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South Boulder Creek Upper Section

River Explorer · Free guide

South Boulder Creek

Upper Section

Near Rollinsville, CO · South Platte River Basin

Fishing seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall

See the river in

Fishable flow range 25–250 cfs

Water type
Freestone
Water size
Small
Difficulty
Medium
Access
Easy
Fish numbers
Few
Fish size
Small

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Overview

Fishing Upper South Boulder Creek

A small, mostly private freestone with four trout species and a few public pockets near Rollinsville

The upper section of South Boulder Creek is a small freestone stream, and most of it runs through private land. The public fishing comes down to a few spots around Rollinsville. They're marked on the section map and described in the access notes below. This is a different trip from the tailwater below Gross Reservoir. Up here you're fishing a creek whose flows rise and fall with snowmelt and weather, and you work it one short pocket at a time. It doesn't see many anglers, which suits the quiet, careful fishing it rewards.

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The appeal is variety. Browns, rainbows, brook trout and cutthroat all live in this river, so you have a chance at a grand slam. You'll need to cover water to find all four, because they typically don't hang out together in the same hole. Fish numbers are on the low side and most trout are small. Treat each legal pocket as its own little puzzle, give it a few good drifts and then move on. Dry flies are the best way to fish this creek, and a well-placed caddis or attractor dry will do most of the work on a typical day.

There's also a wild card. The private Lincoln Hills fishing club above Pinecliffe puts some monster fish in the river, and a runaway club trout can always turn up somewhere else. Walk carefully and stealthily, and you might come up on a trout over 18 inches. Keep it in perspective, though. A big fish is a happy surprise on public water, not a reason to cross a posted boundary. Most days the fun here is small trout eating a dry fly in water you can almost step across.

Water typeFreestone

A small freestone creek, so snowmelt and weather have a big say in how it fishes from week to week. This is the mostly private water above Gross Reservoir, separate from the tailwater below.

Water sizeSmall

Small water with short casts and individual pockets. Most drifts last only a few seconds, and you can step across much of the creek.

DifficultyMedium

Medium. Trout here will take a dry, but brush, short drifts, low fish numbers and limited legal water all make you work for your fish.

AccessEasy

Easy to reach where it's public, at a few town and roadside spots around Rollinsville. Those spots are few, and the rest of the section is private.

Fish numbersFew

Few trout in any one stretch. Cover water, give each pocket a few good drifts and keep moving.

Fish sizeSmall

Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Brook Trout Mostly small trout, with the occasional chance at a larger fish that has escaped from the private club water above Pinecliffe.

Fit

Is the Upper Section Right for Your Trip?

Who will enjoy this creek, and when another reach makes more sense

This section fits when
  • You enjoy small-water dry fly fishing with short, accurate casts in the upper South Boulder corridor.
  • You like careful, stealthy approaches and exploring the few legal public pockets for a mix of trout.
  • You want a shot at a grand slam of browns, rainbows, brook trout and cutthroat, and you're happy to cover water to find them.
  • You'd like a quiet, low-pressure creek, and you're bringing a well-behaved dog along for the day.

Related water

Similar Small Freestone Creeks Nearby

Other small freestone water in the same basin with a spring-to-fall season

An easier small freestone nearbyUpper Boulder Creek - Canyon SectionIf you like the scale of this creek and want small freestone water with a spring-through-fall season but a gentler difficulty rating, Boulder Creek's canyon section is a natural next stop in the same basin.It's a different creek, so check its own page for access and species before you count on the same four-trout mix.A comparable small freestoneSt Vrain Creek - Middle ForkThe Middle Fork of St Vrain Creek matches this reach on type, size and medium difficulty, with the same spring, summer and fall window. The same short-cast, stealthy dry-fly approach carries over well.It sits on a different creek and road corridor, so plan its access and conditions separately rather than treating it as part of a South Boulder trip.

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Conditions

Current Flows and Weather on Upper South Boulder Creek

Check the live flow, its recent trend and the forecast before you drive, especially during spring runoff

Current planning snapshot
16.1CFSLow Flow
Fishable flow ranges
25–250 cfs
Trend
↓ Below the previous seven-day mean
Observed
Sun, Nov 15 · 1:45 am MST

Follow the flow trend, then adjust your fishing depth and the water you focus on.

This is a same-river gauge reading. Use it for flow context and confirm the water where you fish.

Streamflow direction

Streamflow in CFS

CFS 23 20 18 15 12 Nov 9 Nov 12 Nov 15 Date Hover, tap, or focus a point to see its date and flow.
View all flow readings
DateStreamflow (CFS)
2026-11-0920.2
2026-11-1019.7
2026-11-1115.5
2026-11-1215.1
2026-11-1313.4
2026-11-1416.1
2026-11-1516.1
Observed seriesHover or tap a point for its date and flow.

Past Weather and the 7-Day Forecast

Rollinsville area: section point forecast

Sun15Nov
Day
High48°
Sunny

Sunny

Precipitation chance0%
Night
Low29°
Mostly Clear

Mostly Clear

Precipitation chance0%
Avg. wind
3 mph W
Cloud cover
9%
Pressure
30.08 inHg
Mon16Nov
Day
High54°
Mostly Sunny

Mostly Sunny

Precipitation chance0%
Night
Low32°
Partly Cloudy

Partly Cloudy

Precipitation chance0%
Avg. wind
2 mph ESE
Cloud cover
51%
Pressure
30.04 inHg
Tue17Nov
Day
High54°
Mostly Sunny

Mostly Sunny

Precipitation chance5%
Night
Low31°
Slight Chance Light Snow✳ ✳

Slight Chance Light Snow

Snow chance21%
Avg. wind
3 mph SSW
Cloud cover
36%
Pressure
29.84 inHg
Wed18Nov
Day
High44°
Sunny

Sunny

Precipitation chance6%
Night
Low26°
Partly Cloudy

Partly Cloudy

Precipitation chance1%
Avg. wind
10 mph W
Cloud cover
24%
Pressure
29.98 inHg
Thu19Nov
Day
High50°
Mostly Sunny

Mostly Sunny

Precipitation chance1%
Night
Low28°
Partly Cloudy then Slight Chance Snow Showers✳ ✳

Partly Cloudy then Slight Chance Snow Showers

Snow chance15%
Avg. wind
2 mph SSE
Cloud cover
42%
Pressure
29.98 inHg
Fri20Nov
Day
High46°
Snow Showers Likely✳ ✳

Snow Showers Likely

Snow chance63%
Night
Low24°
Snow Showers Likely✳ ✳

Snow Showers Likely

Snow chance63%
Avg. wind
4 mph WSW
Cloud cover
57%
Pressure
29.89 inHg
Sat21Nov
Day
High39°
Chance Snow Showers✳ ✳

Chance Snow Showers

Snow chance31%
Night
Low22°
—

Precipitation chance—
Avg. wind
3 mph W
Cloud cover
48%
Pressure
30.06 inHg
Weather sources

National Weather Service · CLIFF. Wind and cloud averages use 8am–6pm local time. Forecast pressure: MET Norway, averaged daytime sea-level pressure in inches of mercury (CC BY 4.0). Past station reports do not include forecast rain chances or exact cloud percentages; a dash means unavailable.

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Gallery

Upper South Boulder Creek Photos

A look at the small freestone water and pockets you'll be fishing

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