River · Front Range
South Platte River at South Platte (North Fork confluence)
Seasonal notes
At the town of South Platte the river roughly triples in size. The North Fork drops in from Bailey and joins the mainstem here, and below the confluence the South Platte carries close to three times the water of the Cheesman Canyon tailwater upstream — commonly 300 to 550 cfs where the canyon reach above is running near 200. That changes the fishing entirely. This is broad riffle-and-run water with long seams and deep outside bends, and it rewards covering ground with a weighted nymph rig or a streamer far more than it rewards a size 24 midge fished to a visible fish. Brown trout dominate, with rainbows mixed through. The seasonal pattern is backwards from what most Front Range anglers expect: Denver Water moves Blue River water through the Roberts Tunnel into the North Fork at Grant, so August through October is this reach's high-water season rather than its low one, with the median above 500 cfs. May and June runoff is the stretch to skip — past about 1,200 cfs the river stops being safely wadeable at all. Late fall through winter, when flows settle back toward 250 to 350 cfs, gives the best mix of wadeable water and fish that will still move to a fly.
What’s hatching
StreamersIn seasonSpring & late fallIn season — this one isn't tied to the day's conditions
Best: low light, off the deep outside bends
Blue-winged OliveUnlikelyMar–May, Sep–OctBright sun — not its moment
Best: overcast afternoons
Confidence is graded from live National Weather Service conditions and gage flow as of Oct 30, 9:45 AM MDT. Time of day is left to you — check the “Best” line above.
What changed this week
- Emergency Closure posted Oct 30
Current conditions
Discharge
259cfs
Gage height
2.51ft
Water temp
—
normal for Oct 30 (16 yrs of record)
Last reading Oct 30, 9:00 AM MDT. Source: Colorado Division of Water Resources gage PLASPLCO.
USGS retired the South Platte town gage (06707500) in 2007; CDWR still operates the same site as PLASPLCO. It sits just below the North Fork confluence and reads the whole river, both forks together. The Cheesman Canyon / Deckers water upstream is a separate page and runs far lower.
Weather
Air temp
48°F
Wind
3mph
Precip
0%
1021 mb ↑ · Partly Sunny
Latest Stocking
No stocking recorded this season.
Special regulations
No CPW special regulation covers the river at the town of South Platte, so the statewide trout limits and statewide gear rules apply — there is no flies-and-lures-only restriction and no catch-and-release requirement on this reach. The Gold Medal, artificials-only water is upstream at Cheesman Canyon and Deckers, and there is separate special-regulation water downstream below Strontia Springs Dam in Waterton Canyon; neither one reaches the confluence. Confirm the current statewide limits in the CPW fishing brochure before keeping fish. The bank between the confluence and Strontia Springs Reservoir is a patchwork of private property and Denver Water land, so read the posted signage rather than assuming access.
Quick ref: No CPW special regulation covers this reach — statewide trout limits apply unless posted on the bank. The Gold Medal, flies-and-lures water is upstream at Cheesman Canyon / Deckers and downstream of Strontia Springs Dam in Waterton Canyon, not here. Access between the confluence and Strontia Springs Reservoir is mixed private and Denver Water land; check signage before you fish.
Location
Nearby waters
Nearby fly shops
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Flow, the go/no-go call, CPW stocking and closure notices for South Platte River at South Platte (North Fork confluence) — one email, Thursday morning. Sign up and we'll send this week's report right now.