South Platte River at Waterton Canyon

Seasonal notes

Waterton Canyon is the South Platte below Strontia Springs Dam, the closest canyon trout water to downtown Denver and the last few river miles before the river reaches Chatfield Reservoir. Denver Water runs the 6.2-mile road up to the dam and keeps it closed to motor vehicles, so the whole reach is walk-in or bike-in, and pressure thins out fast once you get past the first mile of gravel. Flow here is a managed release rather than snowmelt straight off the hill, which is why the canyon still holds fishable water in late summer when the Front Range freestone creeks have dropped off. Midges, blue-winged olives, and pale morning duns all get long windows. PMDs come on in late May and run through July, BWOs fish best on grey afternoons in spring and fall, and midge fishing carries the winter when the release is steady. The canyon walls block most of the wind, which is worth a great deal in March. In high summer, put a thermometer in the water before you fish the middle of the day: this is a low-elevation reach and it warms.

What’s hatching

• 

  MidgeFairYear-round, peak Dec–Mar

  In season, but bright sun

  Best: overcast days, steady low flows

• 

  TricoIn seasonAug–Sep

  In season — no live conditions to judge it by

  Best: mornings

Confidence is graded from live National Weather Service conditions and gage flow as of Aug 2, 9:40 PM MDT. Time of day is left to you — check the “Best” line above.

What changed this week

• Emergency Closure posted Aug 1

Current conditions

much below normal for Aug 3 (17 yrs of record)

Last reading Aug 2, 11:15 PM MDT. Source: Colorado Division of Water Resources gage PLAWATCO.

Flows come from CDWR's PLAWATCO gage. That is the same physical site as the old USGS "South Platte River at Waterton" gage (06708000), which stopped reporting discharge in 1980; CDWR still operates it and its record still carries the USGS id. The gage sits at the canyon mouth, at the bottom of the fished water, so the number you see is the Strontia Springs release after it has run the whole canyon.

Weather

1016 mb ↑ · Partly Cloudy

Latest Stocking

No stocking recorded this season.

Special regulations

Waterton Canyon is not Gold Medal water, despite how often it gets called that. CPW's Gold Medal stretches of the South Platte are upstream at Cheesman Canyon and Deckers, and further up in South Park. What the canyon does carry is a CPW special regulation from Strontia Springs Dam downstream to 300 yards above Denver Water's Marston diversion structure: artificial flies and lures only, with a trout bag and possession limit of 2. From that point down to the canyon entrance, statewide rules apply, so bait is legal and the trout limit is 4. Access is on foot, by bike, or on horseback from the Waterton Canyon trailhead lot off Waterton Road. Denver Water allows no motor vehicles past the gate and no dogs anywhere in the canyon, to protect the bighorn herd. The canyon is open year-round from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset, with no overnight parking, and normally closes for about two weeks of road work in early June.

Quick ref: Not Gold Medal, despite the reputation. CPW's special regulation runs from Strontia Springs Dam downstream to 300 yards above Denver Water's Marston diversion structure: artificial flies and lures only, trout bag and possession limit 2. From there down to the canyon entrance, statewide rules apply, so bait is legal and the trout limit is 4. The canyon road is Denver Water's: foot, bike, or horse only, no dogs, and it closes for roughly two weeks of road work most years in early June.

Location

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Nearby waters

• Chatfield State Park Reservoir
• Bear Creek Lake
• South Platte River at South Platte (North Fork confluence)

Nearby fly shops

• Ascent Fly Fishing →
• Ken's Anglers →
• Anglers All →
• Minturn Anglers →