The South Platte River
Fishing Info
The famous South Platte River starts in the plains of South Park near Fairplay, CO. Here, the Middle and South forks of this river flow for a short while before converging near the town of Hartsel. The S. Platte supplies much of the front range with water. Because of this, the river travels through 3 dams before exiting South Park, then continues to flow through numerous others as it flows east. These first 3 dams create Antero, Spinney, and Eleven-Mile Reservoirs. Read more about fishing these reservoirs here. Between these reservoirs, multiple tailwater stretches of this river offer great fishing with abundant resident fish. Between Spinney and Eleven-Mile Reservoir is the famous Dream Stream. The Dream as well as other stretches here are highly regarded amongst anglers given their potential to house lake-run fish that push up into the river. These fish are often of trophy size. Take note that these fisheries receive immense angling pressure, and be aware that many lake-run fish migrate up the river to spawn. Make sure to educate yourself on spawning fish activity so that these fish can successfully reproduce, keeping the fisheries abundant.
