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+--- Thread: South Platte River - Spinney Mountain Ranch (/showthread.php?tid=135841)
South Platte River - Spinney Mountain Ranch - tubeN2 - 05-26-2004
FISHING: Good
Flow: 59 cfs
Clarity: Good
Water Temperature: Low 40’s
Major Food Organisms: Midges, large “spring” midge, and sporadic caddis
Hatches: Midges, large “spring” midge, and sporadic caddis
14 Day Forecast: Look for the flow to remain between the 50-80 cfs range. Midges, baetis, and a few caddis will be the main hatches.
Tips and Other Information: The Spinney Mountain Ranch is a good choice right now if you like technical fishing. Fishing is tough, yet rewarding! A productive day is between 6-8 fish, and believe me there are no “free-bees’! Sight fishing is mandatory if you plan on being successful, and you will need to cover lots of water. 90 percent of the trout are holding in 10 percent of the water. The vast majority of the fish are holding in the slow, deep transitional areas (shelves and gravel bars which dump into the oxbows). A few fish will move into the riffles later in the afternoon when the midges begin to hatch. Over all, the hatches have been light, and we have spotted very few feeding trout. The water is slightly off colored below the “barn area” because workers are narrowing down the river channel, and dumping dirt and rocks into the river. This discoloration has not effected fishing as much as you might expect, but it certainly makes it very difficult to spot fish. Flies of choice have been #18 Buckskins, #20 Mercury Flashback Pheasant Tails, #20 Sparkle Wing RS II’s, #20 Mercury Blood Midges, and #22 Mercury Black Beauties. Anglers can expect a few “midging” fish in the slow tail outs near the gauging station and the deep ox-bows above and below the “barn” area, as well as, the nice two runs below the dam. Look for the “big” Spinney spring midge. As a result of this hatch, a size #18 Bead Head Black Beauty will be very effective in May and two first weeks of June. There have been a few rising fish to baetis on overcast days, but for the most part this hatch has been very sporadic. A size 20 Hi Vis Baetis or #20 Sparkle Dun has been effective when attempting to fool these surface feeders.
Effective Patterns: #20-22 Dorsey’s Mercury Pheasant Tail, #20-22 Dorsey’s Mercury Baetis, #20-22 Churchill’s Sparkle Wing RS II, #22 Black Beauty, #18 Micro San Juan Worm, #16 Nuclear Egg, #18-20 Mercury Flashback Pheasant Tails, #18-20 Buckskin, #20-26 Parachute Adams, #20-24 Griffith Gnat, #20-24 Hi-Vis Baetis, and #22 Cannon’s Bunny Midge.
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