Spinney Mountain Ranch

The lush meandering, meadow portion of the South Platte between Spinney and Elevenmile Reservoirs is known as the “Dream Stream”.  This beautiful 3-mile section of the Platte offers anglers the opportunity of a lifetime to catch large trout. This fabulous tailwater fishery is located in the heart of South Park, tucked between 14,000 foot snow capped peaks on the west, rich ranchland to the north and south, and Pikes Peak on the east. Spinney is a well-balanced fishery where anglers can catch trout on nymphs, dry flies and streamers.

The river is comprised of prime trout habitat, which includes, riffles, runs, gravel bars, shelves, and undercut banks. Fly-fishers can expect to catch a mixed bag of rainbows, browns, and cutthroats in 16-20 inch range. In addition spring (rainbows, and cutthroats) and fall (browns and kokanee salmon) spawning runs from Elevenmile Reservoir are quite impressive with fish up to 12 pounds landed during a key three-four week period. Ideal flow conditions for “Dream Stream” are between 100 CFS and 250 CFS. The regulations are flies and lures only and all fish must be returned to the water immediately.

Current Conditions

Flow: 123

Cheesman Canyon

The picturesque boulder-filled Cheesman Canyon portion of the South Platte River is considered by many one of the most pristine fisheries in the world. This area, often times simply referred to, as “The Canyon” is an experience you’ll never forget. It’s the perfect scenario, magnificent beauty in combination with great flyfishing.

The South Platte River carves its way through a granite canyon lined with ponderosa pines, willows,
fallen tree trunks, and various other assorted ground foliages. Boulders as big as Volkswagens Beetles create structure for the super-selective trout residing in the river. Mule Deer, Black Bear, Raccoons, Mountain Lyons, and Bald Eagles all add to the experience. Anglers can expect to catch mostly large rainbows supplemented with a few nice brown trout. The aforementioned “Canyon” is as technical as they get, and if you can catch trout here, you can catch them anywhere in the world. This three-mile section is primarily a nymphing fishery requiring tiny midge and mayfly imitations with fine 6 & 7X tippets. Ideal flows for Cheesman are between 250 CFS and 400 CFS. The regulations are flies and lures only. All fish must be returned to the water immediately.

Current Conditions

Flow:126

Deckers

The mileage below Cheesman Canyon is the renowned Deckers area, a world-class fishery with easy access and lots of opportunity. The best fishing is from Bridge Crossing to the lower boundary of the Tee Pee Club. Like Cheesman Canyon, the fish are challenging to catch, and there is no substitution for a good dead drift. Deckers can offer good dry fly fishing at times but like upstream in the “The Canyon” a good nympher will catch the majority of fish. Anglers can expect to catch assortment of browns and rainbows with some exceeding 20 inches. The river is made up of riffles, runs, shelves and gravel bars, and nice pocket water. The ideal flow for Deckers is between 150-400 cfs. The regulations are two trout over 16 inches in length and flies and lures only.

Current Conditions

Flow: Trumbull 130

Elevenmile Canyon

The South Platte River below Elevenmile Reservoir is absolutely beautiful. The South Platte River tumbles and twists through a majestic canyon as it carves its way downstream to the small community of Lake George. Parts of the scenic canyon remind you of the fabled Cheesman stretch while others look much like the renowned Deckers area. Elevenmile Canyon is a great winter and early spring fishery with tremendous opportunity to consistently hook nice fish. The river is loaded with Rainbows and Cut-bows with the occasional brown trout.

The average fish ranges between 12 and 17 inches and are strong as an ox. Occasionally you will hook fish between 17 and 24 inches in the upper reaches below the dam. The river is comprised of riffles, runs, shelves, gravel bars, and nice pocket water. The scenery is fabulous with logjams, huge granite boulders, fallen trees, waterfalls, and bald eagles soaring above the canyon’s lip. The ideal flow for Elevenmile Canyon is between 150-250 cfs. The best fishing is in the upper two miles. The aforementioned two-mile stretch is flies and lures only. This section is catch and release and all fish must be returned to the water immediately. Pinch down your barbs and protect this incredible resource.

Current Conditions

Flow:120

North Fork of the South Platte River

The North Fork of the South Platte River offers yet another opportunity to sample the South Platte River system. The vast majority of this swift, fast flowing stem of the South Platte River is within an hour’s reach of metropolitan Denver, nevertheless, this branch gets over-shadowed by the renowned South Fork. The headwaters of the North Fork, as it is referred to, commence on the eastern side of legendary Kenosha Pass. The North Fork is extremely small and expeditious for the first several miles until it joins forces with diverted water from the bottom of Dillon Reservoir via the Roberts Tunnel. Another tributary—Geneva Creek—further adds a substantial quantity of water to the North Fork near the small town of Grant. This creek is especially influential during run-off as the North Fork swells and becomes high and roily. Several other smaller side-streams also enter the river but are not the magnitude of the two previously mentioned sources of water.

The North Fork is comprised of shallow riffles, runs, and an abundance of pocket water. Deep holes are uncommon throughout this section of river. The water is gin clear, and standard sight nymphing tactics work best on a day-to-day basis. Short-line nymphing is the most effective technique with the heavy brush, small pockets, and quick seams—all of which are key holding areas for the trout. Typically if it looks “fishy”, it generally is, and of course it’s always lucrative to find fish positioned where you think they should be.

Current Conditions

for Boxwood Gulch, Long Meadow, Farmer’s Union, and North Fork Ranch. These are the private leases we guide on. The same conditions are present on all the public water, however, access is limited.

Flow:ICE

William’s Fork River

The Williams Fork River is a top-notch fishery of its own. This beautiful fishery is nestled between the Williams Peaks and Middle Park and is truly a fly-fishing paradise. The two-mile stretch between the upper boundary of the Kemp Unit and the confluence of the Colorado River is a mixture or riffles, runs and pocket water with one of the best populations of brown trout in the “west”. A 30-minute hike to the river keeps the crowds to a minimum. Anglers can catch trout with a variety of methods including nymphs, streamers, and dry flies. The hatches include caddis, blue wing olives, midges, tricos, and red quills. Being a tributary of the Colorado River-spring and fall-spawning runs bring some “lunkers” into the stream. Ideal flows for the “Fork” are between 100-250 cfs. The regulations are flies and lures only and all fish must be returned to the water immediately.

Current Conditions

Flow:45

Colorado River

The Colorado River begins its journey in Rocky Mountain National Park and heads west offering anglers several opportunities to sample this great stream. Near the small community of Granby is the confluence of the Fraser River. At this point the river is a meandering, meadow stream flowing through lush ranchland and the river remains this way until it hit Byers Canyon. Byers Canyon is only about one mile long and this section is pretty tough to negotiate, especially during higher flows. Below Byers Canyon the river is “as good as it gets” with many access points including Paul Gilbert, Lone Buck, Kemp-Breeze, Sun Set Ranch, Reeder Creek and the Pump House to Radium stretch. The Colorado is lined with cottonwood trees and willows and is a dry fly paradise. Anglers can expect to catch mostly brown trout and a few large rainbows. The regulations in this area are flies and lures only and all fish must be returned to the water immediately.

Current Conditions

Flow: Parshall 125

Blue River

Many anglers I know have a love-hate relationship with the Blue River. Just about the time you think you have the river figured out, a humbling experience devastates your ego. The Blue River is a fantastic fishery and a favorite of mine. The Blue certainly is a beautiful as they come, and gives visiting anglers a real sense of “Colorado”. It’s a tough river at times, but a good challenge will always make you a better fly-fisherman. The water is extremely cold coming off the bottom of Lake Dillon. This cold water dictates and controls the feeding window of the trout. It’s not a great morning fishery, but as the water gradually warms up throughout the day, the fishing improves dramatically. The upper stretches of the Blue (from the base of the dam through Silverthorne) holds trophy trout, fattening up on Mysis Shrimp from the lake above. The water is gin clear requiring perfect presentations. Down stream the river changes back in a typical mountain trout stream with a diverse insect life. Several tributaries inter the river before it spills into Green Mountain Reservoir.

The river is  lined with cottonwood trees and willows and is tucked to the east of the beautiful Gore Range. Because the water is so cold the river fishes best from mid-day to dark. Anglers can expect to catch mostly brown trout, a hand full of cut-bows as well as a few rainbows and the river can be excellent with dry fly patterns later in the afternoons and evenings. The hatches include blue wing olives, caddis, red quills, green drakes, pmd’s, and stoneflies. The regulations are catch and release in Silverthorne and on the lower reaches the limit is two trout over 16 inches in length and is artificial flies and lures only.

Current Conditions

Flow: below Dillon Dam 53

Clear Creek

In 1988 when the Blue Quill opened its doors, there was very little fly fishing going on in Clear Creek. The river had suffered over one hundred years of mining pollution, channeling and chemical spills along I-70. Since 1983, Clear Creek has been a Federal Super Fund clean-up site and each year the water seems cleaner, the hatches of aquatic insects more abundant and the fishing better and better. Clear Creek is only seven miles from the Blue Quill Angler and is home to a very high number of naturally reproducing brown trout.

The Clear Creek watershed is unique. With a mountain range of 14,000 foot peaks as its western boundary and approximately sixty linear miles of mainstream river water, it hosts a variety of natural habitats and wildlife populations. Much of Clear Creek is open to fishing from Golden all the way west to Georgetown. There are many pull-offs on HWY 6 and lots of access points on the service road that parallels I-70. Much of the river is channeled and rocky and can be a dangerous stream to fish especially during run-off though it remains a popular Front Range stream for kayaks and rafts.

Despite the inerrant problems with the environment, Clear Creek can be a very fun and exciting stream to fish with a stimulator or a bead head dropper. The fish are often pushed over on the edges and seem to be behind every rock. Czech nymphing techniques can also be very productive. Clear Creek is the perfect place for an afternoon or evening of fly fishing without the long drive necessary to many other spots and offers many miles of productive angling with low angling pressure.

Flow: Lawson ICE

Bear Creek

Bear Creek begins at Mt. Evans, one of the first 14,000' peaks just beyond the Front Range of the Rockies. The creek gains steam as it heads down and flows through a lot of private property on Upper Bear Creek. It then dumps into Evergreen Lake, the water supply for the town of Evergreen. The lake is stocked with Rainbows throughout the Summer months as well as Tiger Musky which are a true challenge to catch!! There are also resident Browns in the lake that are pushing 20+ inches and are super elusive.

Once leaving the lake, it joins with Cub Creek and flows through town. Fishing in the town of Evergreen is a true blast with tons of fish ranging in the 10 to 14 inch range. Smaller line weight rods and Caddis flies are the way to go in the Summer months as you can really get your fix!!! Bear Creek continues through the small towns of Kiteridge, Idledale and eventually ends up in Bear Creek Lake. Fishing can be especially good at several parks along the way like Lair of the Bear, Corwina and O'Fallon. Bear Creek si a great resource for a quick fishing trip to get your fill

Flow: Evergreen ICE