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: 12/20/2024

Current Conditions: 

The flows in the canyon are above seasonal averages at 140 cfs. Inflows to 11 mile reservoir are about the same rate at 144 cfs. Flows in the canyon should always be pretty close to the flows in the Dream.  As usual, The fishing is on the technical side, but any well placed fly should do the trick. We are seeing some good ice build up in the shady parts of the canyon. The clarity is excellent and we are seeing some great sightfishing opportunities right now.

Please leave any redds you see alone!

The river hasnt been as busy recently, although we do see some pretty good crowds on the weekends still. Dont be afraid to fish the "bait water" or lower in the canyon as we have seen some fantastic fish in that area. Focus your efforts back in the riffles, runs, seams and holes in areas of the river that see sun.

Good, dead drifts right on top of the fish are key right now. Anglers will need to bring their A Game to the river right now.

We have seen some great midge hatches and fishing the adult stages (Dry flies) has been fun!

Hatches: 

We have transitioned into primarily fishing midges. The weather has been keeping  the hatches going strong. As we step further into winter, its becoming more of a midge game. There are still a few BWO's here and there and fish are still paying attention to them. The main hatches have been in later morning/early afternoon. Go small on your offerings as the bugs are on the tiny side.

Tactics: 

Nymphing will still be the most effective, but we are seeing some great dry fly fishing for midges. 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. Again, keep your patterns small!

Weather: 

Short Term-  We have been in a pretty long 3 week lull in terms of weather. There have been no storms and conditions have been very quiet. Despite daily highs being slightly above average, we have some some absolutely frigid low temps up here. We will continue to see quiet conditions through the weekend and into next week. Highs will be in the 30's and lows will get cold. On Monday afternoon a small disturbance  will move through the area. Not much will happen with this but we could see some flurries. Overall, the next few days will be good fishing weather.

Long Term- The long term forecast isnt a whole lot better than the short term. We could see some small systems move through the state next Monday and even on Christmas day. Right now there is low confidence in these storms but we may see a little bit of snow on those days. Temps will cool more next week as well. It does appear that some weather patterns will be changing as we head into 2025, but as always we will have to wait and see how that pans out. For now we will enjoy the sun and quiet conditions.

As a result of the dry conditions, our snowpack is starting to take a hit. Our snowpack as of today in the South Platte basin is at 91% of average for this time of the year. The sustained quiet weather will force this number to keep declining. Its important to remember that we are not necessarily losing snowpack, we are just not adding to it.

Tips: 

Its winter mode right now. Think technical in all of your applications right now. Be careful taking fish out of the river in temps of 20 degrees or less. This can cause their eyes and gills to freeze, especially with prolonged exposure. If its really cold, keep em wet!!

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:

• Stalcups baetis, olive, size 22
• Blindside midge, grey, size 22
• Sparkle wing RS2, black, sizes 20-22
• No Mercy midge, brown, sizes 20-22
• Black Beauty, sizes 20-24
• Rojo Midge, red, sizes 20-22

Our Top Dry Flies for Today:

• Mole fly, natural, sizes 20-24
• Parachute Adams, natural, sizes 20-24
• Matts midge, sizes 22-24

Our Top Streamer Patterns for Today:

• Baby Gonga,  Grey, size 6
• Slumpbuster, Natural, size 4-6
• Wooly buggers, brown, sizes 6-8

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!