Tailwater · Mixed · Colorado, US

South Platte — Dream Stream (Spinney to Eleven Mile)

Spinney Mountain State Park
Tomorrow · A proper day on the water
Black Midge
Forecast · Tomorrow
A proper day on the water
A proper day for it. Work the seams with an upstream nymph, switch to the dry when they show.
75% projected
Today's fly
Black Midge
Black Midge
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.17 m
Water temp7.3°C
ClarityClear
Weather7°C
WindN 2 km/h
Pressure1022 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.1 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Cool — slow
7°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°

A dam sets this river's temperature, not the weather, so it can shift several degrees within hours when the release changes. It also warms as it runs away from the dam.

How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is working for you, but time of day is the limiting factor today.
Likely species
Mayflies
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 10:00

12:00(now) — Black Midge

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 92%
Also:Western Blue-Winged Olive69%
Peak emergence window4 food groups active

Peak activity at 10:00 — Black Midge (Black Midge, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.

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14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 as a supporter.

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14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Western Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Pale Morning DunHatch
2
3
3
2
TricoHatch
2
3
2
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Fly box · Brown Trout
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Colorado licence
  • Gold Medal / special-regulation water in Charlie Meyers SWA — flies/lures and gear rules apply
  • Verify CPW regs and SWA access requirements.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
South Platte — Eleven Mile Canyon
17 km
81
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
South Platte — Cheesman Canyon
40 km
77
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
South Platte — Deckers
48 km
79
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Arkansas River — Browns Canyon (Buena Vista to Salida)
49 km
84
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Arkansas River — Upper (Granite to Buena Vista)
54 km
80
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Spinney Mountain State Park
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Supporting
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'South Platte River, all tributaries.' (COSPUS02a_E), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Fully Supporting. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · COSPUS02a_E

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 75%
How the 80 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time40 × 13%5.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity58 × 12%7.0
Conditions total= 81
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts