North Platte Trico Fishing: Colorado's Best Kept Secret

Set your alarm for 5:30am. Drink your coffee fast. And get to the river before 7.

That's the Trico fishing rule on the North Platte, and if you follow it, you'll be rewarded with one of the most visually spectacular and technically demanding dry fly experiences in Colorado.

What Is a Trico?

Tricorythodes (Trico) are tiny mayflies—we're talking size #20-26—that emerge overnight and complete their spinner fall in the morning. The males and females swarm above the river at dawn, mate, and then the females fall spent onto the surface. When this happens, the surface of the North Platte can look like it's boiling with rising fish.

Timing the Hatch

On the North Platte, the Trico spinner fall typically occurs from early July through September. On warm summer mornings, the fall can be underway by 7-7:30am and largely finished by 9:30-10am. Cooler fall mornings push it later, sometimes to 10-11am.

The Gear

This is finesse fishing at its most demanding. You need:

9-foot 6x leader, minimum

7x fluorocarbon tippet (I don't care if you think this is overkill—it's not)

Size #20-24 Trico Spinner as your primary fly

Polarized sunglasses that you can actually see through

The Approach

The North Platte's wide, braided channels and crystal clear water mean long casts and careful wading. Pick a rising fish and commit to it. These aren't shotgun rises—each fish is in a specific feeding lane eating individual spinners. Your job is to put your spinner in that lane with zero drag and a natural presentation.

When you finally fool a 16-inch brown on a #22 Trico Spinner with 7x tippet, you'll understand why people drive two hours from Denver to fish here.