Where to Go Elevenmile Reservoir
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FALL HOURS: 9am TO 6pm DAILY
Report Date: 9/9/2024
Current Conditions:
The north boat ramp is open daily, but the Witchers boat ramp (south side) is now CLOSED for the season.
11 Mile has continued to fish well and has been the most consistent out of the South Park lakes. 11 mile is doing a little better than the other lakes simply because its not getting as hot. Water temps in the mile are still in the 50's. This happens because of the extreme depth of 11 mile reservoir. The water will never get too warm there. Shore fishing can still be had at 11 mile, but fishing from watercraft is definitely the best option. With the mellow wind forecast, this is a great time to get out in kayaks or float tubes. The weeds are getting thick in certain places. Focus on areas with drop offs or flats where there are pronounced weed beds, and fish the openings between them. The south shoreline has been the best area as of late.
Hatches:
Chironomids (smaller), Damsels and still some callibaetis are the main bugs right now. The chironomids are pretty early but will hatch a bit all throughout the day. The callibaetis will start to ramp up earlier in the morning and the Damsels will follow throughout the day. All of these bugs can be fished in static stages, slow stripping and even as adults. Sight fishing the cruising fish eating adults can be a ton of fun. Leeches, scuds, and streamers are also good options.
Tactics:
With the summer weed growth, it would be a good idea to beef up on your terminal tackle size right now. A good fish that gets you into the weeds will be hard to get out of them. 2x is a good bet right now. You can still fish from shore, but that is getting difficult at this lake right now. Boats, float tubes and kayaks are the ideal avenues to access the lake. Try static indicator nymphing at various depths, or even midge stripping the above hatches. Sometimes these fish like horizontal movement in the presentation. The depth you are fishing will be THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR in nymphing. With the warmer water temps, fish have started to feed at greater depths. Focus on the 12 foot to 18 foot depths.
Tips:
With the water temps not being a factor here, the angler can fish all day on this lake with some success. IF the wind doesnt chase you away. Fishing has still been best earlier in the day. The fishing has slowed down outside of any pronounced hatches. You can expect some slow gaps in the fishing.
Slow stripping or dry droppers with damsels can be good in shallower water right now too.
As the weather starts to cool, we will see an uptick in success from the shore.
The pike fishing has been real good the last few days. This is a great time to start to target these toothy beasts. Mostly smaller Pike have been caught, but thats bound to change with some larger fish becoming active.
Weather:
Short Term- We will have more of the same this week. Highs will be in the 70's and rain chances are very low. We could see a rogue storm roll through but nothing will be long lasting if it does develop. The wind looks great most of the week as well. The exception to that will be on Thursday, where we could see some strong winds around noon. Morning lows are starting to get chilly in the 30's and 40's, but it is warming up pretty fast each day. Get out and enjoy this great late summer weather!
Long Term- After this coming weekend, things look to cool off a bit. Its hard to say right now if thats the beginning of some sustained changes, but it will cool off for a few days. Temps will remain in the 60's and we could see some pretty cold morning lows. Long range forecasts are hinting at some incoming changes toward the back half of September, but as always we will have to wait and see how that develops.
NOW BOOKING STILLWATER TRIPS
This is an area we offer guided fly fishing trips. Angler's Covey is home to some of the best and most passionate stillwater experts in the area. Fall can be one of the best times to target stillwater for a variety of species. If you would like to try your hand at stillwater fly fishing, give us a call! You wont be disappointed.
RECOMMENDED PATTERNS:
Our Top Nymphs for Today:
* Hares Ear, sizes 14-18
* Mini leech jig damsel, size 14
* Titan tube midge, black/red, sizes 16
* Bubbas callebaetis, size 16
* Zebra midge, red/black, sizes 16-20
Our top Dry Flies for Today:
*Parachute Adams, sizes 14-18
*Adult damsel, size 14
*Morrish May, grey, size 14-16
*Hoppers!
Out top streamer patterns for Today:
*Baby Gonga, yellow/white, size 4
* Bennets Lunch money, rainbow, size 4
* Mini dungeons, lighter colors, sizes 4-6
Pike Flies-
- Bunny leaches, red/white, size 2/0
- Barrys Pike Fly, all colors, size 1/0, 2/0
- Double dungeons, brighter colors, sizes 2-6
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.