South Platte River: Eleven Mile Canyon

Weekly Report

Eleven Mile Canyon flows were holding steady until Dream Stream flows dropped by 100 cfs. On Tuesday, Eleven Mile flows started to decline and are expected to decline further. This decrease is likely in response to the lower dam removal project that was slated to kick off this month. Until the project concludes in December, flows are expected to hold at or below 100 cfs Water clarity is high and at the current level, flows are productive for fishing but that story will change as flows get closer to 100 cfs. While the fishing has been good, anglers will encounter skittish and selective trout. To fool these trout, downsize your tippet to 5x or 6x (6x is recommended for small dry flies), ensure your leader is 9+ ft long and move slowly along the banks. To avoid snagging underwater vegetation, either focus on deep pools and runs where vegetation is less abundant or fish a hopper dropper setup. Overnight temps are still holding above freezing, so there is still terrestrial activity in the canyon. Amy’s Ants, Chubby Chernobyls, Trigger Bellys and Hippie Stompers are buoyant terrestrial patterns that will bring trout to the surface and effectively tow one or two nymphs. Along with hopper patterns, trout are looking up for midges and tricos during the morning, BWOs during the afternoon and caddis (numbers are dwindling) in the late afternoon/early evening. When trout aren’t rising, olive leeches, Buckskin Caddis, Mercury Flashback Pheasant Tails, Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ears, JuJu Baetis, red/purple Zebra Midges, RS2s, Barr’s Emergers, WD-40s, Chocolate Foam Back Emergers and Top Secrets will do the trick on nymph rigs and hopper droppers.

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