Middle Fork South Platte Fly Fishing Report
Middle Fork South Platte at Prince. Guides and local shops report an ideal wade-fishing window of roughly 50–200 cfs (FlyGuysNLies). Live gauge data below updates automatically.
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What's swimming in the Middle Fork South Platte
No CPW fishery survey or body-of-water page exists specifically for the Middle Fork. The nearest CPW page describes Eleven Mile Canyon on the main South Platte, a different segment.
- CPW's nearest body-of-water page (Eleven Mile Canyon, main South Platte) describes Brown Trout, "cutbow" and Rainbow Trout with "one of the only successfully reproducing populations of rainbow trout in the South Platte drainage," general drainage context, not the Middle Fork itself (CPW South Platte River).
- A managed trophy reach runs from the Colo. 9 bridge north of Garo downstream to the South Fork confluence: flies and lures only, trout 12-20 inches must be released, 2-fish bag with only one over 20 inches (CPW special regulations).
- CPW's Fishing Atlas flags the Tomahawk SWA access point as stocked with sub-catchable trout (CPW Fishing Atlas).
- Secondary sources report Brown Trout near Fairplay and downstream, with Brook Trout and some Rainbow Trout near Alma (Angler's Covey; The Catch and The Hatch).
Getting to the Middle Fork South Platte
- Fairplay Beach Recreation Area is the in-town anchor -- the Town of Fairplay describes it as "a very popular public fishing area, above and below the Fairplay Beach Recreation Area (reservoir)," with 2006 habitat improvements. CPW's own mapping data separately confirms a stocked Fairplay Kids Pond at the same location -- a different kind of fishing than the river itself (Town of Fairplay).
- Tomahawk SWA, Badger Basin SWA and Alma SWA (CPW, Park County) all require a license or SWA pass 16+. Badger Basin is the strictest: fishing only, no hunting, designated parking areas only, access confined to the fenced/posted easement (CPW Badger Basin SWA).
- Unconfirmed: Alma Riverwalk Trail Head, further upstream in the town of Alma, connects a Main St./Highway 9 parking area to the river corridor -- but the Town of Alma's own page describes it as a trail/open-space purchase and does not explicitly confirm fishing access. Treat it as a river-corridor/trail access point, not a confirmed fishing spot, until that's verified (Town of Alma).
- Gold MedalColo. 9 bridge (4.9 mi north of Garo) to the South Fork confluence -- artificial flies and lures only; trout 12–20 inches must be released immediately; bag/possession 2 trout, only one over 20 inches (CPW special regulations).
12 sourced hatch windows for the Middle Fork South Platte
Species, size, and season, each tied to the published fly-shop or guide-service chart it came from. See Hatch Charts for every Colorado river we track and a precision-level key.
This river has no dedicated hatch chart for a meaningful share of these windows: they're drawn from regional/statewide fly-shop templates or a source that only gave a start month with no published end date. Check the Precision column per row before planning around a specific date.
| Species | Season Window | Size | Precision | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caddisfly | Jun 1 onward (no published end date) | Elk Hair Caddis #8-18; Caddis Larva #12-18; Missing Link Caddis #14-18 | Month-level | FlyGuysNLies (South Platte River – Middle Fork) |
| Blue-Winged Olive | Jun 1 onward (no published end date) | — | Month-level | FlyGuysNLies |
| Pale Morning Dun | Jul 1–Aug 31 | — | Month-level | FlyGuysNLies |
| Hoppers | Jul 1–Aug 31 | Dave's Hopper #6-12; Chernobyl Ant #8-16 | Month-level | FlyGuysNLies |
| Ants / Beetles | Seasonal (no specific dates published) | Parachute Ant #14-20 | Seasonal estimate | FlyGuysNLies |
| Midge | Seasonal (no specific dates published) | Zebra Midge #18-22; Rojo Midge #18-22; Top Secret Midge #20-24 | Seasonal estimate | FlyGuysNLies |
| Trico | Seasonal (no specific dates published) | Trico Spinner #18-24; Organza Trico Spinner #20-24 | Seasonal estimate | FlyGuysNLies / Angler's Covey |
| PMD | Seasonal (no specific dates published) | Sparkle Dun PMD #16-20; Split Back PMD #18-22 | Seasonal estimate | Angler's Covey (Middle Fork of the South Platte) |
| Caddis | Seasonal (no specific dates published) | Buckskin Caddis #18-20; Barr's Graphic Caddis #14-18 | Seasonal estimate | Angler's Covey |
| Yellow Sally | Seasonal (no specific dates published) | — | Seasonal estimate | Angler's Covey |
| Midge | Seasonal (no specific dates published) | Bling Midge #20-22; Massacre Midge #20-22 | Seasonal estimate | Angler's Covey |
| Terrestrials (hopper-dropper) | Seasonal (no specific dates published) | Micro Chubbies #12-16 | Seasonal estimate | Angler's Covey |
9 fly pairings from real fishing reports
Up to 2 pairings for this river are always free to browse in full. Fly names, leader/tippet spec, and full source are unlocked by .
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Recent reports from anglers on the Middle Fork South Platte
Real ratings, notes, condition tags, and rig tags logged by signed-in anglers after fishing this water.
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Fly shops on the Middle Fork South Platte
Middle Fork South Platte fly fishing questions
What is a good flow (cfs) to fish the Middle Fork South Platte?
Guides and local shops report an ideal wade-fishing window of roughly 50–200 cfs on the Middle Fork South Platte (FlyGuysNLies). TroutTips shows the live current reading against this range so you can check before you go.
Is the Middle Fork South Platte designated Gold Medal water?
No, the Middle Fork South Platte does not currently carry Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Gold Medal water designation.
What flies work on the Middle Fork South Platte?
TroutTips tracks 9 fly pairings reported specifically on the Middle Fork South Platte, each tied to a season and a real source. See the Fly Pairings section on this page for the full list.
Are there fly shops near the Middle Fork South Platte?
Yes, ArkAnglers (Salida), ArkAnglers (Buena Vista), UpRiver Fly Fishing, Mountain Angler, Ty's Fly N Tackle, Tumbling Trout Fly Shop, South Platte Fly Shop, Angler's Covey guide this river. See the Nearby Fly Shops section on this page for details.