For the fishermen of early February, the "Dream Stream" might as accurately be called the "Daydream Stream."

On a relatively warm weekend day, the pace is comfortable. Parking areas along the segment of the South Platte River connecting Elevenmile and Spinney Mountain reservoirs remain unfilled. Fishermen are in no particular rush to stake out a favorite spot along the river, and conversation comes easily.

A standard array of small Pheasant Tail Nymphs, Mercury Midges, Black Beauties and similar offerings, sometimes fished in tandem with an egg pattern, produces an occasional trout, including a few of impressive size, but the main comment heard from fishermen is along the lines of, "It's a nice day. It feels good just to get out."

Call it the lull before a storm. A dramatic change is imminent.

"It should be another two weeks or so," said Jeff Spohn, the Colorado Division of Wildlife fisheries biologist in charge of the Upper South Platte drainage, of the annual run of fish from Elevenmile Reservoir that usually moves into the river in late February.

Rainbow, Snake River cutthroat and cuttbow trout that have grown to size in the reservoir's exceptionally productive waters feel springtime spawning urges and move into the river looking for suitable redds, an odyssey that might take them to the base of Spinney Mountain Dam. Occasional brown trout, likely attracted to eggs from the spawn- ripe rainbows and cutts, might accompany the run.

A very real possibility of catching the trout of a lifetime, or at least getting into some larger- than-average fish, attracts an army of dreamy-eyed anglers to the stream. Parking areas are jammed, and prime holding areas for fish all but require anglers awaiting an opening to fish them to take a number. Though midge and blue-wing-olive mayfly imitators can be effective during the run, egg patterns and streamers are usually the flies of choice.

The spring spawning run typically continues into early June. A similar run of brown trout and possibly kokanee salmon occurs in the fall.

Resident trout provide plenty of fishing action between the spawning runs, but even they tend to be highly mobile.

"We know of a tagged fish that was caught at the very edge of the public water," Spohn said. "Five hours later, the same fish was caught down below County Road 59.

"While I guarantee some of the fish spend their entire lives in the river, an awful lot of them are on the move throughout the season. That's reflected in some of the ups and downs we've seen in our annual sampling, and it's why it can be hard to get a solid handle on the population. About all I really look at now are the young-of- the-year counts."

With negligible rainbow-trout reproduction because of whirling disease, browns provide almost all the wild-trout population. Browns haven't been stocked into the river since 1983, or into the reservoir since 1988.

"They're on their own," Spohn said of the browns. "We rely on those spawners from the reservoir to keep it going, and it's why anglers should be especially careful with them in the fall."

Rainbows and cutthroats are stocked into the reservoir and, as fingerlings, into the river. Such stocking includes recent experimental plants of the WD-resistant Hofer strain of rainbows into the stream. If successful, the Hofer rainbows potentially could provide a degree of natural reproduction to complement the browns.

With Presidents Day coming up, the stage is set. Rainbows are plentiful in the reservoir, and some are very large.

A significant number is expected to enter the river and, for many an angler, the daydream of early February could soon become a dream fulfilled.

FLY-TYING CLINIC: The West Denver Chapter of Trout Unlimited will host its annual fly-tying clinic Saturday at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds. Sixty-four regional tiers will be featured. The session will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission: $10; free for children under 13.

As a rule

Fishing in the river between Elevenmile and Spinney Mountain reservoirs is by artificial flies and lures only.

All fish must be returned alive to the water immediately.

Seasonal closures below County Road 59 for salmon- spawn taking are possible. They will be posted accordingly.