Where to Go South Platte River – Elevenmile Canyon

Open 9 am to 6 pm Daily

Report Date: 9/9/2026

Conditions:

Discharges coming out of the reservoir dam are running extremely low at 70 CFS, resulting in glass clear water through the entire canyon reach. Late season aquatic vegetation and moss beds are heavily choking the shallow margins, forcing resident rainbow and brown trout to concentrate tightly in the primary granite plunge pools, shaded shelf cuts, and central channel slots. Heavy pressure along the accessible roadside pullouts has these fish hyper vigilant, meaning any line spray or clumsy wading will immediately clear out a feeding run.

Guide Reports:

Ted Demetriou - 9-1-2026

69cfs. Low and mossy. BWOs and Tricos. Most fish were on dry during hatch. Hatch was later, about 10 am. Really slowed after hatch ended. Neil’s BWO, slim shady, black sexworker, olive sexworker, shotglass trico, lighthouse trico. Dry fly day.

Weather:

Short Term -

Expect early mornings to start cold around 38 degrees before the sun warms the canyon floor up to a high of 72 degrees by mid-afternoon. Light winds will kick up around noon, accompanied by brief periods of afternoon cloud cover. Those sporadic patches of overcast weather offer the best overhead cover of the day, regularly triggering quick feeding bursts in open water.

Long Term -

The weekly forecast holds a steady late-summer transition with bright, dry morning conditions giving way to scattered afternoon clouds across the high country. High temperatures will consistently tap the lower 70s, while nighttime lows will drop deep into the 30s. This ongoing nightly freeze cycle helps keep stream temperatures cold, stable, and highly oxygenated despite the low water volume.

Hatches: 

The daily hatch cycle starts with micro midges in the early twilight, followed quickly by a dense Trico spinner fall that drops onto the glassy tailouts between 8:30 AM and 10:30 AM. Once the spinners wash out, a sparse mix of small size 22 Baetis emergers and lingering Pale Morning Duns drifts through the main current seams. Late afternoon hours see terrestrial activity take over as drowned land ants, micro beetles, and small grasshoppers tumble off the grassy granite cliffs.

Tactics:

Tie on a 10 to 12 foot leader tapered down to 6X or 7X fluorocarbon to handle the hyper-transparent water. Ditch standard plastic strike indicators for small tufts of natural wool or light yarn that land without a thud, trailing a tiny Mercury Midge, Black Beauty, or Top Secret Emerger 18 inches below a subtle weight. When target fish drop into the shallow moss gaps, switch to a single unweighted nymph or a delicate micro dry fly to prevent snagging the riverbed vegetation.

Tips:

Hike past the easy roadside pullouts and focus on the technical pocket water and shadowed plunge pools hidden along the upper canyon walls. Approach every run from well behind the target area, staying low to the ground and utilizing the large granite boulders to break up your outline against the sky. Take time to grease your leader down to the last foot so your line lays flush on the surface without creating unnatural water tension or drag lines.

This is an area where 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)