Where to Go Elevenmile Reservoir
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FALL HOURS 9am to 6pm Daily
Photo- Covey Guide Josh Heney
Report Date: 1/2/2026
ICE UPDATE!
We have had some colder temps up her recently and that has helped the ice situation. The lake looks to be mostly capped, but conditions are still a bit sketchy. The west end of the lake is the safest, and we saw a lot of ice anglers out the the last few days.
We have people monitoring the ice pretty much daily right now and will stay up to date with the ice conditions all throughout the winter and spring.
Tactics:
Be cautious!! Early ice is not safe ice!
Tips:
Work ares that have good ice thickness. You wont have to fish all that deep right now, so targeting shallower areas of the lake is a good idea.
Weather:
Short Term- We will continue to have some very unseasonable weather in this area. High temps are about 20-30 degrees higher than average for this time of year. Look for highs in the 50s through the weekend ind into next week. Morning lows will still get pretty cold, so be prepared for that. We will again have quite a bit of wind here over the next couple of days. We are anxiously awaiting for this sustained high pressure system to break down. In the short term, we dont see that happening. But, there may be some changes coming in the longer term forecast.
Long Term- Next week, temps will cool progressively as we roll through the first full week of January. It looks like we could see a small storm system come through the area on the 8th and into the 9th. Temps will get cold and struggle to get out of the teens and 20's. Morning lows will get extremely cold during this time. Precipitation doesnt look all that impressive here, but hopefully the high country can start to chip away at our record low snowpack. Longer range forecasts are again hinting at a dry and warm period after next week. As always, we will have to wait and see. Lets all hope (and do those snow dances!) for some significant changes to come our way soon. This time of year is instrumental on building that overall snowpack for our summer water. We are currently experiencing record low snowpack across the entire state.
NOW BOOKING ICE FISHING TRIPS FOR WINTER! ( TBD on start date due to ice conditions) ICE FISHING IS A GREAT WAY TO FISH THIS LAKE AND CAN BE A GREAT ADDITION TO YOUR ARSENAL. LEARN FROM AN ORVIS ENDORSED PRO THIS WINTER!
We will begin updating this portion of the report once there is safe ice!
Elevenmile Reservoir is the heart of South Park fishing. This amazing fishery can challenge anglers mostly because it is so big that it's difficult to locate fish. The reservoir has rainbow trout, brown trout, cutthroat trout, kokanee salmon, carp, and northern pike. The average fish caught is around 16 inches. However, because of the size and depth of the reservoir and the abundance of nutrients, Elevenmile can grow very large trout and pike. There are great facilities including a shower at the main office for campers. A daily state parks pass for Elevenmile is 7 dollars.
This is an area we specialize in and are permitted to guide, so give us a shout if you have any questions or if you are interested in allowing one of our Orvis-Endorsed guides showing you how to conquer Elevenmile Reservoir.