Where to Go South Platte River – Elevenmile Canyon

Open 9 am to 6 pm Daily

Report Date: 9/30/2026

Conditions:

Releases from Elevenmile Reservoir have bumped up to a healthy 91 cfs, breaking a long stretch of low, skinny water. While the top mile directly below the dam remains mostly clear, rain runoff coming off steep canyon walls and side drainages is introducing a light tea-colored stain through the middle and lower canyon stretches. This bump in volume and reduced water clarity—combined with overcast skies and surface rain—has stripped away the trout's usual low-water paranoia. Fish are actively pulling out of ultra-deep plunge slots to spread out and feed aggressively along shallower riffle edges, main-channel drop-offs, and boulder seams.

Guide Reports:

Hopper Juan Ramirez - 9-23-2026

Lots of grass drifting. Good Trico hatch today. Picky fish. Challenging fishing but very rewarding.

Joshua Heney - 9-14-2026

Great trico and blue wing hatch pretty slow after that

Weather:

Short Term -

A rainy low-pressure system is sweeping across the corridor over the next two days, bringing frequent showers, high humidity, and thick cloud cover across the canyon. Daytime temperatures will hover in the mid-to-upper 50s during rain windows before rebounding into the low-to-mid 60s as the storm clears out by the weekend. Winds will remain light to moderate at 6 to 10 mph, while crisp morning temperatures settle into the upper 30s and low 40s.

Long Term -

Once this immediate rain system passes, 10- to 14-day forecast models point toward a mild, stable early-fall pattern across the region. Highs will rebound into the mid-60s to low-70s under mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies, with overnight lows consistently dropping into the upper 30s. Periodic afternoon cloud cover will continue to pass through the valley, offering sporadic low-light windows that keep surface feeding steady through mid-October.

Hatches: 

The dark, humid rain conditions are likely to trigger heavy midday Blue-Winged Olive (Baetis #18–#22) hatches, offering some of the best dry-fly and emerger action of the season in slow foam pockets and tailouts. Micro-midges (#22–#26) remain a constant subsurface staple throughout the day, while rain runoff will wash terrestrial ants, beetles, and worms off the granite walls into the river column.

Tactics:

With off-clear water and higher flows, you can step up terminal tackle to stouter 5x or 6x fluorocarbon without spooking fish. Swap out micro-patterns for larger, higher-visibility lead flies that match washed-in food—such as #12–#14 San Juan Worms, Squirmy Worms, UV Scuds, or small Leeches. Follow your lead fly with a Baetis emerger or midge pupa dropper. If rain runoff creates significant stain in the lower canyon, dead-drifting or swinging small black or olive Woolly Buggers and Slumpbusters along boulder seams will produce aggressive strikes.

Tips:

Focus on current transitions where off-color runoff meets the main channel, as well as soft foam lines where washed-in insects accumulate. Take advantage of the overcast rain conditions to move more freely along the banks—trout are far less sensitive to overhead shadows right now than they were during low, gin-clear flows.

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)