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Fishing Information

South Platte River - Cheesman Canyon

SOUTH PLATTE BASIN Fishing Report
Rating
3/5
Flow
81 cfs
Wind
8 mph
Temperature
42 °F
Low/High
42/67
Weather @SOUTH PLATTE BASIN - Updated April 22, 2024 - 3:38am by OpenWeather

Current River Flow Updates

Latest Update: 10/23/23

Flows have dropped to 49 CFS below the lake. At low flows such as these, 9ft 5 or 6X leaders are your best bet. Fish 6X to an RS2, Cheesman emerger or WD-40 as your point fly. Drop a small midge as a trailer. Size 24s and 26s are not out of the question. On warmer afternoons we are still seeing amazing PMD hatches, you should be able to get away with 5X to a size 14 or 16 PMD dry if you find yourself lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.

Historical River Flow

River Information

Cheesman Canyon is the picture perfect trout stream. With house-sized boulders in the center of the river, not a road in sight, and bald eagles flying above, it doesn't get much "troutier" and beautiful than Cheesman Canyon. A mixed bag of wild rainbows and brown trout in the 12-20+ range is what will likely be on the end of your line once you can figure out what these picky trout are feeding on. Nymphing is the name of the game here but on certain days dry fly fishing and streamer fishing can be very productive as well. Rumor is that if you can catch a fish in the canyon you can catch a fish anywhere.

Seasonal Conditions

In the warm summer months, these trout will be gorging themselves on baetis, midges, stoneflies, caddis, and leeches. These trout can be difficult to trick so the key is to find feeding fish and keep swapping out rigs until you find the golden ticket. When you enter the colder winter months these fish predominately feed on small midges in the 20-26 range. At these times make sure to keep your rig on light fluorocarbon tippet (5-7x) and eliminate the indicator if you can.

Additional River Information

South Platte River below Cheesman Reservoir

SOUTH PLATTE BASIN River Gauge View Detailed Information

  • Flow 81 cfs
  • Wind 8 mph
  • Temp 42 °F
  • High/Low 42/67

River access

To get to Cheesman Canyon it is easiest to take 285 west and then turn left onto 126. After passing through Pine and Buffalo Creek you will go down a large hill that is 3 lanes. At the bottom of that hill where the speed limit drops you will see a paved parking lot on your right. This is the Lower Gill Trail parking lot. This lot is about a 30-minute hike to the first fishable water. From there you have about 3 miles of water to explore up-river.

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