Fly Fishing Guide to the South Platte River

Book excerpt: The South Platte River begins high atop the frozen Continental Divide, home to a chain of rugged 13,000-foot, snow-capped peaks. This region comprises lush valleys, meandering meadow streams, and rose-colored, boulder-filled canyons. For generations this area has been a recreation mecca and a fly fisher’s paradise in its purest form. Out of all the trout fisheries in America that are within an hour’s drive of a major metropolitan area, the South Platte River is clearly one of the best. It has become a river shrine to thousands of anglers on an annual basis and for good reason. Throughout the river’s entirety, the South Platte creates a series of reservoirs (Antero, Spinney, Eleven Mile, Cheesman, Strontia Springs, and Chatfield) that provide major metropolitan water storage systems for Denver Water and the City of Aurora. The by-products of these storage facilities are world-class tailwaters that provide anglers with year-round fishing opportunities. Against all odds, the South Platte River remains a world-class trout fishery abundant with some of the most finicky and challenging trout in the world. There’s a common belief among South Platte regulars—if you can catch trout on the South Platte; you can catch trout anywhere in the world. * Completely new maps and updated river, access, and fishing information * Regional experts like Landon Mayer, Greg Blessing, Jeremy Hyatt, Chris Wells, Richard Pilatzke and John Perizzolo, Rick Mikesell and many more, share insider information * New line up of cutting-edge fly patterns * Additional chapters on stillwaters and the Denver Metro Area