Fly Fishing the Denver South Platte | HOME WATERS: EPISODE 1
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Time to read 1 min
The Denver South Platte isn’t a world renowned fishing spot, with most people not even knowing fish live in the river at all. Well you’d be surprised that this gem hidden in plain sight offers great fishing. From trout, to smallmouth, to carp, and beyond, there’s something for everyone. In our first installation of our Home Waters series, we’ll dive into a brief fishing mission on the Denver South Platte (DSP).
We failed to mentioned the specific fishing areas of this river, so we’ll put a brief description of the river below:
Littleton Stretch: from Chatfield to Union Ave offers good trout, walleye, and smallmouth bass fishing. This area is susceptible to low flows, so don’t expect great fishing all the time. Best access is at the South Platte Park located in Littleton.
Middle Stretch: from Union Ave to Evans Ave offers predominantly carp and smallmouth fishing, although there are sporadic populations of wild brown trout. Best access is at the River Run Trailhead and Grant Frontier Park.
Denver Stretch: from Evans Ave to the confluence with Cherry Creek offers carp and seasonal rainbow trout fishing. Trout are typically stocked in the fall and remain in the river until roughly May. Best access is at Fishback Park and 8th St Trailhead.
North Denver/Commerce City/Beyond: this area offers good carp fishing up until the Burlington Ditch where water is low most of the year. There are sporadic opportunities from here northbound. There isn’t great access, so prepare to park on the side of the road.
▬ EQUIPMENT USED ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Rod: Scott Radian 9’ 5wt (discontinued)
Fly Line: Scientific Anglers Amplitude Textured Infinity WF5F
Flies: Wooly bugger variations, parachue adams, several trico spinners, hi-vis micro chubby, jigged frenchie, zebra midge, micro egg, squirmy worm