead Head Prince Black 20-22
Mayer's Mini Leech Black/ Olive/ Brown 14-16
Egg Patterns Orange, Yellow 14-20

Tunghead Pheasant Tail

Adding tungsten beads to mayfly patterns is relatively new.

2.99

Item #144J

Buy Now

Orvis Cherry Creek's Recommended Gear

Description: About South Platte River

The South Platte River (Cheesman Canyon to Chatfield Reservoir) The South Platte River is one of the best small tailwater fisheries in the world. Offering anglers over 100 miles of public access and easy walk wade fishing, the South Platte is a combination of three forks which have as their headwaters the 14,000 foot peaks of the Colorado Rockies. This river is famous for prolific midge, mayfly, and caddis hatches where dry fly and nymph fishing are second to none. The river is accessed within a 2 hour drive of Denver, and can be fished year-round . Picturesque Cheesman Canyon, famous for big rainbows, granite boulders, and crystal clear water, is a favorite hiking and fly-fishing destination just 54 miles from downtown Denver. “Big fish eat small flies here!" Species: Trout, Brown, Cutbows, Rainbows, and Cutthroat. Resources: Orvis Cherry Creek 303-355-4554, Anglers Covey 719-471-2984 www.anglerscovey.com Maps: Delorme Gazetteer, Fly fisher’s guide to Colorado

Nearest Airport:

Denver International Aiport

Hatches:

Midges, BWO, trout classics (PT, CJ, etc.), mini leech, rubber legs, Adams, No Mercy Midge, Eggs.

Best Time to Fish:

early morning to dusk with nymphs and the occasional streamer

Best Stretch:

Cheesman Canyon, Deckers to Night Hawk Hill

Best Access:

Upstream from the bridge at Deckers and the Bridge Crossing day use area