North Platte River Fly Fishing Report
Gold Medal waterNorth Platte River near Northgate. Guides and local shops report an ideal wade-fishing window of roughly 80–750 cfs (FlyGuysNLies). Live gauge data below updates automatically.
What's swimming in the North Platte River
No CPW fishery survey or body-of-water page exists for the Colorado reach of the North Platte. The species notes below rely on regulations text and secondary sources.
- The Northgate Canyon section is described as "primarily a brown trout fishery" with Rainbow Trout also caught (secondary source) (The Catch and The Hatch).
- Trout aren't native to the North Platte: Brook and Rainbow Trout were first stocked in the 1880s, and the wider basin holds Brown Trout plus Yellowstone, Colorado River and Snake River finespotted Cutthroat Trout (Trout Unlimited basin assessment).
- The canyon reach from the Routt National Forest boundary downstream to Wyoming is Gold Medal water: flies and lures only, 2-fish bag (CPW special regulations).
Rivers and creeks that flow into the North Platte River
6 hold fish on Colorado Parks and Wildlife's records, listed from the headwaters down. Open one for where to fish and its rules.
-
Grizzly Creek Brown trout
Where to fish
National forest stretch
About 54 miles up the creek · Forest Road 308.1, high-clearance
About it
It joins the North Platte River about 9 miles SW of Walden. It flows year-round.
-
Little Grizzly Creek Brown and brook trout
Where to fish
National forest stretch
About 30 miles up the creek · Forest Road 60.1
About it
It joins the North Platte River about 9 miles SW of Walden. It flows year-round.
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Roaring Fork Brown trout
Where to fish
Manville SWA and Odd Fellows SWA
CPW access point
About it
It joins the North Platte River about 9 miles SW of Walden. It flows year-round.
-
North Fork North Platte River Brown and rainbow trout
Where to fish
Richard SWA
CPW access point · Medium access
CPW special rules
- Artificial flies and lures only.
- Bag and possession limit for trout is 2.
About it
It joins the North Platte River about 6 miles W of Walden. It flows year-round.
-
Michigan River Brown and rainbow trout
Where to fish
Murphy SWA, Brownlee SWA and Diamond J SWA
CPW access point · Medium access
CPW special rules
Within the Brownlee, Murphy and Diamond J State Wildlife Areas
- Artificial flies and lures only.
- Bag and possession limit for trout is 2.
About it
It joins the North Platte River at Cowdrey. It flows year-round.
-
Canadian River Brown trout
Where to fish
We found no CPW access point or public-land stretch on it. Check land ownership before you fish.
About it
It joins the North Platte River about 2 miles N of Cowdrey. It flows year-round.
Show 6 more named tributaries (no CPW fish data)
These also flow straight into the North Platte River. Colorado Parks and Wildlife has no fish data for them; some may still hold fish.
- Placer Creek
- Pinkham Creek
- Camp Creek
- Threemile Creek
- Salt Creek
- Tepee Creek
Species and special rules are Colorado Parks and Wildlife's. Statewide rules apply everywhere. Before you fish, check land ownership, CPW's current regulations and its temporary closures for drought and low water.
How we pick these
Species are CPW's records from its Fishing Atlas. A creek missing from this list may still hold fish; CPW simply has no record for it. The list runs in the order each one joins the North Platte River, from the headwaters down, and "joins" names the nearest town to where it does on the same side of the mountains: a Census place, or a town with its own post office. Flow is how USGS maps each channel, not a live reading.
Special rules are the ones CPW writes for each creek in its Fishing Atlas. Rules CPW writes for the river itself, such as closures around a creek's mouth, are not repeated on the creek, and no directions lead into water CPW closes all year.
A national forest stretch is one that both the Forest Service's and BLM's ownership maps show as national forest for at least half a mile of the creek, with a road on the Forest Service's motor vehicle map within 500 feet; directions go to that road. Maps can be wrong and road seasons change. Away from CPW access points, check land ownership before you fish.
Getting to the North Platte River
Access breaks into two distinct sub-reaches -- Northgate Canyon itself, and the North Park valley near Walden several miles upstream. These are shown as two separate locations rather than one "Northgate" pin.
- Northgate Canyon itself: the Routt National Forest's Routt Access Parking Lot and Six Mile Gap are the two main entry points; the canyon sits within the Platte River Wilderness (wilderness rules apply, 25-person group max), and floating is recommended only above 1,200 cfs and described as hazardous otherwise (USFS Routt Access, Northgate Canyon).
- North Park valley near Walden, upstream of the canyon: Verner SWA has about 2 miles of frontage, but access is cut off south of the Jackson County Road 18 bridge -- fish only from the posted parking area. Brownlee II SWA is fishing only, no firearms or bows (CPW Verner SWA; CPW Brownlee II SWA).
- Do not fish Richard SWA -- it lost all public access as of October 1, 2024 (CPW Richard SWA).
- Gold MedalSouthern Routt National Forest boundary downstream to Wyoming (Northgate Canyon) -- artificial flies and lures only, trout bag/possession 2. The same limits apply within Brownlee II or Verner SWAs (CPW special regulations).
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What’s hatching on the North Platte River
16 insects, from the published hatch charts of 5 fly shops, guides and fishing sites. Tap an insect to see where its dates come from. Every river, month by month →
CaddisApr – Oct 31 · hook #10–224 sources
Where these dates come from:
- Fly Shack (CO) “Caddis (various)”: May 15 – Sep 14 · #10-22
- The Catch and The Hatch “Caddis”: May – Oct (months only) · #10-20
- Big Y Fly Co (WY) “Caddis”: May 1 – Oct 31 · #12-18
- Four Seasons Anglers “BWO, PMD, Caddis, Yellow Sallies, Trico”: Apr – Jun (months only)
Hoppers & terrestrialsApr 1 – Nov 30 · hook #6–2010 sources
Where these dates come from:
- Fly Shack (CO) “Terrestrials (various)”: Jul 1 – Sep 14 · #8-20
- The Catch and The Hatch “Ant patterns”: Apr – Sep (months only) · #14-18
- The Catch and The Hatch “Beetles”: May – Sep (months only) · #14-18
- The Catch and The Hatch “Hoppers”: Jun – Sep (months only) · #8-16
- The Catch and The Hatch “Flying Ants”: Aug – Sep (months only) · #14-18
- Big Y Fly Co (WY) “Ant”: Apr 1 – Nov 30 · #14-18
- Big Y Fly Co (WY) “Beetle”: Apr 1 – Nov 30 · #10-18
- Big Y Fly Co (WY) “Hopper”: Jun 15 – Oct 31 · #6-14
- Fly Shack (WY) “Terrestrials (various)”: Jul 1 – Sep 14 · #6-18
- FlyFishFinder (Gray Reef) “Hopper”: Aug (months only)
Pale Morning Duns (PMD)Apr – Oct 15 · hook #14–205 sources
Where these dates come from:
- The Catch and The Hatch “Pale Morning Dun”: Jun – Sep (months only) · #14-20
- Big Y Fly Co (WY) “PMD”: Jun 15 – Oct 15 · #14-18
- Fly Shack (WY) “Pale Morning Dun”: Jun 8 – Jul 31 · #16-18
- FlyFishFinder (Gray Reef) “PMD (Ephemerella infrequens)”: Jul (months only) · PMD Parachute #16-18
- Four Seasons Anglers “BWO, PMD, Caddis, Yellow Sallies, Trico”: Apr – Jun (months only)
StonefliesApr 1 – Jul 31 · hook #4–162 sources
Where these dates come from:
- Fly Shack (CO) “Stoneflies (various)”: May 1 – Jul 31 · #4-16
- Big Y Fly Co (WY) “Brown Stone”: Apr 1 – Jun 30 · #10-16
TricosApr – Oct 31 · hook #18–265 sources
Where these dates come from:
- The Catch and The Hatch “Trico”: Jul – Sep (months only) · #18-26
- Big Y Fly Co (WY) “Trico”: Jul 1 – Oct 31 · #18-24
- Fly Shack (WY) “Trico”: Jul 15 – Sep 30 · #20-24
- FlyFishFinder (Gray Reef) “Trico (Tricorythodes spp.)”: Jul – Sep (months only) · Trico Spinner #20-22
- Four Seasons Anglers “BWO, PMD, Caddis, Yellow Sallies, Trico”: Apr – Jun (months only)
Yellow SalliesApr – Aug · hook #12–183 sources
Where these dates come from:
- The Catch and The Hatch “Yellow Sally Stonefly”: Jun – Aug (months only) · #12-18
- Fly Shack (WY) “Yellow Sallie”: Jun 1 – Jul 7 · #12-14
- Four Seasons Anglers “BWO, PMD, Caddis, Yellow Sallies, Trico”: Apr – Jun (months only)
Crane fliesMay 1 – Sep 30 · hook #2–61 source
Where these dates come from:
- Big Y Fly Co (WY) “Cranefly”: May 1 – Sep 30 · #2-6
Golden StonefliesMay 1 – Aug · hook #8–143 sources
Where these dates come from:
- The Catch and The Hatch “Golden Stone”: Jun – Aug (months only) · #8-14
- Big Y Fly Co (WY) “Golden Stone”: May 1 – Jul 31 · #8-12
- Fly Shack (WY) “Golden Stonefly”: May 8 – Jun 30 · #8-10
SalmonfliesMay 1 – Jul · hook #4–143 sources
Where these dates come from:
- The Catch and The Hatch “Salmonfly”: May – Jul (months only) · #6-14
- Big Y Fly Co (WY) “Salmonfly”: May 1 – Jun 30 · #4-6
- Fly Shack (WY) “Salmon Fly”: May 8 – Jun 14 · #4-6
Green DrakesMay 8 – Aug · hook #8–143 sources
Where these dates come from:
- The Catch and The Hatch “Green Drake”: Jun – Aug (months only) · #8-14
- Big Y Fly Co (WY) “Green Drake”: Jun 1 – Jul 31 · #10-12
- Fly Shack (WY) “Green Drake”: May 8 – Jun 14 · #10-12
March BrownsJun 1 – Jul 14 · hook #10–141 source
Where these dates come from:
- Fly Shack (CO) “March Brown”: Jun 1 – Jul 14 · #10-14
Mahogany DunsSep 1 – Oct · hook #10–183 sources
Where these dates come from:
- The Catch and The Hatch “Mahogany Dun”: Sep – Oct (months only) · #10-16
- Fly Shack (WY) “Mahogany Dun”: Sep 1 – Sep 30 · #16-18
- FlyFishFinder (Gray Reef) “Mahogany Dun”: Sep (months only)
Blue-Winged Olives (BWO)All year · hook #14–249 sources
Where these dates come from:
- Fly Shack (CO) “Blue Winged Olive”: Apr 15 – Jun 30 · #18-24
- The Catch and The Hatch “Blue Wing Olive”: Sep – Apr (months only) · #16-24
- Big Y Fly Co (WY) “BWO (spring)”: Apr 1 – Jun 15 · #16-22
- Big Y Fly Co (WY) “BWO (fall)”: Sep 1 – Nov 30 · #18-22
- Fly Shack (WY) “Blue Winged Olive (spring)”: Apr 8 – May 14 · #20-24
- Fly Shack (WY) “Blue Winged Olive (fall)”: Sep 1 – Oct 14 · #20-24
- Fly Shack (WY) “Blue Winged Olive (summer, large)”: Jun 8 – Jul 14 · #14
- FlyFishFinder (North Platte – Gray Reef) “Blue-Winged Olive (Baetis spp.)”: Jan – Dec (months only) · BWO Parachute #18-22
- Four Seasons Anglers “BWO, PMD, Caddis, Yellow Sallies, Trico”: Apr – Jun (months only)
MidgesAll year · hook #16–285 sources
Where these dates come from:
- Fly Shack “Midges (various)”: Apr 1 – Nov 30 · #16-24
- The Catch and The Hatch “Midges”: Jan – Dec (months only) · #16-24
- Big Y Fly Co “Midge”: Jan 1 – Dec 31 · #18-22
- Fly Shack “Midges (various)”: Jan 1 – Dec 31 · #20-28
- FlyFishFinder (Gray Reef) “Midge (Chironomidae)”: Jan – Dec (months only) · Mercury Midge #20-24
Streamers & baitfishAll year · hook #2–125 sources
Where these dates come from:
- Fly Shack (CO) “Streamers (various, spring)”: Apr 1 – Jun 14 · #2-10
- Fly Shack (CO) “Streamers (various, fall)”: Sep 15 – Nov 14 · #2-10
- Big Y Fly Co (WY) “Sculpin”: Jan 1 – Dec 31 · #2-8
- Big Y Fly Co (WY) “Leech”: Jan 1 – Dec 31 · #6-12
- Big Y Fly Co (WY) “Baitfish”: Jan 1 – Dec 31 · #2-10
Worms & eggsAll year · hook #10–161 source
Where these dates come from:
- Big Y Fly Co (WY) “Worms”: Jan 1 – Dec 31 · #10-16
Some sources list only months, not days, so treat the dates as a guide and check conditions before you go.
12 fly pairings from real fishing reports
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Fly shops on the North Platte River
North Platte River fly fishing questions
What is a good flow (cfs) to fish the North Platte River?
Guides and local shops report an ideal wade-fishing window of roughly 80–750 cfs on the North Platte River (FlyGuysNLies). TroutTips shows the live current reading against this range so you can check before you go.
Is the North Platte River designated Gold Medal water?
Yes, at least part of the North Platte River carries Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Gold Medal water designation.
What flies work on the North Platte River?
TroutTips tracks 12 fly pairings reported specifically on the North Platte River, 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 North Platte River?
Yes, North Park Anglers, St. Peter's Fly Shop (Old Town), St. Peter's Fly Shop (South) guide this river. See the Nearby Fly Shops section on this page for details.