Fly Fishing Guide to the South Platte River: Edition 2

Pat Dorsey

Dec 2018 · Rowman & Littlefield

About this ebook

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

About the author

Pat Dorsey has been guiding for more than twenty-five years and is the head guide and co-owner of the Blue Quill Angler fly shop in Evergreen, Colorado. He is a Simms Ambassador; a Fishpond Ambassador; a member of the pro staffs of Sage Elite, Orvis, Yeti, Whiting Farms, and Scientific Anglers; and the Southwest field editor for Fly Fisherman magazine. He also maintains an online stream report that monitors stream flows and conditions for the Blue, Colorado, South Platte, North Fork of the South Platte, and Williams Fork rivers. He lives in Parker, Colorado.