CURRENT CONDITIONS

Denver Water's reservoirs sat at 74% of capacity in mid-August, well below the normal 96%, after the second-lowest snowpack peak on record. Cheesman Reservoir releases are down to roughly 147 cfs, Eleven Mile Canyon is running in the 50-80 cfs range, and the Dream Stream has dropped into the low 70s cfs against a historical average near 190. Colorado Parks and Wildlife has a voluntary fishing closure in effect from noon to midnight on the Dream Stream, between the Eleven Mile Reservoir inlet and Spinney Mountain Dam, where afternoon water temperatures have been climbing past 73 degrees. Fish early, and get off any stretch that's pushing 67 degrees.

FLIES FOR THIS WATER

Deckers and Cheesman are in the trico window now, guides are calling it the mainstay hatch through the dog days of summer, with caddis and PMDs still mixed in but hatches sparse overall and fish selective at these lower flows. The Dream Stream and Eleven Mile, fed straight off reservoir releases, are seeing trico activity in the early morning too. Build your box around a Gray RS2 (#20), Zebra Midges, and a Rainbow Warrior, our Tailwater Dozen covers that base, and add Trico spinners in #22-24 for the mid-morning spinner fall. We do not currently carry a dedicated trico spinner in the shop. If you want spinners sized and tied to exactly what's coming off the water this week, request a custom order below.