Where to Go South Platte River – Cheesman Canyon

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WINTER HOURS: 9AM TO 6PM DAILY

Report Date: 4/24/2024

Current Conditions: 

 The flows dropped a few days ago and are still low at 70 cfs. from the dam. These flows are expected with the reservoir levels of Strontia Springs being full. We dont expect much of a change from Cheesman any time soon. We do expect the flows out of Cheesman to fluctuate pretty good through spring.

 The fishing has been great in the canyon, even with the lower flows. Fish are feeding opportunistically throughout the day, but especially when the midges start hatching. When the river bumps in flows, be sure to augment some larger patterns into your offering. It has been extremely busy in the canyon recently. Keep in mind that there are parts of the trail that can get a little sketchy.

Cheesman reservoir is currently 93% full.

Hatches: 

  As usual for this time of year, Midges are the staple. We are also seeing some great BWO hatches starting around noon each day.  Dont be afraid to add larger food sources into your offering. Scuds, cranefly larva and leaches. Mix these in with your standard small fare.

Tactics: 

For Nymphing- Depth and weight will be very important right now. The fish will not move much to feed. Sometimes you will need to get your flies right on their noses. Stay persistent and adjust your rig.This will be more important than what flies you are fishing. Pay attention to your presentation.

 The dry fly fishing (BWO's) has been very good on most days. Cloudier days have afforded some of the heaviest early spring BWO's we have seen in quite some time here. Fish are venturing out into more riffle type water when the midges and baetis are hatching. A focus on presentation will remain the most important component of your tactics.

This can also be a great time of year to throw some streamers.

Tips: 

 Be mobile and move around for the most success. Fish are occupying deeper water but are willing to move around a fair amount when there are good hatches. Focus on areas of the river that see more sun (There are some stretches that do not see any sun for months) These areas will promote more bug activity.  Nymphing will be the most successful method at this time, but your fly location (depth) will be the biggest factor in success.

Weather: 

Short Term-  We will see a few days here of nice weather, but it could get pretty windy. Today will be the nicest of the next 5 days with high temps in the mid 70's. As we head closer to the weekend we will start to see some changes. Starting on Friday late afternoon, rain chances will ramp up. Precipitation chances will be fairly high all through the weekend. We could see a good amount of rain in this area. The precipitation will likely be in the form of rain, but we could see snow fall during the overnight hours. This storm could potentially add to our high elevation snowpack. This pattern will stick around until Monday, then we should things quiet down again for a couple of days. Its definitely spring and we will continue to see these frequent storms roll through the area. We can also see a lot of wind this time of the year.

Long Term-  After things clear out heading into next week, we could see some rain chances through next week. These do not look like anything significant, but the chances will be there. Temperatures wont drop all that much during this time and will remain in the 70's. We will see a fair amount of wind through next week. Be sure to check the wind forecasts and plan accordingly. Beyond next week, longer range forecasts are hinting at another storm system entering the area around May 4th. While its still pretty far away, we will be keeping an eye on that. The higher sun angle is causing our snowpack to decline rather fast in this basin. We would expect to start to see runoff conditions start sometime in the next 2 weeks. The south platte basin is currently sitting at 97% of average, and technically peaks today. While there is still some time to add to our snowpack, that time is getting thin.

*Seasonal snowpack update*

Denver Water has informed us that snowpack levels look very good for this season. With most reservoirs already full, they do anticipate filling all of their reservoirs this spring. One thing to add is that soil moisture is also very high. This goes hand in hand with our snowpack and can also help predict how good our water season will be. We should see a bit higher and more consistent flows along the south platte river this season. Of course, the flows are all strictly based on water demand so we will have to see how this pans out. Overall, great news for our season ahead.

This is an area we offer guided fly fishing trips. We are one of two outfitters permitted to operate in Cheesman. There is not better way to learn an area like Cheesman Canyon than hiring one of our Orvis endorsed professional guides!

RECOMMENDED PATTERNS 

For a custom fly assortment for this location, click here! 

Our Top 6 Nymphs for Today:

• RS2, grey, sizes 20-22
• Anneworm, red, sizes 18-22
• Massacre midge, brown, sizes 20-22
• Wader midge, sizes 20-22
• Barrs emerger, sizes 20-22
• Stalcups baetis, olive, sizes20-22

Our Top Dry Flies for Today: 

• Mole Fly, brown. Size 22 
• Neil's BWO, green. Sizes 22 & 24
• Matt's Midge, black. Size 22

Our Top Streamer Patterns for Today:

• • Wooly Buggers, black, green, brown, Natural. Sizes 12-8
  • Baby Gonga, brown, grey. Size 6
  • Zoo Cougar, Olive. Size 6

Standard nymph rig set up for the South Platte:

Screenshot the diagram above to reference while you're out on the water!

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR "WHERE TO GO" PAGE FOR DETAILED INFORMATION ON OTHER AREAS!