Where to Go Elevenmile Reservoir
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SPRING HOURS 9am to 6pm Daily
Photo- Covey Guide Josh Heney
Report Date: 5/10/2026
North Shore boat ramp is now open for the season. Witchers cove boat ramp is still closed but will be opening sometime in May
Current Conditions
11 Mile has slowed down a bit recently. We are kind of in that time of the year where we are waiting for the water temps to warm and really kick off some of the hatches. The fishing has still been decent, but your location on the lake is key. Navigating the wind has been a bit tricky, but paying attention to the wind forecasts will help immensely. Days with zero wind have been tough. We have had a lot of success on the south shoreline this year. There have even been some banger days in the backcountry cove area. The boat traffic has been pretty intense on some days, especially weekends. 11 Mile is basically the only lake where boats are allowed (and will be all season) This can be a great place to get out in a kayak on the less windy days. As we progress through spring, the fish are starting to venture and feed out farther into the lake. Fishing with tubes or kayaks will enable the angler to reach more fish. Depths have varied, but we are seeing the most success in about 6-12 feet of water. Fishing times have varied, but the angler will want to focus more on the wind forecasts than anything. Earlier in the mornings and later in the day have been solid. Its a good time to work the lake with indicator rigs or slow crawling flies. Be sure to start playing with your depth on your rigs now, some fish are feeding a little deeper.
Tactics:
Cover water and focus on the depths that you are fishing your flies!
Hatches:
The bug life is starting to become a little more active. We are seeing some decent chironomid hatches along with the standard leech, scud, and even egg patterns bringing fish to the net. Its only a matter of time before we start seeing some callibaetis come into the mix as well. This is also a great time to focus on some baitfish patterns! (streamers)We do expect all of the hatches this year to happen a little earlier than normal.
Tips:
Work tandem indicator rigs anywhere from a couple feet to about 10 feet down. When static indicator nymphing, its a good tip to "bump" your flies every once in awhile.
Weather:
Short Term- There will be a pretty good stretch of really nice weather coming up. Today will be the coolest with temps in the 60's. As we roll into next week, we will see temps akin to summer time highs. Expect sunny and sometimes windy conditions with highs in the 70's! Around mid week we will see some slight precipitation chances come back into the picture. This last week has been nice and cool, and we even saw some decent precipitation in the area. While it wasnt really enough to turn things completely around, it was extremely helpful. In all, this coming week is going to be absolutely gorgeous!
Long Term- Next weekend, things will remain nice with temps in the upper 60's/ low 70's. Precipitation chances will increase as we get into the following week. Right now, its too far off to tell, but all signs are pointing at some extended wet and cool weather. Longer range weather forecasts are showing a wet pattern for the state. This would be the ideal scenario after a dry winter. One thing to note about that.. There has been a lot of talk about our lackluster winter. While that was the case, we are in decent shape for water in our local basins. No doubt we will see water restriction, etc. but the fishing will remain very good clear throughout the season and into fall. One thing we learn living here is that things can change very fast. And a spring and summer with normal or even slightly below normal rainfall, will keep us in good shape this year.
NOW BOOKING STILLWATER TRIPS FOR 2026! MOTOR BOAT, KAYAK, FLOAT TUBE, OR WALK/WADE. EXPERIENCE OUR WORLD CLASS STILLWATER WITH ONE OF OUR EXPERTS!
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.