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

• 

  MidgePrimeYear-round, peak Dec–Mar

  Cloud cover and steady flows

  Best: overcast days, steady low flows

• 

  Pale Morning DunIn seasonLate May–July

  In season — no live conditions to judge it by

  Best: mornings & evenings

• 

  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 Jul 31, 1:35 PM MDT. Time of day is left to you — check the “Best” line above.

What changed this week

No new stocking, closures, or condition changes in the past week.

Current conditions

much below normal for Jul 31 (17 yrs of record)

Last reading Jul 31, 4:15 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

Gusting to 21 mph.

1026 mb ↓ · Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

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

Get directions ↗View larger map ↗

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 →