Where to Go South Platte River – Elevenmile Canyon

FALL HOURS 9am to 6pm Daily

Pikes Peak Trout Unlimited has installed water temperature sensors in 11 mile canyon. Check out the water temps HERE

Report Date: 2/6/2026

Current Conditions: 

There are some places in the canyon that are seeing some ice buildup so its best to avoid those. The canyon has also been pretty cold. The fish have pretty much transitioned into winter mode and are mostly occupying deeper and slower water in areas of the river where there is some sun throughout the day.  The flows are at seasonal averages at 77 cfs. We expect these flows to remain at or near this through the winter and into spring. The fishing has been fairly typical of winter fishing with the prime windows being between 10:30-2:30. This time of year the angler will want to focus on areas of the river that do see some sun. The low sun angle will "cut off large sections of the river. This is where you will see the most ice and snow build up. The areas that do see some sun will afford much more productive fishing. Cover ground and fish your areas throughly.

Hatches: 

Its a midge game in the canyon right now.

Tactics: 

Nymphing will be the staple, but we have had some great windows of dry fly fishing.  Focus on dry fly fishing during the pronounced hatches. As the bugs start to emerge the fish will be consuming them at a high rate. Watch the surface closely and switch over to dries as necessary.

Weather: 

Short Term-  The dry and mild weather stretch will continue in the short term. We will have some absolutely gorgeous temps over the next several days. Highs will get into the 50's and we could see a good bit of wind as well. Morning lows will be chilly and will take a bit to warm up. This winter has been extremely mild, and this will continue through the weekend and into next week. Then we may see some changes on the horizon.

Long Term-  We have been in a stubborn and persistent high pressure across most of the west this winter. As we have been tracking, it looks like we may finally see this pattern lose hold. As we get into next week, the overall pattern will shift a bit. This should allow us to be more in line for incoming storm systems through most of February. Temps will cool to more seasonal averages, and we should at least see more consistent chances of snow. This first wave will come through on Wednesday 2/11. This first part will just bring wind, but the high country should get some snow. Temps will be in the 30's and morning lows will be cold. It looks like we will finally have something positive to talk about regarding snow. Lets hope these storms do develop and we can add to our record low snowpack. Fingers crossed!

Tips: 

The fish are pretty lethargic in the canyon. Pay attention to the air temperature when you are fishing and try not to take fish out of the water when temps are below 20 degrees. Their gills and eyeballs can freeze.

This is an area we offer guided walk/wade trips, and we are one of the only outfitters permitted to do so in 11 mile canyon, please give us a call if you are interested! (We are currently only offering full day trips here)

RECOMMENDED PATTERNS 

For a custom fly assortment for this location, click here! 

Our Top 6 Nymphs for Today:

• Blindside midge, grey, size 22
• Bling midge, sizes 20-24
• Pale Ale midge, tan, sizes 20-22
• No Mercy midge, black, size 22
• Mercury black beauty, sizes 20-22
• Top Secret, brown, sizes 22-24

Our Top Dry Flies for Today:

• Griffiths gnat, sizes 20-26
• Parachute Adams, natural, sizes 20-26
• Mole fly, olive or brown, sizes 22-24

Our Top Streamer Patterns for Today:

Pretty slow for streamers. If you do fish the meat, stay small on your patterns and slow those retrieves down!

Standard nymph rig set up for the South Platte:

Screenshot the diagram above to reference while you're out on the water!

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR "WHERE TO GO" PAGE FOR DETAILED INFORMATION ON OTHER AREAS!