Tailwater · Mixed · Colorado, US

South Platte — Eleven Mile Canyon

South Platte — Eleven Mile Canyon — South Platte River Eleven Mile Canyon scouting
Prime · Brown Trout
RS2 · 18-22
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
  • Level0.24 mLast reading 4h ago
  • Water temp12.0°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
RS2
RS218-22
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.24 m
Last reading 4h ago
Water temp12.0°C
ClarityClear
Weather-2°C
WindW 11 km/h
Pressure1031 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.1 mm

Live readings only. Trends shown where the gauge supports them.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
12.0°Cideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°

A dam sets this river's temperature, not the weather, so it can shift several degrees within hours when the release changes. It also warms as it runs away from the dam.

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 time of day could be better.
Likely species
Mayflies
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 11h

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 6 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Supporters see the full sub-surface read.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 4 as a supporter.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October 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
Fly box · Brown Trout
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
67
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
South Platte — Cheesman Canyon
37 km
80
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
South Platte — Deckers
45 km
82
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Arkansas River — Bighorn Sheep & Royal Gorge (Cotopaxi to Parkdale)
51 km
74
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Arkansas River — Browns Canyon (Buena Vista to Salida)
57 km
74
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
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 84 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time55 × 13%7.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity70 × 12%8.4
Conditions total= 84
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Casting instructors near here
Booking & contacts