Tailwater · Mixed · Colorado

South Platte — Eleven Mile Canyon

South Platte — Eleven Mile Canyon — South Platte River Eleven Mile Canyon scouting

Eleven Mile Canyon is the reach below the reservoir, a granite-walled tailwater you can drive right alongside, which makes it popular and pretty in equal measure.

Prime · Brown Trout
Sparkle Dun · 14-18
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
Low and clear — careful approach country. Take your time — read the water before you cast.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelDry recentlyNo gauge reading
  • Water temp10.3°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
SD
Sparkle Dun14-18
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp10.3°C
ClarityClear
Weather13°C
WindS 10 km/h
Pressure1021 hPa
Rain · recent1.3 mm
Rain · ahead0.5 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
10°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 3 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Western Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Pale Morning DunHatch
2
3
3
2
TricoHatch
2
3
2
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Colorado licence
  • Gold Medal / special-regulation sections — verify CPW rules
  • Canyon road access (fee area).
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
South Platte — Dream Stream (Spinney to Eleven Mile)
17 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
South Platte — Cheesman Canyon
37 km
85
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
South Platte — Deckers
45 km
85
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Arkansas River — Bighorn Sheep & Royal Gorge (Cotopaxi to Parkdale)
51 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Arkansas River — Browns Canyon (Buena Vista to Salida)
57 km
85
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. South Platte — Eleven Mile Canyon — South Platte River Eleven Mile Canyon scouting
    South Platte River Eleven Mile Canyon scouting
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Eleven Mile Canyon is the reach below the reservoir, a granite-walled tailwater you can drive right alongside, which makes it popular and pretty in equal measure. Browns and rainbows hold in the pocket water and the slow glides, and it fishes well in the cold months when the high country is locked up. It's more forgiving and more scenic than the Dream Stream above it, and it shares the same essential logic: watch what comes out of the dam, fish small, and expect company near the easy pullouts.

  • Mixed
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Supporting
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'South Platte River, all tributaries.' (COSPUS02a_E), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Fully Supporting. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · COSPUS02a_E

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 85 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time75 × 13%9.8
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity59 × 12%7.1
Conditions total= 85
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts